Wild Thing

Finished April 7
Wild Thing by Josh Bazell
I loved Bazell's first book, Beat the Reaper, and was looking forward to the continuing saga of Pietro Brnwa, former hitman and now doctor in the witness protection program. Here, under the name Lionel Azimuth, he starts the novel working as a doctor on a cruise ship, an unhappy existence. Then he gets asked by a reclusive billionaire to go to a remote lake in the Boundary Waters area between Minnesota and Manitoba to see if the rumours of a legendary water creature are true. His job is to protect Violet Hurst, a paleontologist also on the trip. Violet is a character to love, outspoken and self-assured. Azimuth is drawn to her, but remembers what happened to his last girlfriend and is less than eager to get involved with someone.
He is also a bit nervous around water, given his recent experiences in the previous novel. But he is also tired of constantly looking over his shoulder, wondering when someone will have found his trail again.
The story of the water creature is an interesting one, with lots of things going on, some interesting characters making an appearance, and constant surprises.
But Bazell offers more. Following the novel action is an article by Violet on global warming and the possibility tipping point. Then following that, is a section on Bazell's sources for everything going on here, from politics to the environment, science to pop culture. Bazell is a man with varied interests and strong curiosity along with high intelligence and that comes out here.
Yes, a great thriller, but so, so much more.