Breaking Wild

by Diane Les Becquets

In captivating prose, Diane Les Becquets tells the story of one woman missing in the Colorado wilderness and another bent on discovering the missing woman's whereabouts, in an unforgettably moving and thrilling literary debut.

It is the last weekend of the season for Amy Raye Latour to get away. Driven to spend days alone in the wilderness, Amy Raye, mother of two, is compelled by the quiet and the rush of nature. But this time, her venture into a remote area presents a different set of dangers than Amy Raye has planned for and she finds herself on the verge of the precarious edge that she's flirted with her entire life.

When Amy Raye doesn't return to camp, ranger Pru Hathaway and her dog respond to the missing person's call. After an unexpected snowfall and few leads, the operation turns into a search and recovery. Pru, though, is not resigned to that. The more she learns about the woman for whom she is searching, and about Amy Raye's past, the more she suspects that Amy Raye might yet be alive. Pru's own search becomes an obsession for a woman whose life is just as mysterious as the clues she has left behind.

As the novel follows Amy Raye and Pru in alternating threads, Breaking Wild assumes the white-knuckled pace of a thriller laying bare Amy Raye's ultimate reckoning with the secrets of her life, and Pru's dogged pursuit of the woman who, against all odds, she believes she can find.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Survival, Suspense, Adventure, Book Club

309 pages, Hardcover

First published February 9, 2016

About the author

Diane Les Becquets is the author of BREAKING WILD and THE LAST WOMAN IN THE FOREST. Breaking Wild, an Indie Next Pick and a national bestseller, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist, and was featured on NPR’s "Morning Edition." It was the recipient of the Colorado Book Award in Fiction, the New Hampshire Outstanding Work of Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Reading the West Book Award in Fiction. Her newest novel, WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY, will be published by Simon & Schuster on May 5, 2026. For more information, visit: https://lesbecquets.com

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

i got this book from netgalley (thank you, netgalley) and i read it wayyy back in october, when i was helping my dad move. the netgalley archive date wasn't until march, so i thought "i have plenty of time to review it!" but between various holidays and mood swings and whatnot, i kept putting it off and when i finally went to check my notes and bookmarks yesterday, i realized that the netgalley archive date has NOTHING TO DO with the expiration date on the e-reader and it has gone POOF into the ether, taking my bookmarks with it. lesson learned.

and now i gotta write a review based on a memory of a book i read in the middle of moving and holidaying and mood swinging and all of it, so it's probably not going to be my finest hour.

but look at how cute this aardvark is, right?



i downloaded another digital copy from netgalley, but no notes, no bookmarks, none of the pull quotes i'd selected, and since my brain is old and porous, this might not go well. but let's see.

the problem is that this was one of those books that i liked well enough, but it didn't leave me gasping. it's a medium-karen book, which has things that karen loves in a book like survival and snow and interlocking storylines, but it didn't stick to my ribs afterwards, so it's hard for me to recapture my impressions on this one.

when in doubt, retreat into plot-regurgitation.

this is a split narrative between two women: amy raye - wife and mother and experienced hunter/outdoors enthusiast who becomes separated from her companions in the vast and snowy colorado wilderness, and pru - the search-and-rescue ranger with an awesome dog named kona who is tasked with finding her.

pru's story is written in first person, while amy raye's is in third, which sets up some delicious tension in the "will amy raye make it?" department. and it was, truly, harrowing. i forget how long this story covers, but it is way longer than anyone needs to be lost in the blizzarding conditions of colorado, experienced survivalist or no. and it was full of survival tips (which, without my bookmarks, i have forgotten and will now most likely die in the wilderness of queens pretty soon), and through it all was woven the backstories of both women from childhood on; families, losses, mistakes, so the reader gets the sense of who these women are, what's at stake, who's gonna miss them, and what led them to this point in their lives.

the nature descriptions and survival elements were great; i remember there being a lot of detail and some technical explanations that left me no doubt as to the author's personal knowledge and/or research skills. and the ways amy raye overcame obstacles along the way seemed to call upon reasonable ingenuity and not superhero feats, although wayyy beyond my own fatcat endurance.

what keeps it from being a four-star for me is that it was too tidy for my tastes. which isn't necessarily about a lack of ambiguity or open-endedness, although that certainly is a part of it. it's more that it feels like a mirrored checklist, where points in each woman's life are ticked off, addressed, juxtaposed: family, relationship, career, self-image, and that makes it seem a little fussy and overworked instead of the kind of story that bowls you over like a tidal wave with "where did this even come from??" pure inspiration. which is where my tastes run.

but definitely a good book, appropriate for book clubs and people who enjoy man vs. nature storylines.

and this is why we don't procrastinate.

come to my blog!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decisions.

We all make them every second of the day. But do we honestly weigh the impact upon those we love? Like the pebble thrown carelessly into the pond.....the concentric circles seem to go on forever.

