Wolf’s Paw by Tristan de Chalain

Wolf's Paw by Tristan de ChalainAre not all our struggles and trials really the same? The never-ending quest to fully appreciate who we are, why we are, and of what depths and heights we are truly capable? – Sharon Denholme Proctor

Aaron Ryan is an incredibly dangerous man. Early in his enlistment in the military he was pegged as having the special talent and right temperament to make him a covert intelligence agent. He was trained accordingly, and over time only became more and more deadly as his skills evolved to keep pace with his near sociopathic personality.

Neill Proctor is a plastic surgeon who works at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his wife, Sharon, also a physician, are originally from South Africa. Their time there during the horrific events of the South African Border War exposed them to the brutalities that men are capable of inflicting upon one another.

Unbeknownst to the Proctors, it also exposed them in passing to Aaron Ryan, himself in the region during the war in his capacity as a covert operative. Little could they have known they would cross paths with Ryan again, and that the horror they sought to escape would not only follow them to the U.S., but show up on their very doorstep.

There’s only one thing in the world Ryan holds dear, his stepmother. When she dies while undergoing medical treatment Ryan becomes convinced her death was the result of malpractice, and that the physicians involved are actively covering up their negligence. One by one Ryan begins tracking down the physicians involved in her case, acting as judge, jury, and executioner for each. When he realizes Neill Proctor was one of those involved, Ryan’s twisted sense of justice causes him to decide to take revenge on Proctor in a different way; Ryan will take Proctor’s wife from him, leaving him with nothing in the world to care about, just as Ryan finds himself.

Wolf’s Paw is an ambitious, somewhat epic story in that author Tristan de Chalain takes his time establishing the backstory of the three main characters during their respective time in South Africa and Angola before bringing their lives together. While doing so, Chalain weaves remarkably detailed information about the South African Border War/Angolan Bush War into the story, bringing almost a historian’s perspective to the establishing portion of the book. Once the story shifts to the States, however, Wolf’s Paw settles down into a good old fashioned tale of revenge and retribution, and an examination of the lengths to which one man is willing to go to attain them.

The scope of the book and details of historical events interwoven throughout make for a bit more than light reading, but if you’re looking for something with a little heft behind it do consider letting the Wolf’s Paw in amongst the lambs of your beach reads.

Wolf’s Paw is available from Eloquent Books (ISBN: 978-1608609673).

Tristan de Chalain is a Plastic Surgeon who was born in Canada, raised in Southern Africa, and trained in the USA and Canada. Tristan has previously worked as a naval officer, served in the military, trained as a marine biologist, and held several jobs including steel milling and gold mining. Tristan lives with his wife and two children in Auckland, New Zealand.

3 Comments

  • Tristan de Chalain

    June 12, 2011 - 11:30 PM

    Hey Elizabeth,
    thanks so much for a) Reviewing Wolf’s Paw and b)keeping me posted. I thoroughly enjoyed your review because it was fair, balanced, a great summary and very well written (-Do you think I could plagiarise it as a synopsis in my interminable quest for an agent?:)
    I hope you enjoyed the read and if you did, and you learned something you hadn’t known before, then I succeeded in what I set out to do. Finally, if you have any suggestions on how to find an agent in the U.S., I’d be happy to hear it. One idea I thought I’d float is can you wangle an introduction to one through one of your other authors?
    regards and all best wishes
    Tristan

  • Sabrina Ogden

    June 6, 2011 - 5:30 PM

    How did you find this author? I hope you don’t mind me asking. It seems like an interesting book and the author seems really interesting, as well. Excellent review, Elizabeth.

    • Elizabeth A. White

      June 6, 2011 - 7:37 PM

      It was actually another wonderful example of an author contacting me out of the blue. And I’m so glad he did. It sometimes boggles my mind how much great stuff there is out there just waiting to be discovered and read! 🙂