MONEY BEAR

A park ranger and an intrepid sleuth investigate the slaughter of San Francisco Bay Area black bears in Cox’s debut novel.

Los Angeles–based U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service detective Nick Tanner has a reputation for busting people who traffic in illegal international contraband, such as ivory tusks. A new series of slayings by poachers sends him and his pet bobcat, Ray Charles, to Northern California. There, the bodies of wild bears, found shot in the back with arrows, are strewn among the redwoods of state parks; their gallbladders and paws are in high demand for traditional Chinese medicines. The killings also attract the attention of park ranger Kathleen Shepherd, who once killed a chainsaw-wielding mountain man in self-defense and is no stranger to the land she fiercely protects. Shepherd and Tanner’s sleuthing throws a wrench in a plan hatched by a greedy group of Southern Californians hoping to hit pay dirt by procuring the ingredients needed to produce a reputedly miraculous medicine known as Xi Jiao. Cox adds a number of subplots, including ones that focus on a wheelchair-bound marijuana farmer and Army veteran with a missing husband; and a well-meaning if intrusive local RV park resident named Toad. There’s also an assortment of bad guys who violently try to terminate Shepherd and Tanner’s investigation. Overall, Cox shows an uncanny talent for characterization; Tanner’s history, for example, includes responsibly and lovingly co-parenting a daughter with an ex-wife who’s just recently become engaged to be married again—much to the park ranger’s surprise. The author also effectively keeps up the story’s momentum as it speeds to a rousing conclusion. Further adding to the allure of this impressively complex crime drama is how Cox imparts the engaging history of California redwood–preservation efforts after massive clear-cutting in the late 19th century.

An eco-conscious crime story with plenty of action and intrigue.