The prologue of “Unnatural Intent” by Brooke L. French was enough to get me hooked. October 12, 2018, is a cold, sunny day in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Three young men went to meet their plane and return to civilization. Before they fully comprehend what is happening, two enormous polar bears savagely attack.
The float plane scares the bears off, leaving one badly wounded man to relate the incident. Bears this far south is disturbing. Authorities want to deal with them before anyone else is hurt but can’t find the bears.
Far away in San Diego, Mark Stafford is trying to juggle his responsibilities as CEO of Stafford Oil and head of the Jenna Duquesne Foundation. He has testified before Congress hoping to get permission for the JDF to take over the investigation into environmental changes that might cause problems for wildlife.
JDF came about after the death of Mark’s fiancé, Jenna Duquesne, in a diving accident. Mark wanted it to continue Jenna’s passion for saving the environment. The foundation employs top scientists and investigators to monitor trouble spots all over the world.
The incident in Katmai is especially troubling to Mark because Stafford Oil has an oil rig at nearby Sallow Bay, Alaska. Cory Crawford has been sent to investigate, but now he has disappeared.
Mark turns to Jenna’s sister ,Dr. Letty Duquesne, for help. When she studies the area, she sees boot prints leading to the water and suspects that Crawford killed himself. Did by-products from the oil rig cause the bears and Crawford to lose their minds?
Before she can reach Sallow Bay, her windshield is broken and left with a note to “Go Home.” Undeterred, she meets the less-than-welcoming villagers but manages to hire Charlie to take her to remote areas where she can take samples of the water, ice and animals.
Along the way, she meets NatGeo photographer Paul. He planned to photograph wildlife but hasn’t seen any where they are usually abundant. That fact worries Letty, too. The lab team tests her specimens and finds nothing. Not even the things that should be there are present.
When Letty finds a bullet on her pillow, she is more determined than ever. Whenever the weather allows, she collects samples. Eventually, she returns with specimens in an ominous red color. They test positive as Alexandrium diabl, a deadly toxin that travels on the tide. Is this what made the bears go mad?
Unexpectedly, Mark, his Aunt Kath and a crew of scientists descend on Sallow Bay. Letty is told to go home and leave the investigation to the professionals. Letty is too stubborn to do that. When a big storm hits, Letty had planned to meet Paul at the local bar, but when he is a no-show, she heads for the lab. Fighting the storm, she stumbles over Paul’s body. Then she is attacked.
She wakes to be forced to help load Paul’s body into a boat by Cody Crawford. Hoping to stall, Letty gets him to explain. Cody is the illegitimate son of Mark’s father and he blames Stafford Oil for how he and mother were treated. His plan is to blow up the rig at Sallow Bay.
Through extreme good luck, Letty is rescued and Crawford killed, but while in the hospital, Mark’s Aunt Kath tries to kill her. Letty’s feisty nature and a curious nurse save her. Long story short, Kath has been manipulating illegal dumping and more, hoping to have Mark removed as CEO so she could take over. If she only knew, Mark didn’t want to be CEO and would have willingly turned the company over to her.
Mark and Letty know that it will take time, but healing will come.
AT A GLANCE
Book: Unnatural Intent (Letty Duquesne Mysteries, Book 2)
Author: Brooke L. French
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Year published: 2024
Number of pages: 303
‘Unnatural Intent’ takes on environmental intrigue
