Professor Theo Cray is trained to see patterns where others see chaos. So when mutilated bodies found deep in the Montana woods leave the cops searching blindly for clues, Theo sees something they missed. Something unnatural. Something only he can stop.
As a computational biologist, Theo is more familiar with digital code and microbes than the dark arts of forensic sleuthing. But a field trip to Montana suddenly lands him in the middle of an investigation into the bloody killing of one of his former students. As more details, and bodies, come to light, the local cops determine that the killer is either a grizzly gone rogue... or Theo himself. Racing to stay one step ahead of the police, Theo must use his scientific acumen to uncover the killer. Will he be able to become as cunning as the predator he hunts-before he becomes its prey?
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The woods were wrong. CHAPTER ONE, 1989
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(Thomas & Mercer, 1 October 2017, 382 pages, e-book, borrowed from @AmazonKindle #PrimeReading)
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This is one of the most original thriller's I've ever read, much more complicated than the book initially seems. Theo is a fascinating character, a bit of a geek, socially awkward and intense. I liked him a lot but could see why the police considered him a suspect. At first, things seem simple enough. Theo's former student is killed in a horrific bear attack, unpleasant but not completely out of the ordinary. Theo, being the geek he is, isn't convinced the bear killed is the killer and steals some DNA to do his own investigation. As you do. He discovers the bear DNA appears to have come from a bear that died 5 years ago. Is it a simple mix-up or something more sinister? The police refuse to listen to him and I don't blame them, he comes across as sort of unhinged. So he determines to make them listen by using a cool computer programme I don't really understand to find locations that would be perfect to dump a body and digging up bodies of women killed in a similar way to his former student, written off as likely bear attack victims. How many bodies does he need to dig up before somebody pays attention? This is well-written, original and engaging. I thought it was excellent. This is the first book in a series. I plan to read the rest.
