Celine

Created by Peter Heller

Pushing seventy, elegant, swellegant city gal and artist CELINE is pretty much set in her ways. She’s carved out a niche for herself as an ace tracker of missing persons, which pays for her tiny but cozy apartment at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the finer things in life, like art supplies.

Sure, her empysema may slow her down a notch, and she may longer be a spring chicken, and her cultured manner and refined, artistic airs may suggest some delicate hothouse flower, but when the going gets tough, Celine can kick ass along with the best of ’em. And she isn’t afraid to leave the pavement and the sidewalks behind if the case calls for it.

In her epontmous debut, Celine’s travels all the way to Yellowstone Park on behalf of a young woman whose father, a wildlife photographer, disappeared somewhere on the border of Montana and Wyoming. Most folks assume he was the victim of a bear attack, but Celine and her partner Pete soon begin to suspect something far more sinister is going on when they realize someone is following them.

An outdoorsman and whitewater kayaker, the author writes frequently about nature and travel. He’s responsible for bestselling novels such as The Painter and The Dog Stars, and has penned several non-fiction books, including Set Free in China and The Whale Warriors. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry, is a longtime contributor to NPR, and has had his work published in Outside, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure.

UNDER OATH

• “Heller impresses in this fine novel about parents and children and the secrets we try to keep from one another… The novel glows.”
  — Marc Bojanowski, The New York Times Book Review
• “(A) gorgeously wrought story—equal parts character study and mystery\… Captivating.”
  — Entertainment Weekly’s “The Must List: Top 10 Things We Love This Week” (Grade: A-)
• “Ingenious… Like Mark Twain and Toni Morrison, Heller is a rare talent… Irresistible suspense… Masterful, emotional and action-packed… One of this year’s most unforgettable characters. It’s as if Heller took the tender yet tough-as-nails personality of writer Annie Proulx and cast her on the page, in all her plainspoken, intellectually impeccable, deeply wise—and wise-ass—glory.”
  — Lisa Shea, Elle

NOVELS

• Celine (2017) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.