Misanthropic ideologies, international conspiracies, and experiments in bioengineering have always proved a toxic mix. But when conservationist and former soldier Philip Caster travels to Sumatra to release captive tigers in the wild, he’s ensnared in the effects of a plot so insidious it threatens all life on earth. Cornered by an implacable foe, Caster must draw upon all his skills and stubbornness just to survive. And if he makes it out alive, he’ll have a tiger by the tail. With The Gevaudan Project, A. K. Preston has spliced together a bone-hard, near-future sci-fi in the tradition of Michael Crichton. Philosophic contextualization imparts thematic depth to the action. Though jungles of overwrought prose impede the narrative, a verisimilitude born of meticulous research shines through every page. This world feels real, and so does its danger.

Best for: Older teens and adults seeking a contemporary creature thriller that confronts the implications of radical environmentalism.

Discern: Graphic violence and terror, disturbing scientific experimentation, brief mild innuendo, and a clinical description of tiger semen extraction.