Amy Ray Latour ventures out on an elk hunt during the last weekend of the season with two male hunting companions. Colorado wilds are just the place for an avid bow hunter and Amy is not going to lose a second of opportunity. In the wee hours of the morning, Amy takes out on her own well before her hunting buddies have even stirred. Her quick decisions and preparations may come back to haunt her.

When Amy fails to show up at the camp site, Pru Hathaway and her dog are called in for the search. Pru is an archaeological law enforcement ranger who is certified in search and rescue operations with her well-trained dog, Kona. The hunt for Amy begins and every resource is being employed.

Now hear me out: This is not just a "hunters only" kind of read. You will come to know the backstory on both Amy and Pru. Two completely different women with two completely different lifestyles. But it's back to those decisions once again. It's the impact of the road not taken, or perhaps, the impact of the actual road tread upon in life. What unravels in the telling of this tale will hold you steady and engaged, but it will also find you breathing harder and shaking your head in frustration at times. It's all on the giving/receiving side of life. Yes, those decisions.

In truth, I found myself exasperated with Amy at times as a fellow hiker and outdoors person. Choices, once again, went out the window with both women. And yet, the writing is superb. Les Becquets infuses the storyline with her knowledge and her research. The words flow with emotions and the heavy human element visits us time and time again. Zip through technical jargon if you must, but don't lose what is at the core here......painful human transgressions.

I was locked into this book. I walked both sides of the street in loving and disliking the main characters all at the same time. Now that is the key feature of a very talented author. Keep me engaged in the story and send my emotional scale registering highs and lows. You sold me, Diane Les Becquets. I am so awaiting your next offering.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 A adventure story, a survival story and a story about two very strong women. Pru, is raising a teenage son alone, is in charge of maintaining the integrity of archeological sites but often is also called in for search and rescue. Amy, hunting with two men, is a bow and arrow hunter, going out alone to being down an elk. She doesn't return.

We learn the woman's back stories as they take turns relating their stories. I admit to having a hard time in the beginning of this book with the character of Amy. Yes, I was judgmental, something I am working to overcome. Part of my next year's challenge, being less judgmental when reading fictional books. Slowly though I came to realize she is flawed, with due cause, events going back to her childhood. And boy did I admire her survival skills. While reading we do not know if she will make it or not, the two narrations do not sync in time, and this proved very suspenseful. The mountains and the wilderness described is just beautiful.

I ended up liking this book very much. Finely written, we get to know the main characters pretty well, get into their heads, see why they ended up where they did. I know one thing, if are power grid is ever hacked, someone like Amy would be my choice of companion.

ARC from publisher.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women represent the fastest growing demographic among North America's
bow hunters ---make room guys, the fairer sex is joining ranks.

In this adventurous Tour de Force novel, Amy Raye Latour and Pru Hathaway are both
fleeting champions in the wilderness. Both women are driven with purpose, with an endurance to go beyond their limitations...physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The wilderness becomes dangerous ---but the surroundings , ( the landscape), in its vastness alone is absolutely breathtaking. At times I felt my own feet touching the earth under my feet in those woods.

Amy Raye, is the bow and arrow hunter - who is missing. Her husband and two young children are back home. We learn early - hints- of problems in their marriage - yet the reader has the sense that her husband fully supports his wife's hunting passion even though he himself can't stand any type of violence - or guns in the house of any kind.
Before Amy goes missing...we are immediately wondering 'what's up' with she and another man, Kenny. ( one of two of the other male hunters she is with). Their relationship is not 100% clear ... but it doesn't sound like it's one that supports a thriving happy marriage with her husband .
I didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly ... The woman is missing - freezing cold - and hungry.

Pru works for the Bureau of Land Management as an archaeological law enforcement ranger- with the only certified search and rescue dog. (Kona), in the county. She lives with her teenage son. Early in the story - soon after Amy Raye is missing, Pru has a flashback memory that had me on the edge of my seat.... a memory involving her son.
I knew at 'this' moment I was in for a spine-tingling ride ... because we hadn't even started with the more haunting current conditions in the present.

The blending of past memories for 'both' women ...while dealing with their current situations brings their vulnerability to the surface. We get deep into their psyches --
both having suffered traumatic events.
Deeper into the wilderness -(riveting suspense) - awareness arises for both Pru and Amy Raye that demonstrates their essential sense of truth and self. Their perseverance under extraordinary conditions brings hope and healing.


Thank You to Berkley Publishing, Netgalley, and especially to the author, Diane Les Becquets...Awesome Book!

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life

4.5 Stars!

I thought that this was a great book. I love a good survival story so the blurb really caught my attention. This book was most certainly a survival story but it was so much more than that. The characters made this story come alive. I kept the pages turning because I had to know what was going to happen next. I was glued to the book from the time I started reading until I had reached the last page.

