Download a PDF excerpt.
Buy direct from the Ashland Creek Press store at EcoLit Books and support independent publishing. Free shipping is available.
Purchase now
Listen to a sample:
Listen to the full book on Audible
Also available from...
"[T]he multiple narratives romp along at an exhilarating pace whilst the classic trick of consistently switching viewpoints keeps you pressing on through the quieter passages…Ultimately, this is a story of a group of individuals each struggling in their own way to find a path through the conflict of what it means to be human. As animals of instinct we are drawn to consume the earth’s resources and to dominate the natural world for our own comfort and enjoyment. Yet our self-awareness and rationality have led us to question the morality of our interaction with nature, and to understand that our own success is often unsustainable."
"Throughout the book, the passions and sincerity of animal advocates are captured with immense respect…Ultimately, the novel provides insight to the lives of animal activists, and shows the dangers—to activists themselves—of standing up for animals. The narrative also demonstrates the importance of fighting for justice for animals within the bounds of the law in a moving show of compassion for all those who advocate for animals."
"The Tourist Trail by John Yunker is a an action-packed, poignant adventure of people involved in animal rights. Weaving between four main characters, the book is an exciting tale of intertwined fates…The book is perfect for any reader as it covers multiple genres including adventure, romance, and environmentalism."
"The Tourist Trail is at once a romance, an adventure story, an environmental polemic, and a keen study of just how animalistic humans are."
"Throughout the book, the passions and sincerity of animal advocates are captured with immense respect…the story becomes unstoppable."
"This eco-thriller is a plausible and entertaining page-turner that offers romance, engaging characters, and a fascinating plot."
An IndieReader Discovery Award Winner
The Tourist Trail is a literary thriller about endangered species in the world's most remote areas, and those who put their lives on the line to protect them.
Biologist Angela Haynes is accustomed to dark, lonely nights as one of the few humans at a penguin research station in Patagonia.
She has grown used to the cries of penguins before dawn, to meager supplies and housing, to spending most of her days in one of the most remote regions on earth. What she isn’t used to is strange men washing ashore, which happens one day on her watch.
The man won’t tell her his name or where he came from, but Angela, who has a soft spot for strays, tends to him, if for no other reason than to protect her birds and her work. When she later learns why he goes by an alias, why he is a refugee from the law, and why he is a man without a port, she begins to fall in love—and embarks on a journey that takes her deep into Antarctic waters, and even deeper into the emotional territory she thought she’d left behind.
Against the backdrop of the Southern Ocean, The Tourist Trail weaves together the stories of Angela as well as FBI agent Robert Porter, dispatched on a mission that unearths a past he would rather keep buried; and Ethan Downes, a computer tech whose love for a passionate animal rights activist draws him into a dangerous mission.
Learn more about The Tourist Trail.
"What’s impressive about this novel [is that] it occupies so much literary territory. It is at once a romance, an adventure story, an environmental polemic, and a keen study of just how animalistic humans are...It is a reader’s pleasure, due in large part to the meticulous control with which Yunker commands his language."
"The Tourist Trail by John Yunker is an exciting, thoughtful, intelligent and extremely well-written ecothriller. This novel continually surprised me and kept challenging me at every turn."
"This immensely readable and exciting novel brings together the seemingly disjointed lives of characters who share a common thread: whether they know it or not, their purpose is to be devoted to the cause of helping animals...The Tourist Trail is epic, sprawling and strikingly cinematic."
"The multiple character story lines all weave together by book's end though it's not always apparent how the author will pull it off. Trust me, he does and with enough flair to keep you interested. The beauty of the landscapes and creatures seen is not lost on the reader nor is the attention to detail paid when reviewing the knowledge imparted on the lives of these beautiful, resilient and yet fragile creatures."
"Author John Yunker's own experiences traveling to Patagonia, Norway, and Antarctica served as the inspiration for The Tourist Trail. If you don't already, you will come away from this novel with a better understanding for nature."
"This is a book for all of humanity, one that questions our actions and leaves us quaking with the consequences."
"The Tourist Trail is an exciting saga full of plot twists, romance and non-stop danger. As the book progresses, the lives of the characters begin to intertwine and the emotional twists and turns become just as enveloping for the reader as the dangerous battles at sea."
"The Tourist Trail is a testament to how humans and the inhabitants of the sea interact and affect one another. As the characters learn and adapt, so does the reader. I promise that you will finish the book with a different perspective regarding our responsibility to life in the sea."
"If you enjoy books with drama, adventure, excitement, and even a little romance, you will definitely enjoy John Yunker’s new book, The Tourist Trail. If you love animals you will enjoy The Tourist Trail even more."
"The book is full of excitement and suspense and reads easily while adeptly addressing ethical issues of animal protection and animal rights."
