“The Guide” by Peter Heller
Colorado-based author Peter Heller features his adopted state as the setting for this rather bazaar, creepy novel. The main character, Jack, is a holdover from Heller’s last book, “The River,” but if you haven’t read that one it won’t be a problem.
Jack, raised on a Colorado ranch, has signed on at an upscale resort to guide rich folks learning to fly fish. He is replacing someone who left midseason, and his first client is a famous singer named Alison K. The two click immediately, and savor their hours spent wading the trout-rich waters of the resort’s stream.
Almost immediately, Jack begins to notice strange things about the running of the resort. There are spy cameras hidden everywhere. The gates are locked and require a passcode. The guests are discouraged from leaving the property, and many of them seem almost drugged. Little by little, Jack uncovers the real purpose of the resort, and it’s shocking.
Heller is an evocative writer; his descriptions of Colorado’s mountains and trout streams are beautifully poetic. He makes fly fishing seem almost Zen-like.
This is the first novel I’ve read since the pandemic that features the wearing of facemasks, quarantining, and social distancing. It will be interesting to see if that “dates” this novel, once COVID is gone.
Kerry Pettis is a retired elementary school teacher and children’s librarian who has lived in Broomfield since 1975. Reading is her favorite occupation.
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