Brief Bio:

J.M. Mitchell is a Colorado-based author renowned for his “Jack Chastain” mystery series, which combines his deep passion for America’s public lands with high-stakes political intrigue. Before turning to fiction, Mitchell dedicated over three decades to the National Park Service (NPS). His distinguished career took him from the rugged terrains of Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Parks to the halls of Washington, D.C., where he served as the Chief of the NPS Biological Resource Management Division.

His transition to novelist allowed him to explore the “politicization of nature”—the friction between environmental preservation, local interests, and federal bureaucracy. Drawing on his insider knowledge of “where the bodies are buried” (metaphorically and otherwise), Mitchell’s work is often compared to the thrillers of Nevada Barr and the cultural depth of Tony Hillerman. His writing has been praised for its authenticity, capturing the reality of life as a ranger while delivering tight, action-packed mysteries.

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Available Works in the Colorado Book Club Resource

The Book Club Resource has 8+ copies of the titles below available for 8+ weeks at a time to reading groups across the state. The descriptions below are taken from Amazon.com.

Public Trust (2012) | Discussion Questions The Height of Secrecy (2014) | Discussion Questions

High on a treacherous canyon wall, a man from the pueblo clings to a ledge. Furiously working to rescue him, Park Ranger Jack Chastain is nearly killed. Now he wants an explanation, and the man refuses to talk.

Jack learns the secret revolves around a death sixteen years before, and a lot more is now at stake. While looking for answers, ghosts from Jack’s own past threaten his new life in New Mexico.

When protecting a place loved by many—a national park—competes with the appeal of the rich and powerful, short-term admiration can have lasting consequences. Jack Chastain is forced to choose. Play the suck-up game with the others or protect a Native American man with something to hide.

A mystery in the tradition of national park thrillers and Southwest cultural who-done-its, the likes of Nevada Barr and Tony and Anne Hillerman. A great gift for lovers of national parks and action-packed mysteries. Buy now and enter the world Ranger Jack Chastain fights to protect.

Killing Godiva’s Horse (2018) | Discussion Questions

When Ranger Jack Chastain is drawn into battle by a man trying to start a western lands rebellion, the agency hides him in Kenya until the storm passes and to finish the research of a scientist killed by rhino poachers. While there, he hears something shocking, a campfire revelation that pitches Jack into a dangerous investigation of a ruthless rhino horn buyer.

But Jack’s life in New Mexico comes unraveled, forcing him home, and—inadvertently—onto a raft on an angry river, trapped between warring politicos. One man’s pain can be another man’s game. If the game is being played to hide secrets, the truth can be hard to find.

An action and adventure mystery sitting at the crossroads of international and wild-country thrillers, the likes of Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and C.J. Box. A great gift for lovers of national parks and action-packed mysteries. Buy now and enter the world Ranger Jack Chastain fights to protect.

Migrations of Butterflies and Lies (2025) | Discussion Questions

An archeologist disappears in New Mexico and Ranger Jack Chastain must find him, but the trail is clouded by conspiracy theories … and rumors of gold.

In 1765, Capitan Juan Rivera and a company of men left Santa Fe with orders to find a route into what is now Colorado, to look for gold and silver. He made two trips, found a little silver, and was largely forgotten by history.

Now, 250 years later, a leather-bound journal is discovered, claiming Rivera wasn’t so much forgotten as he had chosen to disappear. He had plans—plans disrupted by a Comanche raid, but not before Rivera hid gold near present day Piedras Coloradas National Park.

Jack Chastain is bewildered as treasure hunters ravage the park, public lands come under attack, a man goes after him for reasons that make no sense, and a mysterious Native American boy appears in the wilderness—alone.

The search for answers takes Chastain on a dangerous international quest, encountering chilling lies and an unexpected connection—the murder of a butterfly biologist in Mexico. Nothing suggests the murder and the archeologist’s disappearance—hundreds of miles apart—are connected. They are.

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Quotations:

• “What Grisham does for law and the courtroom drama, Mitchell does for national parks and the politics of land.” — Isaac Mayo, Editor
• “A park ranger is often the only thing standing between a precious resource and someone who wants to exploit it.”
• “The national parks are the soul of America, but even the most beautiful landscapes have shadows where secrets are buried.”

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Notable Facts:

• Mitchell’s novels are used as “fun reads” within the Association of National Park Rangers for their realistic portrayal of agency life.
• His novels have won multiple awards, including the Colorado Authors’ League Award for Mainstream Fiction and the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award for Mystery.
• In addition to his mysteries, his writing has appeared in various scientific journals, conservation magazines, and newspapers, reflecting his background as a biologist.
• Much of the setting in his Jack Chastain series is inspired by the real-life Piedras Coloradas National Monument area and the high desert of the American Southwest.

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Sources:

• Prairie Plum Press Author Profile
• From a dream job that was not without its risks came the inspiration for outdoor thrillers – Colorado Sun, SunLit Interview
• Rhinos, wild horses, politics — and dead bodies — set a frenetic pace from D.C. to Kenya – Colorado Sun
• J. M. Mitchell Author Page – Facebook

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Book club sets are circulated to participating libraries via the CLiC courier. Read all about the program on the Book Club Resource landing page. If you are interested in receiving book club sets but are not already a member library, use the online form to get signed up.

Since the BCR has always relied on book donations, we are deeply grateful to all of the institutions and individuals that have donated sets and helped make the collection stronger. Please contact [email protected] for questions or to discuss donations.