May 2, 2016
Gregorio’s taut sequel to 2015’s Cry Wolf finds Italian park ranger and wolf expert Sebastiano Cangio on duty at the Sibillines National Park in Umbria, where he’s summoned to a grisly crime scene in the woods. Seb must identify the headless body of his park ranger partner, Marzio Diamante, who was recently worried about cultists in the national forest. Two years previously, Seb discovers, Marzio compiled a file of sightings of elves and goblins. While Seb and the carabiniere try to solve Marzio’s murder, Simone Candelora, a lieutenant in the ’Ndrangheta (the Calabrian mafia), starts a new cocaine-smuggling venture using a struggling truffle business as cover. Seb must think like a wolf to escape the suspicions of the carabiniere and the malice of the ’Ndrangheta. Gregorio (the pen name of spouses Michael G. Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio) maintains the high tension throughout with plenty of plot twists to keep readers guessing until the explosive conclusion.
Starred review from May 1, 2016
Sebastiano Cangio is a ranger in Italy's Sibillini National Park. His specialty is wolves, and he loves nothing better than watching the packs that roam the park at night. So how was it that, two years ago, he found himself targeted by the 'Ndrangheta, one of Italy's most notorious gangs? He was simply trying to do the right thing. And, now, it seems history is about to repeat itself. Unbeknownst to Sebastiano, the 'Ndrangheta is moving into his territory, using a local truffle factory as the cover for its drug-smuggling operations. But it's only when Sebastiano's partner, Marzio, is found brutally murdered that the events leading to Sebastiano's second terrifying encounter with the 'Ndrangheta are set into motion. After Marzio's death, Sebastiano finds locked files in Marzio's office indicating there was something strange going on in the parkwitnesses said they had seen elves or witches there and claim Satanism or black magic is at work. But Sebastiano is quick to dismiss these speculations and resolves to find out what's really going on, leading him straight into the deadly and extremely dangerous arms of the 'Ndrangheta again. Taut suspense and a fast-paced plot, combined with a gripping story, make this a riveting read for fans of European noir, especially the work of Michael Dibdin.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
May 1, 2016
An Italian park ranger becomes a target of an organized crime family, or maybe of demonic fairies roaming the forest. After witnessing a Mafia murder and going on the run (Cry Wolf, 2015), Sebastiano Cangio has found peace, and even a girlfriend, in his new life as a ranger in Umbria's Sibillines Mountains National Park. Little does he know that after a cooling-off period, Mafia chief Don Michele, who's currently transporting drugs in jars of truffles, plans to return to the area and has not forgotten about the "nosy park ranger" who thwarted him. Cangio finds senior ranger Marzio Diamante, with his stolid manner and tales of hobgoblins in the forest, quite a character. When Marzio is found savagely killed, Cangio wonders whether his fanciful stories have come true or, more likely, his former nemesis Don Michele has returned and murdered the senior ranger by mistake, thinking it's him. There is clear evidence that Marzio was secretly investigating something criminal. A sense of responsibility prompts Cangio to retrace his late colleague's final steps. He stumbles near the lair of the villains when he questions truffle hunters Manlio and Teo Pastore, who unhelpfully champion the myth of evil forest elves. Also in the mix are a histrionic medium and a squad of meddling cops anxious to impede Cangio's probe. The second in this new series by the prolific Gregorio deftly walks a fine line, simmering with cheeky humor but maintaining the tension of the plot.
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