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

He was three blocks away before he realized he was crying, tension streaming down his face as his legs shook against the floorboards.


He pulled over, chest heaving, and grabbed Aaron in an enormous hug. The smell of spilled milk and cereal was on his son’s clothes. Around them, the neighborhood lazed through its morning routine. SUVs and minivans passed him on the road; a group of children waited at the bus stop, mothers with strollers standing guard.


Tom rolled down his window and screeched in reverse over to the bus stop. A woman looked at him with alarm.


“Get the kids inside, there’s a tiger loose!” He realized he was screaming when Aaron whimpered and started to cry.


“What? What are you talking about?” The woman stepped closer and Tom recognized her as Maggie; she’d bought a sofa from them at their last yard sale. “What?”


Chapter 34