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

“No! We’ll check in every half-hour.” His shoulders squared and he left.


“He’s in game mode,” Steve said. “Pitching a no-hitter or tracking a tiger, you know Jared can laser in on something and stay on it.”


“Let’s just hope we all get through this,” Peter replied. “The cats and the humans.”


Jared threw his gear into the minivan and waited for Peter. He knew the other man didn’t want to go after Sultan in the dark, but he felt Sultan would be on the move. He had to go. Peter came out, schlepping a cooler, a catch net, binoculars, and a second tranquilizer gun.


They drove carefully through the refuge. When they passed Sultan’s cage, Jared got out and looked around, hoping to spot the big cat stretched out on his favorite cypress log perch. No luck.


Chapter 30