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

“The heirs just wanted out. They would have sold it anyway when the old man died, but this way, Blanchfield got it a lot sooner. He bought the entire acreage, rezoned it, and had a condo complex and small office park on it within three years. Made sixty million dollars on the deal.”


“That’s the bad news, huh?” Jared wiped his face with one hand. “And what’s the good news?”


“The good news is that he’s gotten into bidding wars with his rival, Gerald Lyons, who used to be his real estate partner. The last three properties that they both went after sold for above-market value. They’re not stupid; they won’t go too far beyond a fair price, but they love beating each other out and putting up a new shopping center or residential development.”


“Just what this county needs—another frigging mall.”


Chapter 99