CELINE by Peter Heller

How refreshing it is to have a heroine who is a 60-something female private investigator.  Celine’s specialty is reuniting family members, and she has a personal reason for pursuing these types of cases, often pro bono.  She takes on a case from a young woman, Gabriela, whose mother drowned when she was a child and whose father, a National Geographic photographer, vanished over 20 years ago.  He was declared dead from a bear attack, but his body was never recovered, and Gabriela now wants closure.  Celine and her very laidback husband Pete borrow her son’s popup camper and head to Yellowstone, near where Gabriela’s father disappeared.  We soon find that Celine is crafty and skilled in ways we, and her husband, never would have imagined, despite the fact that she sometimes needs supplemental oxygen, especially at high altitudes.  Plus, they are trying to outsmart a guy who is tracking them and who also may have an interest in finding Gabriela’s father.   This book does have a few flaws, particularly in the believability department.  For example, Pete and Celine are able to gather every magazine issue that featured Gabriela’s father’s work as they are making their way across Wyoming and Montana.  I also felt that the reason for Gabriela’s father’s disappearance was totally out of left field.  Still, this is an enjoyable read, especially if you like seeing a badass old lady clear out a bar full of bikers with bad attitudes.  After a few months I may not remember much about this intrepid geriatric duo, but I enjoyed the time I spent with them.