Think Wolf

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.)