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

The water was a little muddy from the rains but there were still animals to see. Minnows and small fish darted away from him as he circled the swollen pond. The small bumps of turtle’s heads poked through the water. A fist-sized toad splashed into the reeds and frog-legged away from him. Jared’s eyes strained, but he didn’t see any gators.


Cormorants stood, absurd statues, wings spread, their black feathers glossy in the sun. Jared moved on around the lake. He heard the thick rustle of something in the cattails ahead of him.


Gator? Maybe, it sounded pretty big. He crept closer. That rustle again. Jared’s heart beat faster.


Jared pulled apart the reeds carefully, listening, intent. On the ground in front of him lay a water moccasin, thick as a motorcycle tire. Its white-mouthed hiss was ugly and chilling. It arced toward him, aggressive and angry.


Chapter 31