VOLK

A shape-shifter teams up with the FBI to take down a criminal organization.

Terri Watson is a hardworking and slightly harried agent for the FBI in Philadelphia, specializing in organized crime. Along with her partner, Marc Peterson, Terri has been investigating a ring of Russian mobsters led by Konstantin Kretzky. Concurrently, a series of murders have been committed in the city in which the victims appear to have been torn apart by wild dogs. While in pursuit of Dieter, a money launderer working with the Russian mob, Terri and Marc witness a beast attacking their perp and begin entertaining the idea of werewolves. Alex Stepanova, a local university professor, wakes in a lab after being experimented on by Russian scientists to discover she possesses the power of shape-shifting. Alex becomes a sort of vigilante werewolf, targeting “bad boys,” many of whom seem connected to the Russian mob as well. After Terri and Marc learn about Alex, the three team up and work together to bring down their targets. Werkmeister’s story is engaging, with a couple of surprising twists, the biggest being the inclusion of lycanthropy in a police procedural (the refreshing premise is sufficiently rooted in realism to feel believable). The prose is accessible—not too descriptive, but rather spare and direct—and the story is well paced. The characters are enjoyable, though Alex is undeniably the most intriguing; fleshing out the other players a bit more would be appreciated, but Terri and Marc are still engaging, particularly in their moments of humor (“I am not going to be Dana Scully to your Fox fucking Mulder, all right?”). The glimpses into their personal lives further endear them to readers. The ending, though satisfying, feels a tad abrupt and underwhelming. Still, Werkmeister’s unique premise, paired with a tried-and-true crime drama, makes for an enjoyable mad-scientist formula.

A thrilling detective story with a sprinkling of werewolves—who could ask for more, really?