A six-week investigation of a 50-year-old study of moose and wolves in Isle Royale in Lake Superior brings Park Ranger Anna Pigeon to a brutal winter, in this 14th novel in the series. The investigation is under the scrutiny of Homeland Security, which wants to bring it to a grinding halt so the area can be opened to tourists the year round and close an easy entry for illegals from Canada.
Shortly after her arrival, strange things begin to happen. The wolf packs behave in unusual ways, and the interaction of the small team gives rise to abnormal behavior. Before it’s all over, there are deaths and Anna has to fight for her own survival.
Once again, the author demonstrates a facility for writing about nature and provides penetrating character studies. Perhaps so much detail that it overwhelms the reader (at least it did me). One can nearly literally freeze to death reading the chilling chapters and descriptions of the weather and the tundra. Nevertheless, it is an exciting story, with unexpected consequences. A novel to be read by a rip-roaring fire, and recommended.
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Theodore Feit