Search results for ""Author Cary J. Griffith""

Book SynopsisIn this outdoors thriller, the investigation of a bizarre wolf attack leads to evidence of murder, conspiracy, and shocking family secrets.A decades-old promise haunts Sam Rivers, but the wildlife biologist refuses to return home—not with his abusive and estranged father still there. Rivers left the family farm some 20 years ago. He found solace in nature and built a respected career as a special agent for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. His experiences have given him a penchant for understanding predators—a skill he’ll need, now, more than ever.After his father’s mysterious death, Rivers is lured back to his hometown of Defiance, in northern Minnesota, to fulfill his mother’s dying wish. But all is not as it seems. Rivers breaks into his childhood home during a howling winter storm and discovers something sinister. His suspicions are heightened after a bizarre wolf attack on local livestock. The events lead the special agent to a series of clues that could change everything he knows—or thinks he knows—about the town, his family, and himself.With the help of alluring reporter Diane Talbott, Rivers must unravel the wolf kill and learn what really happened to his father—a man Rivers has hated for most of his life. It is a case unlike any he’s worked before. His knowledge of frigid winters, wolves, and wilderness will be put to the test, as he tries to solve the case—and stay alive.In Wolf Kill, natural history writer Cary J. Griffith introduces readers to Sam Rivers, the predator’s predator, and weaves a masterful tale of danger and suspense in the far north.Trade Review“In northern Minnesota, winter is full of dangers that can kill: Hard cold, hard men, and hungry wolves. Cary Griffith brings the menace of all three into play in his riveting new thriller. Returning to the childhood home he fled twenty years earlier, Sam Rivers finds himself battling a group of scheming reprobates and struggling against an avalanche of painful memories. Griffith’s intimacy with the territory he writes about comes through in every line. I loved this novel and recommend it highly. But I suggest you enjoy it under a warm blanket. Honestly, I’ve never read a book that evokes the fierce winter landscape of the North Country better than Wolf Kill.” —William Kent Krueger, Edgar Award-winning author of This Tender Land “Griffith’s prose makes you feel the winter chill… and the twisty plot delivers a chill down your spine. This is a Minnesota mystery with razor-sharp teeth.” —Brian Freeman, New York Times best-selling author of The Deep, Deep Snow “Up here in the North Country, we have a bounty of fine mystery writers. Krueger, Housewright, Eskins, Freeman, Mejia, Sanford... add to that list Cary Griffith, whose Wolf Kill thrills for its plotting, superb writing, and unforgettable characters, not least the brutal Minnesota winter. Sam Rivers is not only a fine sleuth, but a complicated man with a complicated history and a fair family grudge. Taken together, he’s a force, both on the page and long after you finish reading his story. Good thing there’s more of him to go around, and I’ll be first in line for the next Sam Rivers novel.” —Peter Geye, author of Northernmost “Wolf Kill is a terrific read! The writing is so good that you can feel the frigid winds blowing through this dark and masterfully crafted novel even as the suspense heats up. And the wolves are as magnificent and frightening as you could hope.” —David Housewright, Edgar Award-winning author of What Doesn’t Kill Us “I love books where I go on a great adventure, but I also learn something along the way. Wolf Kill does all this and more—it’s the beginning of a series featuring a smart wildlife special agent who takes us into the wilderness and safely out again. A deeply satisfying read.” —Mary Logue, author of Claire Watkins mysteries and The Streel The deep freeze of a Minnesota winter meets the chilling underbelly of a small Iron Range town in Cary Griffith’s fantastic Wolf Kill. I loved meeting Sam Rivers, the wolf expert and USFW field agent assigned to protect the nation’s wildlife, and can’t wait to follow Rivers on his next adventure. —Mindy Mejia, author of Leave No Trace and Strike Me Down “Cary J. Griffith defines the savage, howling beauty of a Northern Minnesota winter in this taut, compulsively readable mystery. I want more Sam Rivers!” —Wendy Webb, author of The Haunting of Brynn Wilder “Fans of Paul Doiron’s The Poacher’s Son or the Joe Pickett books will appreciate this descriptive novel with an intriguing plot and well-written characters.” —Lesa Holstine, Library Journal “Cary J. Griffith’s Wolf Kill is a surprisingly fast-paced, highly intriguing outdoor action thriller with some mystery and romance thrown in for good measure.” —Joseph B. Hoyos, Gumshoe “In Wolf Kill, natural history writer Cary J. Griffith introduces readers to Sam Rivers, a predator’s predator, and weaves a masterful tale of danger and suspense in the far north.” —Thoughts on This’n That “... involving, fast-paced... [Cary J. Griffith’s] writing is so vivid the reader wants to bundle up and enjoy the beauty of the landscape, even at 20 below zero.” —Mary Ann Grossmann, Pioneer Press “The latest from accomplished Minnesota author Cary J. Griffith brings us a new North Woods hero to join the ranks of William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connell and Allen Eskens’ Max Rupert. He even gives Brian Freeman’s Minnesota-to-the-core Jonathan Stride a run for the money.” —Genny Greene, Star Tribune “[Sam Rivers’] experiences have given him a penchant for understanding predators—a skill he'll need now more than ever.” —Duluth News Tribune

