Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 11, 2025

The hunt for the truth is the deadliest game.

Former Marine sniper Lew Gale, now a detective with the Orange County California Sheriff’s Department, is assigned to track and shoot a mountain lion that has killed a man in the rugged country east of Laguna Beach, California. The victim is Bennet Tarlow, a rich developer and man-about-town in upscale coastal Orange County.

The investigation takes a chilling turn when Lew and his new partner, Daniela Mendez, discover that Bennet was dead long before the lion got to him. And while he might have been the first to die, he certainly will not be the last.

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REVIEW: WILD INSTINCT by T. Jefferson Parker is a contemporary, adult, police crime thriller focusing on the hunt for a killer.

Told from omniscient third person perspective (Lew), and memories from the past, WILD INSTINCT finds forty-three year old, former Marine sniper and indigenous American Lew Gale, and his partner , thirty-seven year old, single mother Daniela Mendez searching for a killer. A possible mountain lion attack covers up the murder for hire scheme when the victim, Bennet Tarlow, a prominent real estate developer, a man determined to develop in the wilds of Laguna Beach, California, is found dead in a wooded area east of town. The local indigenous are not happy with the development; local opposition; a potential treasure buried deep within the ground; mythology and lore; and a family mired in dirty secrets begins to set the focus on a contracted killing.

The world building follows Gale and Daniela as they embark on an investigation that follows several intersecting and connected pathways. Someone targeted Bennet Tarlow, possibly for his work, his personal life, his secrets or for revenge, and in doing so, set into motion a spiral from which many will not come back.

The diverse secondary and supporting characters include Daniela’s son Jesse, the immediate and extended Tarlow family, as well as several criminals and desperate criminal adjacent whose own lives become embroiled for the almighty dollar.

WILD INSTINCT is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, greed and money, family and relationships, struggle and belief. The premise is dramatic and edgy; the characters are desperate, determined and dynamic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy