THE PACK

In Saulness’ urban fantasy, a jaded werewolf helps a girl in trouble while going up against a killer who may be a “turnskin” like himself.

Frank Shepard, in 1995 Bellingham, Washington, looks like an ordinary man in his 30s. However, his age is just shy of 100; decades ago, he was turned into a werewolf, though he prefers the French term “Garou,” as it doesn’t call to mind “tacky and inaccurate Lon Chaney bullshit.” He’s long suppressed his inner beast by taking drugs and by chaining himself down whenever a full moon is near. One day, the usually solitary Frank does a favor for an old private investigator friend and rescues teenage Cassandra “Andy” Morgan from a nefarious biker gang. Later, however, someone connected to those bikers ends up dead—mauled in a way that only a beast could have done. Frank isn’t sure of his innocence, as his recurrent, lucid “wolf-dreams” could be memories of his Garou seizing control. However, it’s soon apparent that someone—possibly another lycanthrope—is threatening Frank and the few people who are close to him, including Andy. Saulness’ debut takes a deep dive into Frank’s prolonged history; extended flashbacks provide riveting subplots about Frank and his little sister’s experience with an abusive father or Frank’s romance with his late wife; of course, the book also covers his Garou origin. These moments showcase a tortured soul, which makes it easier to sympathize with the troubled Frank of 1995. As the narrative progresses, readers will catch signs of Frank’s heightened senses and get insight into his vivid dreams as well as the ghosts that he often sees—including that of his wife. It’s more contemplative than action-oriented, as it’s primarily a tale of the hero learning about himself and his beast within. Still, the tension effectively rises as the villain inches closer to the spotlight. This full-bodied character study wraps up much of its narrative to great effect; some questions linger, however, that could be addressed in a potential sequel.

A thoroughly engrossing and reflective lycanthropic tale.