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Book SynopsisA murdered conservation officer and a multi-million-dollar poaching business—how are they connected to Sam Rivers’ childhood friend? Holden Riggins is an expert outdoorsman and a known poacher. He’s made a small fortune by exploiting nature’s bounty. So it’s no surprise when two conservation officers (COs) from the Department of Natural Resources come upon Holden’s fishing boat, anchored beside an illegal walleye net. What is a surprise, though, is Holden’s condition: nearly frozen to death on the bottom of his boat. That’s not the COs’ most shocking discovery. Twisted and tangled within the twines of another nearby net is the dead body of their missing colleague. After the COs save Holden from the icy grip of hypothermia, the suspected murderer refuses to answer questions. The only person he’ll speak with is Sam Rivers, a man he last saw when they were 12 years old. Since then, Holde

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Book SynopsisIn this outdoors mystery, special agent Sam Rivers investigates the unexplained—and very unlikely—cougar attack that killed a wealthy business owner. The sighting of a cougar in the Minnesota River Valley, outside the Twin Cities, is incredibly rare. A deadly cougar attack on a human in this area is about as likely as getting struck by lightning—twice. Yet when wealthy business owner Jack McGregor is found dead, the physical evidence seems incontrovertible. Sheriff Rusty Benson brings in Sam Rivers, a US Fish & Wildlife (USFW) special agent and a wildlife biologist, to examine the scene and sign off on his conclusions. But Sam’s experiences have given him a penchant for understanding predators, and he has more questions than answers. Details begin to surface that challenge law enforcement’s open-and-shut case. To find justice, Sam must take matters into his own hands. He enlists the help of reporter Diane Talbott and his wolf-dog, Gray, who’s in training to become a working dog for the USFW. Gray’s nose leads the investigation in unexpected directions. The more rocks Sam turns over, the more motives for murdering McGregor seem to slither out. With no help or support from local law enforcement, Sam and his team are all that stand between justice and those who might otherwise get away with murder. Sam’s knowledge of backcountry, cougars, and the criminal mind will be put to the test, as he tries to solve the case—and stay alive. In Cougar Claw, natural history writer Cary J. Griffith brings back Sam Rivers, the predator’s predator, and pens a puzzling mystery filled with suspense and intrigue.Trade Review“In this highly anticipated second novel in the Sam Rivers series, Cary J. Griffith delivers another finely researched and compellingly written thriller. Both the beauty and the savagery of our natural world form the heart of a Griffith story. In this case, it’s the predatory habits of cougars. When the killing of a Twin Cities man in an apparent cougar attack brings Sam to the Minnesota River Valley to investigate, what follows is a gradual and fascinating revelation of not just the predatory nature of cougars, but that of humans as well.” —William Kent Krueger, Edgar Award-winning author of This Tender Land “Griffith—and his very engaging hero, Sam Rivers—both know the Minnesota wilderness inside and out. But be careful. After staying up all night to devour Cougar Claw, you may find yourself listening for a low growl the next time you’re alone in the forest.” —Brian Freeman, New York Times best-selling author of The Deep, Deep Snow “From the first page to the last, Cougar Claw blends high suspense with the quiet observations of the predator’s predator, Sam Rivers. Between Griffith’s descriptions of Minnesota’s natural beauty and the human nature of his characters, this is a book you won’t want to end.” —Debra H. Goldstein, award-winning author of the Sarah Blair mystery series “Mixing deep knowledge of the natural world with the twists and turns of the best suspense novels, Cougar Claw is a thoughtful and thrilling story.” —Mary Logue, author of the Claire Watkins mysteries and The Streel “Griffith doubles down on his strengths in this series, giving us another vibrant cast of allies, suspects, and a misunderstood predator, while navigating a path between animal rights and human fears of the natural world. I can’t wait for Sam Rivers’ next assignment.” —Mindy Mejia, author of Everything You Want Me to Be and Strike Me Down “Griffith is a fluent student of the Minnesota outdoors. His detailed storytelling makes the rugged landscape come alive, becoming a major character in his writings. And Griffith’s popular creation, Sam Rivers, is a striking star, handsome, playful and deeply knowledgeable in his field. Turns out he’s not so bad at unraveling the darker side of human nature, too.” —Ginny Greene, Star Tribune “Sam Rivers is a welcome addition to the growing list of crime fiction protagonists by Minnesota writers. His love of nature and creatures, even predators, permeates the plot.” —Mary Ann Grossman, Pioneer Press

