In the mountains around the small town of Silver Gap, Colorado, bark beetles—aided by a warming climate—are decimating the pine forests. That environmental degradation has brought Alex Converse, wealthy heir and would-be documentary filmmaker, to town. And his arrival coincides with another—the reappearance of wolves, long thought to be extinct in the state.

But these are no ordinary wolves. They’re big, cunning, ferocious, and very, very hungry. As the town grapples with that danger, an even more terrifying predator emerges, one without fur and fangs…one wearing a human face.

While thrillers and horror are rarer reads for me, I am certain that eventually I’ll read every thriller Jeff Mariotte has written. One of the biggest reasons is the intensity of the story. Jeff begins the story with hints of the horror to come and then carefully ratchets up the tension until you end up galloping through the novel to reach the heart stopping ending. The supernatural elements flow together with the human evil to create a completely engrossing story that is impossible to put down. 

It is not just the plot that shines and resonates. The characters in the novel are three dimensional, full of life and feel real and authentic. The main character Alex Converse is intelligent and his past drives him to make amends for his family. But he’s not perfect. He’s willing to learn from others and also doesn’t try to fight the wolves on his own. The characters are interesting and engaging, and while not everyone survives, there is still hope in the novel. 

This is one of the best thriller/horror novels I’ve ever read. Jeff Mariotte is extremely skilled in bringing to life his characters and making his readers stay on the edge of their seat reading his novel. If you love intense stories with lots of blood and an uncertain outcome for a town full of people, this is the novel for you. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 wolves.