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 saw his friend’s unease. “Remember what happened to Bobo. We can’t have the press getting hold of this. Just regular volunteers. And I want to keep the cats’ schedule going, regular food and medicine.”


“Slow down. We need some help in here first. Let’s work the lists and see what we can get going.”


“Sultan’s out there, Peter! He could get hurt.” Jared’s heart squeezed and his chest flushed hot and cold.


“He’s a 750-pound Siberian tiger—”


“Look, you’re in no shape to be trailing him. We need to be rational here. Now, please, help me get some staff in here to help with him and the rest of the cats. We can’t do this alone, Jared. Please.”


Jared felt his stomach flip over. A wildlife handler’s worst nightmare. A Class 1 carnivore loose. His mind raced with dreadful scenarios. Sultan running into traffic, getting lost in the confusing smells of the suburbs. A panicked homeowner with a shotgun, a rifle…


Chapter 25