Wolfman by Stanley Trollip

 

First Line: It was a cold Monday morning when Crystal Nguyen finally made up her mind to resign.

 

When her career doesn't move as quickly as she wants it to, young investigative reporter Crystal Nguyen decides on a risky approach: to create the news and then report on it. Her reporting goes viral when she suggests that there may be someone out there-- possibly part of the Hunt-the-Hunter movement-- who is determined to go after poachers who are killing Minnesota's endangered gray wolves. Crystal gives the person a name, Wolfman, and the television station's ratings soar. 

 

Then a man is shot, and Crystal begins to worry that she's created a copycat, someone intent on punishing poachers-- possibly even killing them. Now she has to downplay the Wolfman and try to convince the copycat to stop. But this only angers him. He feels betrayed, and now he's after Crystal.

 

~

 

I first met Crystal Nguyen in Dead of Night written by the writing team known as Michael Stanley. In Wolfman, one half of that writing team, Stanley Trollip, has written a prequel, telling Crystal's story prior to Dead of Night. 

 

In Dead of Night, I had some problems with Crystal Nguyen, and after reading this book, I don't think I'll ever be her BFF; she's just too self-centered and impulsive even if her heart is in the right place. Crystal wants to be an environmental investigative reporter for National Geographic, but she goes out of her way in Wolfman to jeopardize her chances. Career in television not moving fast enough to suit you? Well then, just create your own news and report it. What could possibly go wrong? 

 

In the first half of this book, Crystal spends too much time jumping in without thinking, and then she doesn't like the  consequences. Like most young people, she also thinks she's ten feet tall and bulletproof. Time and again, her actions put her in danger. A friend finally has to get in her face and say, "I don't think you get it. Just because you are in the right, doesn't make you safe!"

Did my opinion of Crystal ruin the book for me? Not at all. I was thrilled to see that she actually did some growing up in the second half, and I really liked her attitude toward what she'd done. Sharing Crystal's relationship with a gray wolf she named Alfie also went a long way in helping me understand her. 

Besides trying to solve the mystery, I quickly learned to look forward to Crystal's biathlon scenes, which both illuminated her character and added depth and excitement to the story.

Will we be seeing Crystal Nguyen again? I don't know. One thing I do know is that, if she does make another appearance, I'll undoubtedly read it. I may not particularly like her, but I do like reading about the trouble she gets herself into in her quest to save the natural world.

Wolfman by Stanley Trollip

ISBN: 9780997968965

White Sun Books © 2021

Paperback, 246 pages

 

Thriller, Crystal Nguyen prequel

Rating: B+

Source: the author 

Dead of Night by Michael Stanley

First Line: Michael Davidson wiped the sweat off his face, irritated that his hand was unsteady.

When freelance journalist Crystal Nguyen gets the go-ahead from National Geographic to research an article on rhino-horn smuggling, it's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream of visiting Africa. Within a week of landing in South Africa, she's hunted poachers, been hunted by their bosses, and been arrested in connection with a murder. Following a lead, Crystal gets out of South Africa and goes undercover in Vietnam to expose the lynchpins behind the rhino-horn smuggling operation.   

But discovering the plot behind the money is only half the battle. Returning to South Africa, she has to convince authorities to take action before it's too late-- both for the rhinos and for herself. She'll have a powerful story to tell... if only she survives long enough to tell it.

When you read any novel by the writing team of Michael Stanley, you know you're going to be told a fast-paced, exciting story with an incredibly vivid setting and fully fleshed characters. Not only that, you're going to learn a few things along the way. And that's exactly what you get with their thriller Dead of Night.

The authors do us a great service by unfolding all the complexities woven into the problem of rhino-horn smuggling. I have to admit that when I learned how a great deal of the powdered rhino horn is actually used, I had thoughts of putting the buyers into enclosures containing a few disgruntled rhinos that still had their horns. But I digress.

I've already mentioned the fast pace, setting, and characters that are hallmarks of any Michael Stanley story, but I left out one: these two know how to craft a compelling mystery. My little grey cells were given a workout trying to deduce exactly what was going on.

To my way of thinking (and reading), there was only one fly in the ointment: Crystal Nguyen. She had many admirable qualities: she's a talented writer and photographer, she's brave, and she's relentless when it comes to teasing out the clues she finds. But... I found her extremely irritating. One night she's put in charge of the camp where she's staying. With several naive tourists in residence, there was a high probability of issues arising during the night. What does she do? Sleep in the nude so she's got to stumble around in the dark to find her clothes before she can go out and take care of a situation. Smart, eh?

But the thing that almost drove me crazy was the fact that Crystal is told repeatedly by several people who have experience in these matters that you never know who you can trust, so don't tell anyone what you know. Does she pay attention? Heavens, no. She repeatedly ignores the advice... and repeatedly gets herself into life-and-death situations.

I have to say that, although I love Michael Stanley's writing, I hope Dead of Night isn't the beginning of a series because Crystal Nguyen is a character that I wouldn't follow into the next room, let alone out into the bush. But as always-- your mileage can certainly vary!

Dead of Night by Michael Stanley

ISBN: 9781912374250

Orenda Books © 2018

Paperback, 312 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from The Book Depository.