Stalked

WILDERNESS 71

By David Robbins

Mad Hornet Publishing, July 2020

Two families from the East want to make a new life for themselves in the Rocky Mountains. They think they can handle whatever the wilderness throws at them. They are wrong. Something is after them. Hunting them. Stalking them. Killing them one by one.

Enter Nate King. The Mountain Man known as Grizzly Killer. He is their one….their best….hope to survive. But even being the best is not always enough.

This is another terrific entry in the long-running Wilderness series that is filled with edge-of-your-seat moments. David Robbins really builds up the tension superbly as two green families are stalked by a kill crazy grizzly. A giant silver-tip that seems to kill for the sake of it, seems to enjoy tearing its victims into bloody shreds. 

The book doesn’t have a large cast. There are the two families, Nate King and his wife, Winona, along with their adopted daughter Bright Rainbow and three Ute braves. By the end their numbers will be greatly reduced. 

David Robbins creates a gripping sense of rising fear as the grizzly begins to stalk its prey. The kills are described in horrific detail, each ripped apart victim adding to the heightening terror that the two families experience, grief driving some of their decisions. 

The storyline isn’t completely dark in tone as David Robbins injects moments of humour to lighten the mood, mostly through conversation. The author also includes a comical visual during the musical instrument incident – a picture I got in my mind at this moment had me laughing out loud.

Can Grizzy Killer defeat his monstrous foe before all those he’s trying to protect die? Animal savagery against human prowess, teeth and claw verses tomahawk and knife. Finding out made for an exciting read, the story being a real page-turner as each chapter and scene ended on a cliff-hanger making it impossible to put the book down before the enthralling conclusion. 

A must read for all fans of the Wilderness series, and one that will be enjoyed by everyone who likes reading about the mountain man era or tales about battles between man and beast.