Synopses & Reviews
Science and mysticism, nature and greed collide in this mind-bending, compulsively readable thriller from the author of
Tropic of Night and
Valley of Bones, hailed by the
Washington Post as "miracles of intelligent fiction...among the essential novels of recent years."
Deep in the jungles of Colombia, an American priest is shot dead in his makeshift church. A few weeks later an Indian shaman called Moie arrives in south Florida, armed only with a bag of totems and the fearsome power of Jaguar, his god. In Miami, retired detective Jimmy Paz, his wife, and his seven-year-old daughter are plagued by dreams of giant jungle cats that haunt both their sleeping and waking hours.
When affluent Miami businessmen begin to die in gruesome fashion, the local police are baffled by the lack of clues other than the massive, catlike footprints that appear at the scene of each murder. They turn to Paz, famous throughout the city for cracking open two previous, impossible-to-solve cases, and for reasons he doesn't dare share, he agrees to come out of his self-imposed retirement to track the killer.
As Paz investigates, Moie finds refuge with a group of ecologically minded activists who treat the strange little man as a pet until they find out exactly what mission brought him to the United States and that it's somehow connected to the grisly murders that are occurring with frightening regularity. The deeper Paz digs into the case, the closer to home the danger gets: his investigation opens the door to his mysterious and shocking past and he slowly begins to realize that the dreams he and his family are having could mean the death of his beloved daughter. To save her life and his own he must reach into the deepest corners of his soul and find the strength to hold fast against the irresistible pull of the spirit world.
Review
"Unlike most writers in this genre, Gruber gives more to ponder than intriguing clues to the identity and motive of the killer...and he does it with prose that is efficient yet rich and hip." Oregonian
Review
"Night of the Jaguar remains that rarest of creatures: superior entertainment that raises sincere, provocative questions of intellect and faith." Seattle Times
Review
"For those who haven't yet read his novels, Michael Gruber's Jimmy Paz trilogy is like settling down with a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel...if it was rewritten by James M. Cain." Denver Post
Review
"When Gruber explores the religious rites and culture of Santeria and a South American shaman named Moie, he's at his gripping best." Booklist
Synopsis
“Like settling down with a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel—if it was rewritten by James M. Cain.”
—Denver Post
Michael Grubers Night of the Jaguar—like his earlier novels featuring Miami detective Jimmy Paz (Tropic of Night, Valley of Bones)—transforms the conventional thriller into something extraordinary, taking the crime novel to a place it has never gone before. Combining a grisly murder investigation with chilling supernatural elements and provocative thought, Night of the Jaguar is a bravura display of the originality and artistry that has won Gruber the title, “the Stephen King of crime fiction” while inspiring the Washington Post Book World to name the Jimmy Paz trilogy, “among the essential novels of recent years.”
About the Author
Michael Gruber has a Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of Miami. He lives in Seattle, Washington, and is currently at work on another novel.