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Book SynopsisTwo dead bodies and too many coincidences to ignore—in this outdoors mystery, special agent Sam Rivers must stop a murderous conspiracy. As a special agent for the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Sam Rivers has researched and studied a variety of animals. He’s visiting sixth graders at Hopkins Elementary to share photographs of the Monarch butterfly—and he’s brought along his drug-sniffing wolfdog, Gray, to give students a demonstration of his partner’s remarkable skills. Gray finds a sample drug packet, hidden by Sam, but that’s not all. The wolfdog keeps following his nose, leading Sam to a utility room where they discover the school’s janitor, dead. Local police write it off as a drug overdose, but Sam is no stranger to crime scenes. He suspects foul play. When Sam and Gray come upon a second victim, the coincidences are too great to ignore. Sam starts turning over rocks—and what slithers out is more insidious than anyone could have foretold. Sam’s instincts tell him there’ll be more deaths, but those instincts put him at odds with conventional law enforcement. Armed with his knowledge of the natural world and his wolfdog companion, Sam must uncover answers to questions that few others believe exist. The Denver Post calls Sam Rivers the “predator’s predator.” In Killing Monarchs, natural history writer Cary J. Griffith brings back Sam for his third mystery—a thrilling novel filled with action and suspense.Trade Review“Griffith’s third Sam Rivers mystery, Killing Monarchs, moves with the speed of a bullet train. A gripping tale of greed and vengeance... not to be missed.” —Jeffrey B. Burton, award-winning author of The Finders, The Keepers, and The Lost “Killing Monarchs is an exciting, thrilling, and suspenseful page-turner! [It] hooked me from the first page, and I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this series!” —Kathleen Donnelly, author of the award-winning National Forest K-9 series “Cary Griffith is that rare crime writer who’s not afraid to be funny and wise even as he keeps us on the edge of our seats. What’s more, he’s a gifted chronicler of the natural world. These qualities are all abounding in Killing Monarchs, Griffith’s best yet. It’s time to put his intrepid investigator, Sam Rivers, on every suspense writer’s radar, and the author himself in the same echelon as the finest crime writers working today.” —Peter Geye, author of The Ski Jumpers “Cary Griffith has laid out another fabulous tale, based on solid knowledge of the natural world, with a provocative sense of the deviousness of humankind.” —Mary Logue, author of The Streel and The Big Sugar “A gripping thriller highlighting the ironclad bond between man and his best friend, Killing Monarchs had me turning pages all night long.” —Brian Malloy, author of The Year of Ice and After Francesco “A chilling thriller you won’t want to put down. Sam Rivers and his wolfdog partner, Gray, make a terrific crime-fighting duo!” —Margaret Mizushima, author of the award-winning Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries “Sam Rivers is one part teacher and two parts crime solver. Killing Monarchs floats like a butterfly and stings like a scorpion. Prepare to be schooled.” —Mark Stevens, author of The Fireballer and The Allison Coil Mystery Series “Killing Monarchs, the third Sam Rivers mystery, is a rollicking and hugely satisfying ride.” —C. Matthew Smith, author of Twentymile

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Book SynopsisWhen the mysterious appearance of an endangered snake leads to murder, special agent Sam Rivers must solve the case before those responsible can slither away. The appearance of a rattlesnake wouldn’t normally be enough to halt construction on Alta Vista, an upscale housing development in Southeast Minnesota’s bluff country. But this is no ordinary reptile; it’s a rare eastern massasauga rattlesnake (EMR). The endangered snake has not been seen in the region for more than two decades, so Sam Rivers is called in. As a special agent of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam takes his responsibilities seriously—especially when it comes to protecting endangered species and their habitats. If he finds EMR dens on the construction site, he’ll close it permanently. While the developers protest in outrage, Sam enlists the help of herpetologist Gina Larkspur from the Department of Natural Resources. Together, they begin to find anomalies that call the entire situation into question. When Sam’s wolfdog, Gray, tries to sniff out the EMR dens, it isn’t rattlesnakes he finds. Instead, Gray discovers the remnants of a terrible, 25-year-old crime. Were the endangered species merely pawns in a diabolical coverup? As Sam searches for the truth, bodies begin to pile up. He and his team must race to find answers before more innocents die. Natural history writer Cary J. Griffith brings back Sam Rivers for his fifth outdoors-themed mystery—a suspenseful novel filled with fast-paced action.

