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

Peter moved to the room’s small window and plucked at the shabby curtains. He looked desperate and unhappy. “I’m afraid that he’ll shoot himself by accident.”


“What else, Peter? What’s wrong?”


“All of this is happening to him and I just feel like such a louse.” He wiped his face and tugged his beard. “I’ve got to leave. The refuge. Katherine is pregnant again and her father’s offered me a slot in his firm and the bottom line is—I can’t afford to work here anymore. It’s impossible.”


Valerie leaned against the wall, surprised and dismayed. For Jared to lose Peter now, after all he’d been through…


“You’re his best friend. He’ll be really hurt. Never mind the workload.”


“I know, I know. I promised Katherine. I told him this afternoon. But the timing is so grim.” He tugged at his fingernails. “Maybe you could stay and help him out?”


“I’m up for tenure this year at the university. You know how the academic game is played. I can’t leave.”


Chapter 87