A man. A tiger. A tornado. Jared Montaine owns a big cat rescue in Florida and faces financial pressures, getting over his ex-wife, and the challenge of suburbia creeping ever closer to his enclave for the animals. But when a tornado wrecks part of the refuge, Jared's worst fear comes to life: his Siberian tiger, Sultan, escapes. It's a big cat handler’s nightmare: a tiger on the loose, confused, lost -- and hungry. Jared races against the police, the media, and the hysterical public, all of whom are clamoring for the tiger's hide. He must re-capture Sultan before the cat is killed -- by traffic, by SWAT, or by a civilian who just wants to shoot a tiger. With fellow wildlife handlers at his side, Jared fights desperately to find and capture Sultan before the tiger injures or kills a human. Because that would lead to his worst nightmare -- having to kill the tiger he hand-raised from a cub. Jared’s commitment is tested -- to his animals, his refuge, and his belief that saving the life of even one tiger is worth losing everything.

The Tiger Whisperer

Jared gazed at the teenager. His face had a dribble of acne on his forehead, his chin was still unformed and juvenile. Bobbing in the unsteady waters between childhood and adulthood and right now, the emotional stretch seemed to be a challenge for him. It was a brave thing to say.


“Thanks, Leon. I’m afraid I’m gonna need your help with that. For right now, don’t go anywhere on site alone, okay?” He gave the boy a hard squeeze on the shoulder.


Purple dusk started at five-forty and Jared had to stop and rest against a tree, puffing. His ribs throbbed beneath the bandages and his head ached. Twice during the afternoon, his vision had gone fuzzy and gray, but he faked needing to pee and managed to conceal his problem.


Chapter 26