This book is told from two alternating points of view. Amy Raye is on a hunting trip with a couple of friends. She is hoping to get an elk before the trip is over so she goes out early in the morning to do just that. Pru is a ranger in the area and spends a lot of her days checking on hunters and helping with search and rescue when needed. Each of these woman has their own story to tell and each voice was distinctive and equally interesting. So many times when a book is written in alternating point of views, I find that I really prefer one of the perspectives much more than the other. Not so with this book. I felt the need to learn everything about each of these women.

The descriptions in the book were excellent and really pulled me into the story. I felt that I was right there with Amy Raye when she was hunting the elk. I have never been to Colorado wilderness but I felt like I was there while reading this book. The terrain would have been very difficult to find someone who is lost and even harder to find your way out. The determination of both Pru and Amy Raye really showed on the page. Amy Raye refused to give up and did some things I couldn't imagine in her quest to survive. Pru wouldn't stop looking and felt the need to find out what had happened to Amy Raye.

The writing in this book was excellent. I absolutely loved how the two women's back stories were woven into the book. I grew to understand each of them a little better with every chapter. The things in both of their lives that had led them to be in that Colorado wilderness together were always interesting and at times heartbreaking. The pacing of the book was nearly perfect. There were no slow points in the book. Everything we need to know was shared at precisely the perfect time to keep my interest peaked.

I would highly recommend this book to others. This is the first time that I have read anything by Diane Les Becquets but I definitely plan read more of her work.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Group - Berkley via First to Read for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
First book of 2016 and you know what...it was a good one. I love a good survival story and this book had that but it had so much more. The characters in this story were amazing and just made the story come alive. I honestly could not put this one down.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting story of two woman - one, Amy Raye Latour, who gets lost in the Colorado wilderness as she tracks an elk she wounded while hunting, and two, Pru Hathaway, a ranger who sets out to find Amy Raye. Both women have compelling histories that are interwoven with the search and rescue narrative. I think, though, the real star of this book is nature itself. Les Becquets is a wonderful writer and I was completely engrossed by the beauty and sheer savagery of the mountains and forests of Colorado in winter.

This is an extremely suspenseful and harrowing read, most definitely not a book you put down and walk away from. Pick a weekend where you have some time to devote to reading and get ready for a thrill ride. Never once will you be sure what is going to happen. Very well done, loved it.

[Carol]

Exceptional. Read on so I can tell you why.
The Hook I couldn’t resist Berkley’s pre-publishing description or my GR friend Patty's review of this title.

The Line While other girls turned sweet sixteen, she learned how to field-dress a deer.”

The Sinker –

Epigram
We can never break free from the dark and degrading past.
Let us see life again, nevertheless, in the words of Isaac Babel
as a meadow over which women and horses wander.
--MAXINE KUMIN, “Women and Horses”

I rarely read a book that I can’t put down but I knew in this case, I had to in order to savor the experience. So put it down I did, reading it over several days, allowing time to contemplate, stretching out the suspense and sheer beauty of this survival story.

Breaking Wild reads like a memoir, purposely so as described by author Diane Les Becquets. In an interview on NPR she explains that there could be a memoir in her, but at this time she prefers to write autobiographical fiction which

”frees me up because I care so deeply for the people in my life not to have to inflict any hurt or shame on anyone else.”

I’d read her memoir in a minute yet I respect her wishes to keep her experiences of pain and sorrow hers and hers alone until if and when she wants to share them.

March is celebrated as Women’s History Month and many books will be recommended that feature strong women. Breaking Wild features not one strong woman, but two and deserves to be added to that list.

Amy Raye is on a hunting trip for elk with two male companions. Raye, a bow hunter, has yet to get her tag and sets off alone to remedy this. She wounds a male elk and must track him to make the kill. Somehow she becomes horribly lost in the Colorado wilderness, in snow pack conditions and freezing cold.

Prue Hathaway and her rescue dog Kona set out to find the missing Raye. This is no easy task and after several days of horrific weather, Raye is feared dead. What is initially a rescue mission soon becomes one of search and recovery.

Over several weeks we are privy to Amy Raye’s and Prue Hathaway’s thoughts and feelings as the story unfolds in alternating chapters and we learn the back-story of their lives. There is a profound feeling of unity as one woman hopes for rescue and the other tries not to give up that hope.

Diane Les Becquets portrays two determined, brave, courageous women in this, her debut, into adult fiction. Amy and Prue are so real my emotions were raw throughout.

This might not be the book for those of you who are against hunting of animals for any reason. For the rest of you let me assure you that Les Becquets shows a deep respect for the elk her character hunts and the gift this flesh provides. She details the hunt, perhaps more than some may tolerate. In addition her lush descriptions of nature and the wilderness made Breaking Wild an adventuresome read for me.

