Whoosh! What a tenacious thriller this is. I couldn’t put it down and it took me only a day and a half to finish. It grabbed me by the arm and dragged me willy-nilly through an isolated high tech wonderland.

We’ve got gorgeous Colorado wilderness near the Erebus Mountains, we’ve got a huge secret lab burrowed into an old gold mine..,which is conveniently connected to two other mines making it one heck of a monstrous trek in the dark. Frequently followed by eerie laughter and glints of light far off (but getting closer).

Ah, but best of all, there’s this outrageously expensive resort centered in this mostly pristine wilderness for those who like to hike and ski…. And get to watch a family of Columbia Mammoths meander on a lake shore in the twilight grazing on just about everything. There’s even an adorable baby mammoth to frolic among the adults.

Yep, this is the exclusive Erebus Resort famous for the de-extincting of Pleistocene mega fauna.

Besides the mammoths there are glyptodonts, Irish Elk (like the one Thranduil rode in the Battle of the Five Armies in the Hobbit), a huge three-toed sloth and a few other experiments. Of course, there is a dark, hidden side to the genome shenanigans, one that we don’t find out about until two thirds of the way through the novel. And it’s a doozy!

A pair of horrible murders start off the novel, leaving few clues. The perpetrators are able to blend into the woods, move swiftly and silently when necessary and ridicule the detectives, hotel security and the Denver PD, utilizing a stolen drone video when needed.

Preston uses the Colorado Bureau of Investigation as the lead organization brought in to solve the violent murder of a honeymooning couple. Frankie Cash is the lead for the CBI and is partnered by Jim Colcord the local sheriff. And boy, do these two have their work cut out for them.

Are the murders cultists, terrorists or a couple of serial murderers? The animals are not suspects as they have no aggression because it’s been taken out of their DNA. They also do not breed.

Step by step, Preston takes us on hikes, spelunking in old mines and harrowing helicopter rides as Cash and Colcord work against the resorts growing resistance to revealing the truth of what’s going on.

The denouement is a whopper (and actually alludes to a possible sequel). This is a terrific addition to Preston’s oeuvre! ~~ Sue Martin

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