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

“Ladies and gentlemen.” He swept with his arm, a gesture of grand welcome. The stable lights flared on at his cue and the reporters swarmed forward. “You may view Preston’s stall and you can see for yourselves the evidence of his horrible death. Note the kick marks on the north side where he obviously tried to defend himself. Imagine the horror of being trapped inside that fourteen-foot-square stall with an eight-hundred-pound tiger.”


Kate Smythe moaned and wiped her face, smearing her glossy fuchsia lipstick. Her husband drew an arm around her shoulders. Tartan motioned the cameras away, then thought better of it. If he couldn’t have the weeping child, the weeping mother would suffice. He was glad to note a few camera operators subtly filmed her as they panned over the stable interior.


Chapter 58