Night of the Jaguar » (Reprint)

A former marine biologist, restaurant cook, federal government official, and political speechwriter, Michael Gruber traveled a fascinating path toward his latest occupation as the bestselling author of unique, history-tinged thrillers like The Book of Air and Shadows.

Retired Miami Homicide Detective Jimmy Paz has put the darkness behind him. But now he, his wife, and their young daughter are being haunted by terrifying dreams. And when affluent Miami businessmen begin dying gruesomely in their fortress-like homes—with the footprints of a giant jungle cat found at the crime scenes—Paz has no choice but to get involved, because what he loves most may be the next thing devoured.

From the acclaimed author of Tropic of Night, Valley of Bones, The Book of Air and Shadows, and The Forgery of Venus comes the final book in his masterful Jimmy Paz series, hailed by the Washington Post as a "miracle of intelligent fiction . . . among the essential novels of recent years."

Publishers Weekly

Gruber's highly entertaining supernatural thriller completes the trilogy that began with Tropic of Night and Valley of Bones. All feature Miami cop Jimmy Paz, though the real star of this outing is the supposedly dull-witted Jenny Simpson, a gofer for the Forest Planet Alliance. When someone starts murdering Cuban-American businessmen in grisly fashion, suspicion falls on Moie, an Indian from a remote area of Colombia the victims had plans to develop. But how could the tiny Indian leave footprint evidence indicating he weighs over 450 pounds? Summoned out of retirement, Jimmy takes on the case, though he and his seven-year-old daughter, Amelia, are soon troubled by dreams of a jaguar with evil designs on Amelia. Every time Moie glides onto the page, the book shines, but it's Jenny, helping to shelter Moie, who steals the show (e.g., she's baffled that her boss would have a wife, Portia, named after a car). Hotly spiced with hit men and guns, demon gods and piranhas, this one offers more social satire than its predecessors, mostly at the expense of do-gooder environmentalists. 3-city author tour. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.