Mike Brody is driving to Montana for a dude ranch vacation with his ex-wife and their son, something promised before the divorce, and is looking forward to a fun trip. Not long after arriving at the ranch, Mike is enlisted to help search for a missing boy who witnessed a murder and, while running away from the perpetrator, got lost in the woods. Mike is ex-special forces and a current adventure tour guide who has an expertise in tracking so he is the best man for the job. It doesn’t take long for Mike to realize that this is no ordinary tracking job, the murder the boy witnessed is just a small piece of a larger crime and soon Mike isn’t sure who to trust.

“The Last Track” by Sam Hilliard is a gripping mystery with so many twists and turns that I didn’t know who was a criminal and who was on Mike’s side. The author not only kept me engrossed in the story but he kept me interested in the characters as well. Mr. Hilliard tells the story from the point of view of several characters over a span of 4 days, which made the narrative more suspenseful and allowed the characters to develop at a more reasonable pace . Characters should evolve throughout the story just like people evolve throughout their lives; it gives the story a sense of realism and keeps me, as a reader, more involved.

This novel is an excellent first installment in what I hope will be a long running series of stories featuring Mike Brody. I would recommend it to mystery lovers, those who enjoy outdoor adventure, book clubs or for those who enjoy a good read while on vacation. My only problem with this book is, now that I am finished, I have to wait for the next one to be published so I can see what is next for Mike Brody.