Dragons of the Great Divide
(Book 2 of The Cretaceous Chronicles)
It's one year after egg-laden meteorites struck the Continental Divide in Montana and Idaho, hatching out hundreds of Cretaceous dinosaurs, as recounted in Cretaceous Stones (Book 1 in the series). Now it's a new summer, and Dromaeosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Triceratops are on the loose once again.
Cast of Characters:
Paleontologists/authors Hayden Fowler and Nora Lemoyne are involved in a torrid romantic relationship. They are fresh off the bestselling success of their first co-authored book, detailing their close encounters with the Cretaceous beasts. On the hunt for material for their second book, the couple experiences a few harrowing encounters in their travels.
Helicopter pilot Peter Lacroix resigns from the Montana Forest Service to become Hayden and Nora's personal pilot. It's big money, but the risks are even bigger. Peter's pregnant wife Brin Lacroix suffers high anxiety as he flies out each day, worrying whether he will return.
Jackson Lattimer is a celebrity wildlife videographer with a reckless reputation for getting closeup shots of dangerous animals. Due to his daring ways, the media has dubbed him "America's Gonzo Shutterbug." He befriends Hayden Fowler, joining him on several perilous outings.
Bryan and Loretta Gilliam, parents of three children, own Gilliam's Guidepost ranch, home of last summer's famed dinosaur habitats. The ranch serves as the heliport and home base for the dinosaur tracking teams.
Kelton Rendaya is an equine veterinarian moonlighting as an illicit animal trafficker who specializes in venomous reptiles and dangerous wildlife. His life implodes when he jumps headlong into the dinosaur trade.
Also, Indigenous women are disappearing off the Blackfeet Indian reservation. The authorities are indifferent, claiming the Native women are being taken by hungry Tyrannosaurs. One of the women is Kanti Lyttle, the wife of Apisi, a longtime Gilliam ranch hand. Bryan Gilliam gets involved and his search leads to a startling discovery. Is it possible that animal traffickers have also moved into the human trafficking business?
Finally, a helicopter flight into Idaho's River of No Return Wilderness preserve in search of Tyrannosaurs turns deadly. The team of six learns a harsh lesson-the dragons of the Continental Divide are ruthlessly unforgiving.
Dragons of the Great Divide is fictional science at its best. But it's much more than a sci-fi thriller featuring the return of the dinosaurs to the contemporary American West. At its heart is a story that explores the human condition in all its multifaceted complexity. It's about the human spirit rising up in the face of extreme adversity. It's about families and romantic relationships. It's about unbridled greed and the blinding quest for fame and fortune. It's about life and loss, love and lust, and the human need for friendship. But most of all, it's a rip-roaring entertaining tale you won't soon forget.
