WEREWOLF COP

On the hunt for a nefarious European crime boss, Texas supercop Zach "Cowboy" Adams desperately searches for himself after being turned into a werewolf.

Dominic Abend is not your everyday mobster. A German-Russian worth billions, he's thought to be in possession of a 15th-century dagger that gives him unthinkable black powers. Having taken over the American underworld, he plans to take over the world. After linking Abend to a hideous massacre in Texas, Zach travels to Germany to consult with a female sword and dagger expert. She takes him into the Black Forest, seemingly talking nonsense, where she undergoes a bizarre transformation and...changes Zach. When he comes face to face with the elusive Abend in a desolate building, he's attacked by horrific giant bugs. And that's not all that's making his life miserable. There's the one-nighter with a beautiful stalker he has to explain to his devout Christian wife. And there are charges that his wisecracking partner, Martin “Broadway Joe” Goulart, is dirty. While there's no getting around the book's hokey premise, multiple Edgar Award winner Klavan does his best to transcend it in exploring the extreme thoughts and emotions his protagonist experiences. What chance does Zach's human conscience have of overcoming his beastly desires? It won't spoil anyone's enjoyment to say this may not be the last time he's faced with those questions.

Fans of contemporary monster tales will be taken with Klavan's thriller, and others who are willing to indulge the book's hairy trappings will appreciate its existential musings.