The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson

Wildlife biologist Alex Carter travels to New Mexico to determine if there are jaguars present in the area. She is working for the Land Trust for Wildlife Conservation. The organization believes that the animals might be coming over from Mexico and back again. Working alone by setting up cameras and hair snares, Alex revels in the flora and fauna near the Gila National Forest. However, there is a group of unknown men who are terrorizing nearby residents of Latino descent. They also don't like the work that Alex is doing because they believe in a closed border with Mexico, not one that would allow the jaguars to go between the two countries. In this fourth novel in the Alex Carter series, Henderson transports the reader to the southwest and features an extremely likable main character in Alex. The Vanishing Kind will be published in March.