All thumbs up for this book. Lew Gail is a remarkable character. He was a sniper in the military, but is now employed by the Orange County Sheriff's office in California. He is also part Acjacheme Indian. Lew was originally called in to take down a mountain lion who had killed a man but an autopsy proves that the lion didn't kill him. He had been shot. Murdered.

The dead man was a member of a wealthy family who built subdivisions. One faction of the company wanted to build on protected land, and had made progress in removing the protections. The man who is now dead had opposed that. This is a complex story and I highly recommend it.

Wild Instinct by T Jefferson Parker is a murder mystery involving a former Marine sniper named Lew Gale who has joined law enforcement after his service. He is slightly damaged by his service, having been traumatized by killing someone who did not really deserve to die. He also suffers from the results of an IED.

Lew is charged with tracking and killing a mountain lion who is believed to have killed and partially eaten a local man, a well known real estate developer. Lew is Native American, of the Acjaheme tribe, does not really want to kill the old cat. He begins to doubt the mountain lion is to blame for the man’s death after finding his body. This discovery takes him and his new partner, Daniela Mendez, on a suspenseful journey around the area to find out who might want him dead.

Written in to the drama is information about the Acjaheme Native American tribe that has inhabited the area for thousands of years and how Catholic influence changed the people. It is a suspenseful mystery with an added interest of history. I really loved this book.

Terrific and thrilling crime drama starring Orange County, California detectives. They are on the hunt for a murderer of a local billionaire businessman shot in a park wilderness. Suspects, lies, and money abound.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first book by this author and it was not at all what I expected. A fantastic murder mystery. Mix in the Indian culture and old school police work and you are in for a treat you won’t soon forget.