Publication Date November 11, 2025
Have I really been a fan of T. Jefferson Parker for FORTY years? Wow. A couple of years ago, when I reviewed his book A Thousand Steps, I wrote: “When I first read T. Jefferson Parker’s Laguna Heat back in 1985, I had recently moved to Santa Cruz and was ecstatic to be living in a small beach town again — because I grew up in South Orange County (specifically in and around Laguna Beach) and graduated high school in 1965. So I know the area well (at least the area as it was then, because overdevelopment has ruined most of the good things about the area). Anyway, I have read all of Parker’s books since then, loving many and being “meh” about a few…but I always seem to REALLY like the ones set in Orange County.” A Thousand Steps was a solid five stars, and I subsequently received copies of his books The Rescue and Desperation Reef (described as a “surf thriller,” whatever that is). This year’s treat for my holiday reading is Wild Instinct, Parker’s latest, which I received in exchange for my honest review.
When I read the promotional material, and learned it was set in coastal Orange County, I was predisposed to love it…this is exactly the kind of TJP novel I LOVE, and which he does REALLY well. This time the protagonist is a former Marine sniper turned detective with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department named Lew Gale. After an alleged attack by a mountain lion in the hills east of Laguna Beach, Lew and his partner Daniela Mendez are assigned the old-school-sounding task of tracking and killing the mountain lion, particularly after the victim has turned out to be a wealthy developer and BFD named Bennet Tarlow.
Once the investigation gets going, Lew and Daniela find that Tarlow was dead way before the lion got to him (including being shot three times), and if that weren’t enough, it looks like more people are likely to be at risk – including the law enforcement officers doing the investigating. Along with an intriguing storyline, the book includes a strong thread of Native American history (both past and present), along with gangs, church influences, and Lew’s own experiences in the military. Plenty of topics of interest to entertain both long-time Parker fans as well as those just discovering his work. Many thanks to St. Martins Press/Minotaur and NetGalley, and this one gets four solid stars.