And, something about the ferocity of the attack doesn’t ring true to those familiar with wolf behavior and pack dynamics. They are a close-knit group, living together in close quarters, and fairly respectful of each others talents and experience. The death is not taken well by the researchers. Coupled with the death is the appearance of an enigmatic message, a frosted message scrawled upon a window pane as the storm front causes the air temperature to drop. Wolves are blamed, and the DHS officer is salivating to close the research down and shutdown all access to the island. Then, the first researcher turns up dead. Soon after her arrival, a winter storm moves in, preventing anyone from leaving the island. DHS feels the island is a security risk due to its remoteness and proximity to the Canadian border, ripe for exploitation by nefarious people seeking to bring disaster to the United States (like we aren’t capable of doing that ourselves. Her presence may have been the most unsettling for all researchers had not an agent of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) already been on-site. The academics conducting the research see her presence as a necessary evil, the constant gaze of the federal government.

Pigeon’s arrival is not necessarily welcomed. Seems like a nice, fascinating assignment, right? Who would not want to work, study, and live with the living relatives of Man’s Best Friend? Despite my extreme dislike for cold weather, I personally would jump at this opportunity. Researchers on the island are studying the dynamics of wolf populations, and Pigeon’s chore is learn what she can in the event her home national park in Colorado is populated with wolves. In “Winter Study,” Ranger Pigeon (that sounds like a species of bird) is posted to Isle Royale.

Winter Study by Nevada Barr