I have purchased a copy of Breaking Wild and will be donating it to my public library. I predict it will be a word of mouth hit with readers.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A taut literary thriller with fierce characters, a breathtaking setting, and nuanced, beautiful prose? Sign me the hell up. Diane Les Becquets has crafted an exceptional novel that strips the layers of human emotion to the barest instincts of survival. She pins the reader to a map of northwest Colorado and holds her fast to the exquisite agony of wonder: will Amy Raye survive?

Amy Raye Latour is an experienced outdoors woman who hunts elk with a bow and arrow. On the final morning of a hunting trip in late autumn, she sets out alone, tracking an elk. The weather turns and suddenly Amy Raye is lost, injured, and easy prey for a roaming mountain lion. It is a full two days before a search is launched, but at the head of the response team is Pru Hathaway, a highly-skilled mountain ranger. The search and rescue effort becomes search and recovery as mountain conditions deteriorate and physical evidence indicates Amy Raye met with a violent end. As the circumstances of Amy Raye's personal life come to light, the possibility of suicide or foul play adds to the tension of her disappearance and the profound emotional resonance of this superb novel.

The narrative alternates between Pru and Amy Raye, the latter's story always a couple of days behind, adding to the suspense. But Breaking Wild is more than an outdoors survival story or a nature thriller. It is a story of losses and upheavals and what our souls must do to survive life's worst shocks. Both women are damaged and have chosen to respond to the world in unusual and often unhealthy ways. What they have most in common, however, is a deep love of this harsh and unforgiving land and a profound emotional and physical connection to the natural world.

Without indulging in any manner of editorializing, Les Becquets shows women who are comfortable and confident, physically strong and technically skilled in a landscape that is nearly always the terrain of men. Les Becquets herself is an accomplished backcountry trekker and hunter and called upon her own experiences to show these women at home in the wildest of spaces.

A transcendent novel that reveals the power and capacity of the human spirit to endure. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this unique novel by Diane Les Becquets featuring two women -- Amy Ray Latour, a bow hunter in pursuit of elk; and Pru Hathaway, the search and rescue ranger who, with her dog Kona, searches for Amy when she disappears during a camping trip.

The novel is told in alternating chapters from both Amy and Pru's point of view, and also goes back in forth in time so the reader learns about each woman's childhood, young adult life, and current situation. While at the most literal level Amy is "lost" and Pru "seeks" her, the reader learns that in the metaphorical sense each of the women is both "lost" and "seeking". Both characters have a realistic depth to them, and Les Becquets gives us a novel that feels both character-driven, with the suspense of wanting to know how the plot will end.

I mention the two women as main characters, but Les Becquets beautifully draws a third character worth mentioning -- the landscape. Nature plays an important role in the story and the author's vibrant description of the setting (and Amy and Pru's love of nature) is thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great read for those who enjoy wilderness novels. Author Diane Les Becquests does a fabulous job perfectly describing the Colorado backcountry. Her prose are so enthralling that while reading, the reader feels the cold, smells the wildlife, hears the twigs snap, and sees the dramatic sky. This is a descriptive novel that takes you away to the Colorado winter backcountry.

The story is told in alternating chapters from the two protagonists POV. It begins with Amy Raye, a wife and mother on a hunting trip with two other men. From the beginning, the reader learns that Amy Raye’s marriage is complicated and perhaps in peril. The other main character, Pru, is a park ranger who is fiercely independent, single with a son in high school.

For me, the story started very slowly. As the book jacket provides, Amy Raye goes missing after a hunt, and the two women’s lives merge. Pru becomes very involved in finding out what happened to Amy Raye. In each chapter, the reader slowly learns about the women and their personal lives, along with what is happening to them during that timeframe.

The action becomes interesting in the last third of the novel. The disappearance of Amy Raye and the search and recovery operation becomes a page-turner. I almost abandoned the novel halfway through, and I’m glad I didn’t.

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4🥾🥾🥾🥾
On a cold rainy day when I needed rest and a break, this page turner about two women, Amy Raye missing in the wilderness while hunting and Pru with search and rescue determined to find her, had me turning pages all day long.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of this book was a bit slow and tedious to me, but I am so glad I stuck with it, because the 2nd half was very good. It is a book about two women, who come from a more rustic way of life, hunting, hiking, spending time in the woods, working with horses. I can't imagine being out in the woods and having to care for myself, seriously I can not imagine that for a moment. I don't camp, not even glam camping.

Amy who is married with 2 step children, goes hunting with two of her male friends and gets away from them and gets stranded in the wilderness. Through the story we hear about her past and how she came to this place in her life. No one gets off easy do they!

Ranger Pru is use to being in the wilderness and along with her dog Kona, who is a search and rescue dog, they begin to search for Amy. The books tells a lot about how people once they are lost operate in the wilderness and how they lose their direction, what is north what is south, especially when there are no see able sunrises and sunsets. We also hear how Pru and her son came to this place in their lives.

