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

“It’s dangerous here, Peter. Get them outside. Fast.”


“I understand that. Let’s deal with them for now, get them out of here, and we’ll do a formal statement later. All right?”


“Okay. Don’t tell them anything.”


“Yeah, right.” They stood together near the damaged gift shop and let the crews come to them.


The reporters swirled over to them, their black cables twisting in the tree branches and debris on the ground. A tall microphone boom bobbed overhead. One cameraman nearly tripped over a dead branch and Jared instinctively put out a hand to help him balance. He winced as the man’s weight pushed against his ribs.


“Thanks.” The cameraman huffed then readjusted his lens.


A babble of questions peppered them. “Who’s the owner here? Who’s in charge? How many animals have escaped? What kinds of animals are loose?”


The two cameramen jostled against each other to get shots of them.


Chapter 35