I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that thrilling concept and enjoyed the idea of survival. I was hooked from the first page and enjoyed the overall concept of this. Taylor Brown was able to weave that story that I was looking for and had a great time reading this. The characters were so well written and worked with the plot of the book, I was glad I got to read this and am excited for more.

Wolvers by Taylor Brown is a tense, layered thriller that runs on adrenaline, silence, and the howl of something ancient moving just out of sight. It’s not just a survival story or an environmental novel—it’s both, and something more: a study in wildness, in the bloodlines that bind man and beast to the land.

Set in the stark, beautiful sprawl of the Gila Wilderness, the novel follows Trace Temple, a young man caught in a personal and political snare. After tragedy strikes his family following a wolf shooting, he finds himself entangled with a militant group whose idea of “freedom” comes with rifles and blood-stained maps. What begins as a mission to eliminate a she-wolf named One-Eleven becomes something far more complicated—and human—when Trace begins to question the loyalties he’s sold himself to.

One of the most gripping elements here is the way Brown writes the wolves. These chapters aren’t just atmospheric interludes—they are essential. They don’t anthropomorphize the animals but render their lives with such visceral clarity that you feel their hunger, fear, and instinctive brilliance in your bones. It’s this dual lens—man and wolf—that makes the novel resonate beyond its action. The wilderness isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a character, one as unknowable and untamable as any human.

Murdoch, the shadowy hunter who eventually replaces Trace, is perhaps the weakest link. There’s a cold menace to him, but I found myself wishing he’d been more than just the storm on the horizon. Still, the tension he brings adds teeth to the plot.

Brown’s prose is lean, muscular, and unpretentious. It carries the weight of the landscape well, and his respect for the terrain and its inhabitants—human or otherwise—is evident without becoming didactic. While the politics of wolf reintroduction and Western autonomy linger in the margins, the novel wisely avoids soapboxing. Instead, it presents a world of deep divides—between nature and control, loyalty and fear, survival and conscience.

For readers who like:
-Literary thrillers
-Gritty survival narratives
-A backdrop of rural America

Final Verdict
Wolvers is more than a predator-versus-prey tale. It’s a brutal and beautiful confrontation between what we tame and what we choose to leave wild—within ourselves and the world around us. Even if you come for the chase, you’ll stay for the haunting quiet it leaves behind.

Grateful to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Taylor Brown for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars Thank you to St Martins Publishing Group for offering me an ARC of this book for an unbiased review. Publishes April 7, 2026

When I find a book like this I just want to savor it for a few days after reading, before I do my review. I don't rate many books a 5 star read, but a few I would give more stars to if they were available - and this book fits that bill. I have always enjoyed Taylor Brown's writing. And he did not disappoint with this, his newest book.

With minimal characters Brown transplants us into the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Along with Horn, Murdock and Imogene, Trace is either running from or fighting along side them for literally his life. His life and the life of the main character - One-Eleven - she wolf, leader of the Dark Canyon pack.

This book resonates with nature and the wilderness. Brown has well researched both this land and the reintroduction of the wolf to the Southwest and wove a great story around the two. Once I picked up this book I didn't want to lay it down.

I've read and loved every book by Taylor Brown, and this one was no exception. I loved every minute of reading this, his latest had exactly the right tone and tension as the story continues.

This is one of those books, especially if you're already a fan of his works, that will perhaps pull you in at a slower pace, but that makes it all the sweeter, in the end. There are stories shared by the characters, themselves, and then there are other stories told, and some to come as time passes.

If you're a fan of Taylor Brown, you won't want to miss reading this one.


Pub Date: 07 Apr 2026

Many thanks for the opportunity to read 'Wolvers'

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the arc!

I thoroughly enjoyed Wolvers! It was extremely well-written (and well-researched!) with beautiful prose that strove to capture the spirit of the wild American Southwest. I also enjoyed the wide array of perspectives: we hear from Trace, our main protagonist, Murdoch, a major antagonist, and One-Eleven, who lives at the center of it all. I enjoyed hearing from each character, and I thought Brown did an especially great job of allowing a glimpse of the world through the eyes of a wolf. There are a few detailed/violent wolf hunts, and while this may not be for every reader, I appreciate that it didn't shy away from what it takes for apex predators to survive. There was also a nice balance of man v. man and man v. nature.

