Wild Instinct

By T. Jefferson Parker

Book Overview

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

A gripping high-stakes thriller by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker ("A marvel...hits the high-water mark for crime fiction every time out." --Gregg Hurwitz)

The hunt for the truth is the deadliest game.

Former Marine sniper Lew Gale, now a detective with the Orange County California Sheriff's Department, is assigned to track and shoot a mountain lion that has killed a man in the rugged country east of Laguna Beach, California. The victim is Bennet Tarlow, a rich developer and man-about-town in upscale coastal Orange County.

The investigation takes a chilling turn when Lew and his new partner, Daniela Mendez, discover that Bennet was dead long before the lion got to him. And while he might have been the first to die, he certainly will not be the last.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250907918
• ISBN13: 9781250907912
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.6" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Unputdownable

Ex-marine sniper Laguna Beach Detective Lew Gale of the Predator Tracking Unit is assigned to take out the mountain lion implicated in the death of notorious business leader. But the post mortem reveals that the big cat was framed as the victim was double tapped to the back of the head. Now the real police work begins and all the dirt it kicks up. The history geek in me really appreciated the history lesson about indigenous peoples of the area. Good read. I requested and received a temporary electronic review galley from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley. #tense #suspense #psychologicalthriller #procedural #crimenovel #crimenovel #policeprocedural #action #unputdownable #flashbacks