preserves, while ensuring there are no signs of poaching. She’s surveyed for the presence of grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, jaguars, endangered bats, and more.
Here Henderson dreamcasts an adaptation of her latest Alex Carter mystery thriller, The Vanishing Kind:
In The Vanishing Kind, wildlife biologist Alex Carter encounters rugged New Mexico terrain, threatening intruders, and mysteries surrounding an archaeological dig, all in search of elusive jaguars.Visit Alice Henderson's website.
In addition to being about the importance of wildlife and habitat conservation, my books are suspenseful action thrillers. Chase scenes, blizzards, sandstorms, literal cliffhangers, and dangerous confrontations fill the pages. So I'd want an action director to tackle The Vanishing Kind, like Justin Lin, who directed some great entries into the Fast & Furious series, or Chad Stahelski, who directs the John Wick films, or the Russo Brothers, who directed some of the really action-packed, suspenseful Marvel movies.
As for actors, my wildlife biologist lead character is a smart adventurer. She knows the martial art Jeet Kune Do and how to survive in the wild. Scarlett Johansson would be perfect. She's phenomenal in action roles and can also take on moving, emotional scenes.
My recurring character Casey MacCrae is a daring, Scottish helicopter pilot who has taken on dangerous criminals in the past in his mission to set wrong to right. He's a bit haunted, mysterious, and unpredictable. Gerard Butler or James McAvoy would be great choices to play Casey because both actors are fantastic in action scenes and both are capable of expressing great depth and emotion on screen.
One main character in the novel is Dr. Enrique Espinoza, a kind, jovial, light-hearted archaeologist who is threatened by hostile vigilantes. He and his team are excavating the gravesite of a 16th century conquistador. Michael Peña would be an excellent choice for Espinoza because Peña is terrific with roles involving humor and action, as he was in Ant-Man.
The main baddie in The Vanishing Kind is the head of the group of anti-immigrant vigilantes who terrorize a town in New Mexico, harass the nearby archaeology team, and threaten Alex Carter's work conserving jaguars. A federally-listed, critically endangered species, jaguars struggle to cross obstructions along the U.S./Mexico border. Jaguars need to be able to disperse in order to find mates, sources of food, and new habitat. But the vigilantes want a single, impenetrable wall across the entire border. Walton Goggins would be a great choice for this role. He's fabulous with dangerous, unpredictable, and extreme roles full of vitriol, as we see with his roles like in Justified.
The Page 69 Test: The Vanishing Kind.
--Marshal Zeringue
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