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Book SynopsisStories from survivors of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness’s epochal weather disaster On July 4, 1999, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), a bizarre confluence of meteorological events resulted in the most damaging blowdown in the region’s history. Originating over the Dakotas, the midsummer windstorm developed amid unusually high heat and water-saturated forests and moved steadily east, bearing down on Fargo, North Dakota, and damaging land as it crossed the Minnesota border. Gunflint Falling tells the story of this devastating storm from the perspectives of those who were on the ground before, during, and after the catastrophic event—from first-time visitors to the north woods to returning paddlers to Forest Service Rangers. The pre-dawn forecasts from the National Weather Service in Duluth for that Sunday of the holiday weekend predicted the day would be “warm and humid. Partly sunny with a thirty percent chance of thunderstorms.” But as the afternoon and evening settled over the Boundary Waters, the first eyewitness accounts began to tell a dramatic and terrifying story. Five friends camping on Lake Polly watched in wonder as the sky turned green and the winds began to whip. They scrambled to pull canoes on shore and secure tarps when a tree snapped and struck one of them in the head, rendering her unconscious. Three women enjoying their last day of a camping trip near the end of the Gunflint Trail took shelter in their tent as winds increased. Water drenched the nylon walls as trees crashed around them, one flattening the tent and pinning a woman beneath its weight. A family vacationing at their cabin dodged falling trees and strained against straight-line winds as they sprinted from the cabin to the safest place they knew: a crawl space underneath it. They watched in awe as trees snapped and toppled, their twisted root balls torn out of the water-logged earth—as they prayed their cabin would hold. By the time the storm began to subside, falling trees had injured approximately sixty people, and most needed to be medevacked to safety. Amazingly, no one died. The historic storm laid down timber that would later blaze in the Ham Lake fire of 2007, ultimately reshaping the region’s forests in ways we have yet to fully understand. Trade Review "Cary J. Griffith makes full use of his impressive talents for interviewing people to obtain truly interesting and previously unknown perspectives and details on the 1999 blowdown. He skillfully weaves these interviews into a complex and captivating story that conveys how incredible this event was and why it deserves a prominent place in Minnesota’s history."—Lee E. Frelich, director, Center for Forest Ecology, University of Minnesota "In the tradition of The Perfect Storm, Cary J. Griffith brings readers into the Boundary Waters moment by moment as an epic gale sweeps through. Ample maps and in-depth interviews with witnesses both immerse us in one terrifying day and offer a glimpse of the past and future of Minnesota’s boreal forest."—Kim Todd, author of Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s “Girl Stunt Reporters” "In Gunflint Falling, Cary J. Griffith provides an accurate, comprehensive narrative of those impacted by one of the region’s most devastating storms. The damage and pain brought by the derecho storm was more severe than anything previously experienced in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The reader is taken into the personal experiences of the injured and those searching for them for fourteen days in the million-acre wilderness, and Griffith’s narrative of these experiences demonstrates how, when faced with an emergency, we come together to help one another."—Jim Sanders, retired forest supervisor, Superior National Forest (1996-2011), USDA Forest Service

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Book SynopsisOn May 5, 2007, two days into his twenty-seventh trip to the Boundary Waters, Stephen Posniak found a perfect spot on Ham Lake and set about making a campfire. Over the next two weeks, the fire he set would consume 75,000 acres of forest and 144 buildTrade ReviewSkillfully wielding his narrative talent, Cary J. Griffith leads readers into the blistering heart of the 2007 Ham Lake fire, one of the most destructive in Minnesota history.—Peter M. Leschak, author of Ghosts of the FiregroundCary J. Griffith invites his readers beneath the smoke and flames of a running crown wildfire to show us the massive coordinated response to one camper’s carelessness. His precise research and his clearheaded storytelling serve admirably to undeGunflint Burning brings the adrenaline, the falling ash, the smell of smoke, and the jarring scream of a crown fire to its detailed narrative of a wildfire in one of America’s best-loved wilderness areas. Cary J. Griffith carries the reIn Gunflint Burning, Cary J. Griffith has penned the consummate story of one of the great wildfire disasters in the history of Minnesota. Expertly reported and cleverly written, this account of the Ham Lake fire of 2007 reads like a thriller Table of ContentsContentsMap of the Ham Lake FireAbbreviationsPrologue: Bob Monehan’s PlaceBefore the Storm1. Stephen Posniak2. The Weather Begins to Turn3. The Burning of Windigo LodgeFire Day One4. Preparation5. Volunteers and Water6. Posniak Strikes the Match7. First Responders8. A Growing Firefight9. Witnesses10. An Interrupted Journey11. Front Lines12. Questions13. Spotting Out of ControlFire Day Two14. An Alarming Glow15. The Evacuation Moves Forward and a Burnout Goes Awry16. Managing Chaos17. The Long Afternoon18. Fire at the Tip of the Bay19. Last StandFire Day Three20. Saving the Seagull Guard Station21. In the Heart of the Heart of the Flames22. Shock23. The First Burn OutThe Big Burn Out24. Backfire25. Fire down the Line26. Ham Lake Fire, Days 6–11Aftermath27. The Investigation28. The IndictmentEpilogueSources and AcknowledgmentsIndex

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