Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker is not easily defined by genre. It is definitely a police procedural with tracking down the killer, but the storylines add so much more to the novel. It can be defined as a thriller where there is so much subterfuge that the reader finds the reading thrilling and ‘unputdownable’. It is a novel about trying to come to terms within yourself and your environment with mixed race characters. It is a novel about greed and power.
The main character is Lew Gale. He was a sniper for the Marines and is now a deputy in Orange County. Lew is part Native American specifically, Acjachemen, an indigenous tribe of Southern California. He is asked to track a mountain lion who “killed” a hiker, however it is not that easy.
With his new partner, Daniela and the correct information, they start looking for the human killer. The novel winds and turns its way around the police investigation as well as both Lew and Daniela. As they make progress toward identifying what happened, their personal struggles are also part of the storyline adding a more humanistic approach to the main characters. The stories of the Acjachemen people are also woven into the story.
T. Jefferson Parker’s novel, Wild Instinct is set in Southern California and shows the dichotomy between the land and the various peoples along with the history. The novel is like a basket with all the different parts like stakes branching out. The individual stories, the multiple viewpoints and the powerful storyline catch and keep your attention. I especially found the addition of the old mountain lion as a literary device effective in enhancing the story and character of Lew. Wild Instinct is a good read.
