The geysers of Yellowstone are a long way from Colorado Boulevard, but on Thursday night they arrive at Vroman’s Bookstore in paperback form.
Nicole Maggi, a Los Angeles-based mystery author, will discuss and sign “Lost in Yellowstone: A National Park Mystery Volume 2” at Vroman’s, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., at 7 p.m. on May 7. The novel, published May 5 by Oceanview Publishing, is the second installment of Maggi’s series following a National Park Service special agent who investigates crimes across the country’s wildlands. New York Times bestselling author Romina Garber will join Maggi in conversation.
The book picks up the story of Special Agent Emme Helliwell of the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service, whom Maggi introduced in her 2025 debut “A Murder in Zion,” set in Utah’s Zion National Park. In the new novel, Helliwell is assigned to a case after a human foot is ejected from a Yellowstone geyser, drawing her into the world of a private school that runs backcountry excursions for at-risk teens, according to the publisher’s description. The series is recommended for readers of C.J. Box and Lisa Gardner, according to the publisher.
Publishers Weekly called the first book in the series “a winner.” The sequel has drawn its own early reviews: Kirkus Reviews noted the novel’s scenery and suspense, and Publishers Weekly called it a “diverting puzzle,” according to blurbs published by Oceanview Publishing.
Maggi, who holds a BFA from Emerson College, has said the series was inspired by her love of the national parks and her obsession with true crime, according to her author website. Her previous works include “The Forgetting,” which was an International Thriller Writers Award finalist, a Junior Library Guild selection and a No. 1 Kindle bestseller, as well as “What They Don’t Know” and the young-adult fantasy series “The Twin Willows Trilogy,” according to her publisher.
Garber, who was born in Buenos Aires and raised in Miami, is a graduate of Harvard College and the author of “The Last Vampire,” “Lobizona,” “Cazadora,” “Castle of the Cursed,” and the ZODIAC quartet, according to her publisher, Macmillan. She also writes under the pen name Romina Russell, according to her Goodreads profile.
The event is free. The book is available in paperback ($19.99, 384 pages). Vroman’s notes on its event listing that a purchase of the book from the store is appreciated and helps make author events possible.
Vroman’s Bookstore, founded in 1894 by Adam Clark Vroman, is the oldest and largest independent bookstore in Southern California, according to the store. The bookstore was named Publishers Weekly Bookseller of the Year in 2008. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Contact: Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; 626-449-5320; vromansbookstore.com.
The novels in the National Park Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, according to the publisher.
