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

“Steve, we’ll check in when we get there. Thanks for the call.” Jared thumbed off the walkie-talkie. “Maybe this is a real sighting.”


They’d gone out to two other tiger calls that night; neither had panned out. Duane and Darrell had the second truck, the little Mazda with the faded refuge logo, and they realized that by driving it, the police wouldn’t give them any info. So this time, Peter and Jared would dump their equipment, saunter through like neighborhood onlookers, and get better information.


D and D were parked a quarter mile away from the police activity. Peter and Jared pulled in behind them and checked in.


Darrell’s easy drawl, slow and tired now. “No, we didn’t see anything, but there are enough cops out here, so they must think it’s Sultan.”


Chapter 67