It was interesting reading about two women so very different from myself, with such different interest and lifestyles. I got a glimpse into their lives that I wouldn't have had experienced had I not read this book.

This books was given to me by Net Galley for an honest review.

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good tail of two strong women who know the outdoors and nature. A good mystery with some interesting but somewhat far fetched survival information.

[Saleh MoonWalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Onvan : Breaking Wild - Nevisande : Diane Les Becquets - ISBN : 042528378X - ISBN13 : 9780425283783 - Dar 309 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2016

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not at all what I expected after plucking it off the library shelf and reading the description.

This book features graphic descriptions of hunting scenes, and the main premise of the book is that Amy Raye gets lost on a hunting trip gone awry (due to her own extremely poor, not super believable, choices), yet absolutely no mention of hunting in the book's description?

The description simply says "it's the last weekend of the season for Amy Raye to get away" and that she is "driven to spend days alone in the wilderness....compelled by the quiet and the rush of nature." I almost feel a bit lied to, because there was nothing to suggest I would have to suffer through tedious descriptions of elk piss smells and field dressings in my attempt to slog through this book.

The story is told from two perspectives, alternating between Amy Raye's and ranger Pru's perspective. The two storylines are not quite on the same timeline, they are offset by...a day or two? It's unclear, but we read of the search for Amy Raye beginning a few chapters before she is actually lost, and the search party finds her abandoned gun a few chapters before Amy Raye uses it. I imagine it's supposed to feel disorienting, and add to the reading experience, but to me it just felt poorly organized.

Pru is weak character, not enough development, she seems to exist solely for her back story and so that someone cares about finding Amy Raye. Amy Raye is possibly the least like able character ever, which could be ok if done well, but there is absolutely nothing compelling about this character. I did not care one bit what happened to her, she was stupid and annoying.

I actually couldn't even finish this book. Halfway through, it felt like the story hadn't actually *gone* anywhere, too much flashing back for useless back stories, and I gave up.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a well written, fast paced adventure/survival story that I did not want to put down. With this story I didn't cheat to find out the ending. I just kept with it because it was so compelling.

Also, it is a fast read that will get ones adrenaline pumping.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fiction account of a search for a woman lost on an elk hunt in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park's Forest. She had left her two male companions who bagged their tags, while she continued on her own to bow and arrow hunt an elk. In rifle hunting season. Yep, not too swift.

It's actually cored by two women. The bow and arrow "heroine" and Pru, the government sanctioned officer who is one of the primary searchers.

But that physical contest of survival is just the more obvious one. During the full length of the novel you get every other flip-flop styling to both of their back stories. Lost and searcher. From one woman, then the other woman. The Sheriff, Farrell the husband of the lost woman, the children of both women- there are numerous under characters which are quite finely drawn.

It lost an entire star for me in the form of the novel/ form style for plot progression of the duo psyche histories. The self-identity is told (for both primary women characters) in the back story and piecemeal to self-identity of what is happening "now". Completely retrospect and with holes of time skipping and then, once again, backtracking.

I was reading 3 books at the time I started this one. One of those I was approaching the finish. And yet, this one pulled me in by the factors of its physical world surround/ methods for fighting the elements and critters in snowy winter mountain isolation. But the main character was so morose and had such negative habits in the using of others for this and for her former 12 years! Those used, it was so sad the way they were discarded. Especially her TN elders and her husband.

There's lots of repetition to the two prime dogs' movements and purposes. You will like this book much more if you are dog entrenched. The men, apart from Farrell and the Sheriff, they are flat cut outs, IMHO. Stereotypes that we see again and again within the "high dysfunction" individual/family sagas in which these ride rampant and by multiples in nearly every modern novel presently. Have not met up with a Pollyanna or even a comic good girl in dozens of moderns read these most recent years. Angry and spiteful within payback or none is "in" coupled with numerous hook ups or more. If you are looking for the "assumes good intent" central heroine with an Amelia Earhart self-identity, this is NOT what you will find here. Damaged- almost all.

Pru's story felt somewhat like an after thought to echo her loneliness.

But it did have depth, and nature in tooth and claws. Cougar, bears (flashback to both kinds), elk, deer, and coyote in dozens.

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the fact that the author used women as the main characters of the book. These women were cast as very strong and extremely capable women out in the wilderness which is so totally different than what we normally think women can or should be doing. The amazing strength of these women is proudly displayed in captivating richness by this author.

The author did an spectacular job in the creation of the characters, with their similarities and issues. Plus the story development was spot on and thrilling. I was totally captivated, especially in the end. I could not put this book down and ended up reading till the wee hours of the morning because I just had to know the outcome!

This is definitely a fast pace, suspenseful story that is completely different from anything I've read before. It almost reads almost like non-fiction novel and definitely worth checking out.

