Migrations of Butterflies and Lies

Adventure. Your favorite place in the world, a national park. Nature and its surprises. Then you learn of threats from deceitful, manipulative players attacking those you trust to protect it—rangers. Heros, brave but outnumbered.

An archeologist disappears in New Mexico and Park Ranger Jack Chastain must find him in this mystery page-turner. But the trail is clouded by lies and conspiracy theories. Someone is turning the world against him. Making matters worse, a leather-bound journal is discovered, upending the history of a forgotten Spanish explorer. Rumors of gold buried in present day Piedras Coloradas National Park have treasure hunters tearing it apart.

A mysterious Native American boy appears alone in the wilderness. A man comes after Chastain for reasons that make no sense. Public lands are under attack.

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.

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

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“Mitchell has a big story to tell and he tells it well.” –Ranger Magazine

“Migrations of Butterflies and Lies takes readers on an international adventure. Sometimes reading like a police thriller, other times similar to a treatise on ancient cultures, Migrations keeps one guessing, wondering and turning pages. Mitchell’s expertise in multifaceted plot lines gives us a spectacular ride.” -Roundup Magazine

“Mitchell captures the landscape and drama of the American Southwest while keeping the action galloping. A great read.” -Mary Taylor Young, author of Bluebird Seasons

J.M. (Jerry) Mitchell had a long career with the National Park Service and knows the challenges of protecting beloved places. He retired as Chief of the agency's Biology Division, after working in Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks. He now writes national park mysteries.

In his latest Jack Chastain adventure, Jerry Mitchell captures the landscape and drama of the American Southwest, creating a strong sense of place while keeping the action galloping. His fully-wrought characters, not just steely-eyed men but strong, authentic women, wrestle with contemporary conflicts and issues in an austere and ancient landscape that Mitchell brings fully to life. A great read that doesn’t back away from the struggles of the modern West.  -Mary Taylor Young, author of Bluebird Seasons, witnessing climate change in my piece of the wild

In Migration of Butterflies and Lies, J.M. Mitchell has created a suspenseful and complex tale that masterfully interweaves human greed and exploitation with the malicious harm being done to and destruction of our natural world and to native cultural treasures. In the telling, Mitchell explores the root causes and effects of the social pathologies afflicting American culture. Migration of Butterflies and Lies not only captivates, it also helps to further educate the reader about the treasures our national parks hold and the never-ending work it takes to maintain their legacy and integrity.

• Jerry Fabyanic, Award Winning Author of Sisyphus Wins, The Lion’s Den, and Food for Thought: Essays on Mind and Spirit

"Unscrupulous interest groups and nefarious motives rule in this complex, close-to-life Southwestern cross-border thriller of a murderous struggle for gain and control, which is as historic as it is acutely contemporary. Mitchell's book is palpably driven by the author's deep care for our natural environment and cultural heritage, his concern a clarion call to stand up for what so desperately needs protecting." - Katayoun Medhat, author of The Milagro Mysteries 

Migrations of Butterflies and Lies: A Jack Chastain Mystery

In Migrations of Butterflies and Lies, Ranger Jack Chastain takes readers on an international adventure. Action occurring in the novel also has a fascinating domestic thread throughout the American West. Author J.M. Mitchell is no stranger to many of the mystical, magical locales of the Southwestern United States. His knowledge of these places is intricately woven into the storylines of his tale. Sometimes reading like a police thriller, other times similar to a treatise on ancient cultures, Migrations keeps one guessing, wondering and turning pages. The history of Mexico is utilized as part of the story as is a fictional senatorial bid along with magnificent geographical detail. Mitchell’s expertise in multifaceted plot lines keeps the reader engaged and engrossed. It’s a spectacular ride through time, taking the reader to places both real and imagined.