Leave No Trace

April 29, 2002
Rarely does a writer make the transition from nonfiction to fiction as seamlessly as Nyala, whose bestselling 1997 memoir, Point Last Seen, recounted the search-and-rescue agent's experience in the Kalahari Desert with her two young children. Nyala's first foray into the fiction arena chronicles a similar quest for survival that's so believable, it's easy to forget this is fiction. Set in Australia's Tanami Desert, the book eloquently balances suspenseful and graphic scenes with moments of introspection and light humor. A trio of complex protagonists—Tally Nowata (the female tracker who narrates the story), Paul O'Malley (her lover) and Josephine O'Malley (Paul's spoiled 10-year-old daughter from a previous marriage)—engage the reader from the outset. The story opens with Paul taking a routine trip from his desert research camp to pick up Jo, who just arrived from the States. When Paul and his daughter fail to return after several days, Tally begins making her way across the desert, eventually encountering Paul, who's been murdered, and a near-death Jo. The rest of the novel chronicles Tally and Jo's courageous journey as they struggle to survive and elude Paul's killers, who are hot on their trail. Nyala's intimate knowledge of survival tactics and her informal yet stylish prose makes this one of the year's most noteworthy suspense novels.