If you love a great adventure story that has thrills and suspense, this is not to be missed. Not your run-of-the-mill story and these are not your run-of-the-mill women that you're going to meet. An amazing read from a first time author! I am expecting more great works from her in the future! 5 worthy stars!

full review on http://AMidlifeWife.com

[Wendy Bunnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Hatchet for grown women. Not that Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a bad book, as far as children's literature goes, but I'm not sure it needed to be redone for adult women. Pretty much any survival in the wild / adventure story is going to have many similar elements, so to be decent it needs to have a unique angle.

I liked the angle of the two women, the one who goes missing in the woods and the other who searches for her. But the problem came with the characters of the women, who were both plenty unlikeable. I'm not sure why the author went out of her way to make Amy Ray and Pru both have such huge personality problems. Amy Ray is a sex addict who serially cheats on her husband, and Pru never told her old boyfriend that he fathered Pru's teen son Joseph and denied both of them a relationship. Why? I agree that to make the readers care about this rather drawn out survival and search story, the ladies need a backstory. But I wish at least one of them would have been more likeable. Pru was compelling, but not sure why they had such a focus on the fact that she was so hung up on her dead high school boyfriend that she never cared a whit for anyone else, including Joseph's father, and probably not this sheriff who is also interested in her. She would have been much more compelling if her dead boyfriend had been Joseph's father, rather than some random guy that they run out of gas stations so that he won't see that he has a child. It made it hard to care about what was going to happen with these folks, which I think is the opposite of what you would want in a survival story.

The adventure part itself was decently done I thought, even though my husband (for the parts he was also listening too) made him sputter regarding the implausibility. I could have gone along with that if the characters had been more likeable I think. It wasn't terrible, but it also was rather frustrating.

[Krista Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was unbelievably gripping. Set in the Colorado Wilderness where most people would be unable to survive, we follow two women who have spent their lives surviving in the wild. One is a hunter who loses her way. The other in the search and rescue expert trying to save her. Along the way, we learn about their histories and where their similarities end.

I finished this book in a single airplane ride, 3.5 hours.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

"…something was taking hold of her, an awareness of her surroundings, and the cold and the approaching nightfall. She's relied on her adrenaline, had attacked these woods, trying to make good time, and now with each step, she knew just how lost she had become."

I have been arm wrestling my brain for a couple of weeks deciding what I think of the book. It wasn't until I read the transcript of an interview on NPR with the author that I realized what was troubling me. Les Becquets revealed that Breaking Wild, in her words is an "autobiographical fiction". A skilled hunter herself, Les Becquets survived a terrifying rainy cold night after her headlamp failed while elk hunting in Colorado.

Initially I was trying to review the story from my librarian frame of mind but my inner voice, as a woods woman myself, was telling me I was negatively judging the actions of Amy Raye Latour. It seemed inconceivable to me that a skilled hunter would make so many compounding life endangering split second decisions. Everyone makes a bad choice at times to leave an important piece of gear home or fails to anticipate an injury on a simple day trip. But few would wander into the Colorado wild with so little thought.

But that gets to the heart of the story. As well researched and vividly described, the wilderness serves as a backdrop to their inner stories. The reverence for nature is palpable for Ranger Pru and Amy Raye. The painful secrets in their daily lives overwhelms them.

Les Becquets gives us two physically strong women both comfortable alone in the wilderness; neither intimidated by adverse weather, difficult terrain, or life in the shady depths. When faced with an unexpected challenge in the wild, both women are more than capable of facing it head-on.

Yet despite the mastery of survival in nature each struggles to overcome deep scarring events in their personal lives, incapable of stepping through pain, remorse or regret. Each has chosen to let sleeping demons lie thus delaying any hope of happiness or resolution. Will they remain as alone and isolated in life as they are in the wilderness? Or will they allow themselves to step forward risking pain to find joy and peace?

The librarian in me wants to note that the flashes into the past at times were distracting. The men in the lives of these women were depicted as a little weak in my estimation. Not really worthy of these powerful women.

I spotted a few unresolved things, the most obvious was the loss of Ken's borrowed gun. When she did an inventory of her pack, why didn't she note that she no longer had the gun?

But overall I found it a fascinating story. The author has taken on distinctly different issues and handled them wonderfully.

Readers of Jon Krakauer's tragic true life story of Chris McCandless in Into the Wild will find this fictional survival story much to their liking.

One final note. The descriptions of the elk hunt are quite graphic. Although handled in an expert manner, they may upset some readers.

[Wendi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not have to love or even like the protagonist in a novel. A perfect example of this is Perfume - a novel I liked quite a lot, despite the protagonist being a hideously vile person with no redeeming qualities, no reason whatever to root for him. I appreciate novels where the villain is given qualities or a history of what you can at least somewhat reasonably understand why she acts the way she does though you could never support her actions.

