Ghost of the Gray by J. Jones
What's It About?
Junior Fish and Wildlife Project Manager Becca Olsen is desperate to save her wolves, her relationship and her job in the desolate New Mexico desert, but something is horribly wrong in the quiet wilderness. When the perky voice of the dimpled desk jockey fails to assure ranchers that their cattle are safe, her first wolf reintroduction campaign is in danger of crumbling like everything else seems to in this dry wilderness. It’s bad enough that wolf tracking equipment is going missing, but when bodies of all varieties start piling up, the situation turns deadly.Junior Fish and Wildlife Project Manager Becca Olsen is desperate to save her wolves, her relationship and her job in the desolate New Mexico desert, but something is horribly wrong in the quiet wilderness. When the perky voice of the dimpled desk jockey fails to assure ranchers that their cattle are safe, her first wolf reintroduction campaign is in danger of crumbling like everything else seems to in this dry wilderness. It’s bad enough that wolf tracking equipment is going missing, but when bodies of all varieties start piling up, the situation turns deadly.
Are Becca’s wolves killing ranchers’ livelihoods? Are angry ranchers killing her “babies”? Or has the legendary Fantasma del Gris, Ghost of the Gray, been given flesh?
PERFECT FOR FANS OF ATMOSPHERIC THRILLERS
There’s always been something about the wilderness that elicits a unique variety of apprehension. It’s the utter isolation of it, and the gnawing feeling of being out of one’s depth, of being at the complete mercy of the entities that call it home. Recent entertainment media has done an excellent job capturing this; Paramount Studio’s Yellowstone series comes to mind, as well as the Liam Neeson film, The Grey. I’m ecstatic to report that fans of the screen looking to the page for similar content will find exactly what they’re looking for in author J. Jones’ thriller, Ghost of the Gray.
At one point, Jones describes the claustrophobic, ominous atmosphere as two men descend into a government facility beneath the desert:
The underground world salt was like nothing else. An ominous yellow glow, courtesy of periodic light fixtures, pushed forth from the walls. The fifteen-foot-high, thirty-foot-wide corridor seemed to narrow the farther they drove. Salt crunching under the tires and a steady whine of the electric motor provided the only sound in the waste tomb… If anything went wrong, it would be weeks before anyone found their bodies.
BEAUTIFULLY CHOREOGRAPHED, PULSE-POUNDING ACTION SEQUENCES
Jones uses the different environments found throughout the novel to great effect, each one eliciting different feelings. I often found that this skill enhanced my ability to become invested in and relate to the characters and what they were experiencing in any given situation.
On the flip side of this, the author balances out his scene-setting with beautifully choreographed, pulse-pounding action sequences. Jones does an excellent job of illustrating every frantic moment, down to the slightest movements and shakiest breaths. This is particularly evident, without spoiling the plot too much, when humans come into contact with the wolves, which play an integral role in the story:
The wolf shot forward so fast, all Trip could do was watch as the huge mouth snapped at his leg. As fast as she leaped forward, she bounced back into the shadow with the cuff of his jeans in her mouth. A sliver of sunlight streaking between the buildings glistened on her gray paw. She shook her head wildly. She approached the beam slowly, cautiously, growling with avenging anger. She nudged her nose into the light. The beam crawled up the snout until it reached her eyes, forcing her to bounce back and bark at the invading beam.
While the author excels at creating tension, he uses his ability to equal effect when it comes to depicting tenderness and love. Jones’ knack making the reader feel every moment, combined with his ability to perfectly capture and convey environments spanning from desolate deserts to bleak government facilities, makes for a riveting read perfect for fans of atmospheric thrillers. Looking for something to distract you while you wait for Yellowstone season five? Look no further.
Ghost of the Gray is available through Apple Books as well as the retailers below.