Perhaps most importantly, Wolvers is a beautifully written, action-packed adventure that still manages to effectively highlight the struggle of the Mexican Wolf's brush with extinction due to human-led efforts to eradicate their population. I hope many other readers will be inspired to support and research conservation efforts for all animals and ecosystems after reading a book like this.

My only critique is that I wish readers were allowed to see more of the transformation Trace underwent between Part One and Part Two. It jumped a little too quickly from deep-seated hatred for what the wolves represented to the acceptance of their presence, and I would have liked to see more of those inner thoughts as his long-held beliefs were finally challenged.

I loved Rednecks back in 2024. And was thrilled to see Brown releasing a new novel. Which did not disappoint.

“Wolvers" by Taylor Brown is a gripping novel set in the harsh American Southwest, where Trace Temple, broken and seeking revenge after losing his family ranch, is hired to hunt a legendary she-wolf, One-Eleven.
But this wolf is no ordinary prey, leading her pack with fierce cunning through a fragile wilderness.
When Trace has a change of heart, he faces relentless pursuit from a ruthless assassin.
Joining forces with a survivalist and a childhood love, Trace fights to protect the wolves, the wilderness, and himself.

The story’s pulse rides on the precarious balance between man, nature, and survival, offering readers a gripping and emotional journey through a land where the return of once-extinct wolves and the desperation of men collide in a fragile, tinder-dry landscape.
Taylor Brown delivers a tense, emotional tale of survival, loyalty, and the clash between man and nature in a tinder-dry landscape.
His vivid writing and layered storytelling make "Wolvers" a compelling and unforgettable read.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The more I think about Wolvers, the more I like it. The use of kenning-like epithets during One-Eleven's sections hooked me so completely, and Trace's arc is one of my favorites of the year. For fans of The Bees and Beowulf.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

One-Eleven, she-wolf and leader of the pack, is the queen of the Gila. It is autumn; the pups have grown since they spring birthing and now join the pack . . . and they hunt.

But men also hunt. Wolvers seeking to remove the wolves from the wilderness.

Will One-Eleven fall to their hunting? Will her pups be safe?

Why is it not possible for wolves and men to co-exist in peace?

=========

Set in the American southwest, “Wolvers” examines the men, the ranches, the wolves, and how they co-exist in the Gila. Is it possible for men and wolves to co-exist in peace?

Intriguing, captivating, and disturbing, readers meet both the wolves of the Gila and the men determined to remove them. Trace is easily relatable, as is One-Eleven. The unfolding story is about both redemption and second chances. It is also closely intertwined with survival.

Readers are certain to find themselves intrigued by One-Eleven . . . it is easy to root for her ultimate survival, to fret about the pups and what might happen to them. It is also easy to understand why the ranchers are not happy with the wolves being reintroduced to the area. After years without wolves, the decision to re-introduce them to the Gila makes it extremely difficult for the ranchers. But readers will find themselves asking whether or not both the wolves and the ranchers have the right to exist in the Gila. The answers are complicated and every reader is likely to have a different consideration.

However, this difficult-to-set-aside book is a must-read for nature-lovers and those who enjoy a good action-adventure tale. It is lyrical, fascinating, and thought-inspiring.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#Wolvers #NetGalley

Wow! This book is as impressive as it is informative! One-Eleven is an alpha female wolf in the Gila Wilderness--the oldest designated area where nothing mechanized is allowed. Two humans are introduced: Trace and Murdock; each have different motives but neither are afraid of being in the wilderness with wild animals. It's the first--and only--book I've ever read that so carefully personifies a wolf as both a predator and a caring parent. It's both a tear-jerker and an informative text as we see animals--and humans as they co-exist in the wild!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Wolvers
By Taylor Brown

This is my first exposure to Taylor Brown's writing – and I must say, I'm impressed. The book takes place in the Gila Wilderness and the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. This is truly an area which pits man against nature.

The plot revolves around the federal government's reintroduction of wolves into an area where they had previously been eradicated by men trying to protect their livestock. The story is told from different perspectives: Trace, the wolf hater turned conservationist; Murdoch, his antagonist, who is trying to kill a she-wolf know as 111; and the wolf herself, the alpha of the Dark Canyons pack. I especially enjoyed the she-wolf's view of her interactions with men.

The writing here is exquisite. While the descriptions of the wolves hunting may be unsettling to the reader, the author provides a true picture of how nature in the wild works. In spite of the gore, this book is well worth the read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.