But even if I don't like the protagonist, I have to at least care about the outcome of their story. Whether they'll be redeemed or punished or karma-spanked. If I don't care about what happens to them, then what's the point of finishing their story?

Which is why I stopped Breaking Wild at around the 52% mark. Really, you could argue that this novel has two protagonists and their stories are presented in alternating chapters, with staggered timelines. There's Amy Raye, a bow hunter who has gone missing on a mountainside, and Pru, a search and rescue woman helping to look for her. Pru, I found somewhat engaging, though quite not enough to carry the story on her own.

Amy Raye, though... ugh. No thanks. I often find many protagonists start out somewhat reprehensible but they grow on me as their situation and history and motivations are slowly revealed (i.e. everything I've read by Gillian Flynn). Amy Raye was reversed for me - the more I heard of her motivations and backstory made me like her less, every chapter. Which made me care less about her fate, every chapter. And finally, I had to stop.

A caveat: I have read reviews from other readers saying that this wasn't the case for them - that they grew to like Amy Raye. So you may, too. If so, I can certainly say that the plot is quite engaging, pulling the reader right along to find out what's happened, and the disjointed time between the two women's stories serves this very well.

*Berkley Publishing provided an advanced copy for my review.

[Marjorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of two very different women with very strong characters. During the last weekend of hunting season, Amy Raye has decided to go on her own to bring down an elk. When she doesn’t return, ranger Pru and her dog try to find her. Simple story and yet this author has created quite an engrossing, suspenseful tale that rings true.

The book alternates between the stories of Amy Raye and Pru, along with each of their back stories. At first I was really annoyed with Amy Raye, going off on her own and not only risking her life but those of her rescuers. Plus I’m not fond of reading about hunters tracking down such magnificent creatures as elk so I couldn’t find much sympathy for Amy Raye when things started going wrong for her. But the author paints this character’s history in such a light that you have to begin to care about her the more you learn of her past. As for ranger Pru, she’s such a likeable character that I do hope the author will continue to write more books involving her and her dog.

The suspense builds nicely in the book and peaks at the end. The wilderness is described beautifully. Plus this author knows how to bring characters to life and how to delve deeply into their souls. The book would have received a higher rating from me except for the moments in the book when I cringed reading about the hunting. I’m one who always wants the hunter to miss. But if hunting doesn’t bother you, you should very much enjoy this deeper-than-most adventure story.

This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe more like a 3.5 for me. It's a fast and easy read... I am a huge adventure/outdoor story person, but I somehow wasn't 100 percent drawn to these characters. It's a good debut novel though. Glad I picked it up on the whim at my library.

[Michele Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish it wouldn't of ended ! I still have so many questions about what's going to happen in the lives of these 2 women ! Breaking Wild is the story of 2 women, Amy Raye the hunter and Pru the searcher with her dog Kona. Amy Raye is a woman who has lost her way in life and while hunting elk in the wild disappears. Pru is on a mission to discover what happened to her. This gripping and page turning tale takes place over several months and had me on edge with every chapter. I almost turned to the end just to get relief, almost !

[Mindy Kannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like it's survival week here in Connecticut. After seeing The Revenant this weekend and now finishing Breaking Wild I think I have new and interesting survival skills, I hope I never to have to use. Something to be said about stories of strength and survival mostly when you're reading them from your warm and cozy couch in front of the fireplace. Diane Les Becquets really knows how to tell a story.

[debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4-5While I was reading this book I was loving it. It is not typically my kind of book-but I could not read it fast enough-probably a function of how well written it was . I was totally invested in Pru and Amy and found their lives fascinating. I'm not sure I understood Amy- but I'm not sure she understood herself. I really liked it.
PS Just edited up-this book is still very much with me-must be a 5

[Jacqie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right now I'm exploring books for our next round of picks for my mystery book club. This one started strong but ultimately won't make the cut. I was all set to recommend it for the first half of the book, but then things took a turn for the worse.

The jacket copy on the book is somewhat misleading. You go into the book thinking that it's all about a search and rescue, a first responder that just won't give up on a missing hunter. Plus the two main characters in the book are female, something quite unusual in a book about hunting and wilderness survival. And the book certainly gets off to a strong start. Amy Raye, the hunter, goes off to try to bag an elk with a bow by herself, away from the rest of her party. From the beginning, you can tell that there's a lot more going on than a simple hunting trip. You'll immediately want to know more about Amy Raye, why she's on this trip with friends instead of her husband, what's driving her to take off alone.

Next, we meet Pru, a Park Service employee specializing in archaeological protection of native artifacts and grounds on park lands. She also owns a search and rescue trained dog. I've never read about a character exactly like this, and was also immediately interested.

Tension builds quickly. Amy Raye goes missing, a bad snow storm is blowing in, and search conditions are degenerating quickly. The book takes place in the Colorado Rockies, close to where I live, and the terrain and feel of the setting are really authentic.

The book alternates chapters between Amy Raye and Pru. First we read more about Amy Raye's hunt, the details of how she prepares, what she takes with her as she heads into the back country, and her thought process as she goes after her elk. Next, we skip ahead a bit in time into Pru's POV, quartering treacherous mountain territory and trying to piece together where Amy Raye went with very few clues.

The first half of the book easily held my interest. And then it took a turn for the boring. Any Raye is stuck high in the mountains, and her story line becomes quite slow as she remains in place, thinking about her past. This is the way we get her back story, and that back story is most of the second half of the book. While her past is intriguing, it makes the forward motion of the plot grind to a halt.

The other problem is that Amy Raye's story quite frankly takes a turn into the unbelievable. While the detail about wilderness orientation and survival is good in the early part of the book, the last half asks you to believe that Amy Ray survives, with a badly broken leg, for several months in the back country during a Colorado mountain winter with only the gear she brought with her and a quarter of the elk that she killed to live on (along with some juniper berries and pinon nuts). While the author goes into some calculations about how many calories are in a pound of meat (lean vs. fatty), she doesn't take into account Amy Ray's injury and the cold, both of which will sap a lot of energy. We're asked to believe that she survives for months on perhaps 1200 calories a day. The author takes pains to say that she has muscle spasms from lack of salt, but what about the loose teeth and slower bone healing because of no vitamins? What about the fact that the elk quarter she lives off for months is refrigerated only by the wintry mountain air? Why does she wait for several months before even trying to hike out? Yes, I know that a broken bone would make it very difficult. But I'll tell you what's even more difficult: trying to hike out on an unset badly healed broken bone after months of malnutrition. The author seems to have some knowledge, but also some big blind spots about what's possible. If she was writing a more literary tale, maybe (just maybe) I could allow for some license. But because she has been so detailed in back country preparedness, hunter gear, search party protocol, I can't easily accept such glaring issues.

The other problem I have is more because of the jacket copy again. It says that Pru just won't give up looking for Amy Raye, but she totally does! The search is called off after only a couple of days due to the weather conditions, and everybody is convinced that Amy Raye is dead. Pru does do a bit of investigation into where Amy Raye's elk kill could have been made, but she's trying to find out what happened for body recovery purposes and to help the family find some closure, not because she ever thinks that Amy Raye is still alive.

And the story ends in the clunkiest deus ex machina way I've seen in a while. Although Amy Raye holes up in a cave with pictographs, this never links up with Pru's archaeological purview in any way, so that interesting choice of expertise never pays off in the story line.

The book is well written. The language is spare yet descriptive. These are women that don't use unnecessary words, who need solitude in the great outdoors instead of people. Their emotions come through strongly, and I was interested in them (although I wasn't especially fond of Amy Raye, more for her poor choices in the wilderness than her sexual issues). But I'm not sure that the author knew exactly where she wanted to go with this book. Did she want it to be an Anna Pigeon style park ranger mystery series focused on woman .vs nature? Did she want it to be a Jack London style literary use of the wilderness to explore themes of loneliness and loss? Did she want it to be detail-oriented or allegorical? If she really wanted a mystery, then probably using two viewpoints spoiled that, because all along we the readers are getting information about Amy Raye that Pru has no way of knowing. This extra knowledge defuses the suspense. While the first half of the book built strongly, it lost its way after the set up and totally failed to stick the landing. First half a 5, second half maybe a 2. That said, I would be willing to try the author again to see if she can nail the ending after having some practice.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

WEll written and I liked how it was written from the two women's points of view but I personally had to turn pages past the graphic descriptions of the hunt/kills. I know its part of life but I don't want to read about liver.

[Debra Komar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure this book knows quite what it wants to be. Ostensibly its a "thriller" or mystery: a woman disappears in the woods and another woman hunts for her. But it is more of a survival how-to than a mystery. There are lengthy, tedious tracks of technical information - the section on how to field butcher an elk goes on for pages - and virtually all of it is unnecessary. It does nothing to advance the plot or reveal character. It's just information for its own sake, as if the author had done a lot of research and wanted credit for every bit of it.

In fact, the overwhelming majority of the book is descriptions: of football games, right down to the individual plays; of what each character is doing at every single moment; of past relationships gone haywire. There is little dialogue in this book. There are no internal monologues. Its just endless descriptions of how someone starts a fire, or "glasses" an area.

The plot is not terribly credible - park rangers do not solve crimes in the manner depicted here - and none of the characters are developed to any degree. Their actions are described but there is no soul or substance to them.

The hallmark of great fiction is authenticity and there wasn't any of that here. There was a story, told in exhausting detail. That's it. The ending is exactly what you think it is going to be.