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Wolf Cycle / Nick Lupo #2
Wolf's Gambit
There's something terrible happening near the resort town of Eagle River, Wisconsin.
Some people are afraid there's a wild animal on the loose, savagely tearing its victims apart. Others, like Nick Lupo, know better.
Lupo knows a werewolf attack when he sees one. He should, since he's a werewolf himself, though he's been able to control his urges and maintain his secret for years now.
He's also a homicide cop, so it may be up to him to hunt down one of his own kind. It looks like there's a new werewolf in town, a rogue out only for blood. But looks can be deceiving. And it's only the beginning of Nick's problems.
Wolf's Gambit is the sequel to the Bram Stoker Award-nominated novel Wolf's Trap , and the second in the savage series of horror/thrillers about the werewolf/cop. These North Woods Noirs are set mostly in the wilds of Northern Wisconsin, where werewolf legends abound and the moon paints the treetops silver.
Warning: Adult content
Some people are afraid there's a wild animal on the loose, savagely tearing its victims apart. Others, like Nick Lupo, know better.
Lupo knows a werewolf attack when he sees one. He should, since he's a werewolf himself, though he's been able to control his urges and maintain his secret for years now.
He's also a homicide cop, so it may be up to him to hunt down one of his own kind. It looks like there's a new werewolf in town, a rogue out only for blood. But looks can be deceiving. And it's only the beginning of Nick's problems.
Wolf's Gambit is the sequel to the Bram Stoker Award-nominated novel Wolf's Trap , and the second in the savage series of horror/thrillers about the werewolf/cop. These North Woods Noirs are set mostly in the wilds of Northern Wisconsin, where werewolf legends abound and the moon paints the treetops silver.
Warning: Adult content
339 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
W.D. Gagliani
53 books42 followersW.D. Gagliani (Milwaukee, WI) is an American author of Italian descent. His work has spanned the horror, thriller, mystery and adventure fields in fiction, and he has written numerous book reviews, articles, and interviews in nonfiction.
His novels include Wolf's Trap, Wolf's Gambit, Wolf's Bluff, Wolf's Edge, Wolf's Cut, Wolf's Blind, and the novella Wolf's Deal (the Nick Lupo series), plus the novels The Judas Hit and Savage Nights, the collection Shadowplays, and (with David Benton) the novel Killer Lake (nominated for the Splatterpunk Award), the mini-collection Mysteries & Mayhem, and (as A.G. Kent) I was a Seventh Grade Monster Hunter. The team of Benton & Gagliani was commissioned to play in the Vampire Dreams universe with their tale "Voracious in Vegas," which appeared as part of the now-defunt Kindle Worlds. On his own, Gagliani has also written novellas such as The Great Belzoni and the Gait of Anubis (original and expanded versions).
His short fiction (much of which appears in Shadowplays) has won the 1999 Darrell Award of the Memphis Science Fiction Association ("Until Hell Calls Our Names"), several 2nd and 3rd Place prizes in the Science Fiction Writers Of Earth annual contests, and garnered six Honorable Mentions in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror annual collections. In addition, his novel Wolf's Trap (first published by Yard Dog Press) was a Finalist for the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for outstanding achievement in a first novel.
Gagliani is also the author of numerous book reviews, articles, interviews, and short stories published in anthologies such as Robert Bloch's Psychos, More Monsters from Memphis, The Midnighters Club, Fateful Fathoms, Undead Tales, and more, and (with co-writer David Benton) Dark Passions: Hot Blood 13, The X-Files: Trust No One, SNAFU, SNAFU: Wolves at the Door, Splatterpunk Zine, Splatterpunk: Fighting Back, Splatterpunk: Past Indiscretions, and more, as well as other publications and books such as Cemetery Dance, Horror World, Bare Bones and Best of Bare Bones, The Scream Factory and Best of the Scream Factory, Chizine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Writer magazine, the books THRILLERS: The 100 Must Reads and ON WRITING HORROR, and many more.
Gagliani is an active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and the Authors Guild.
Series:
* Wolf Cycle
His novels include Wolf's Trap, Wolf's Gambit, Wolf's Bluff, Wolf's Edge, Wolf's Cut, Wolf's Blind, and the novella Wolf's Deal (the Nick Lupo series), plus the novels The Judas Hit and Savage Nights, the collection Shadowplays, and (with David Benton) the novel Killer Lake (nominated for the Splatterpunk Award), the mini-collection Mysteries & Mayhem, and (as A.G. Kent) I was a Seventh Grade Monster Hunter. The team of Benton & Gagliani was commissioned to play in the Vampire Dreams universe with their tale "Voracious in Vegas," which appeared as part of the now-defunt Kindle Worlds. On his own, Gagliani has also written novellas such as The Great Belzoni and the Gait of Anubis (original and expanded versions).
His short fiction (much of which appears in Shadowplays) has won the 1999 Darrell Award of the Memphis Science Fiction Association ("Until Hell Calls Our Names"), several 2nd and 3rd Place prizes in the Science Fiction Writers Of Earth annual contests, and garnered six Honorable Mentions in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror annual collections. In addition, his novel Wolf's Trap (first published by Yard Dog Press) was a Finalist for the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for outstanding achievement in a first novel.
Gagliani is also the author of numerous book reviews, articles, interviews, and short stories published in anthologies such as Robert Bloch's Psychos, More Monsters from Memphis, The Midnighters Club, Fateful Fathoms, Undead Tales, and more, and (with co-writer David Benton) Dark Passions: Hot Blood 13, The X-Files: Trust No One, SNAFU, SNAFU: Wolves at the Door, Splatterpunk Zine, Splatterpunk: Fighting Back, Splatterpunk: Past Indiscretions, and more, as well as other publications and books such as Cemetery Dance, Horror World, Bare Bones and Best of Bare Bones, The Scream Factory and Best of the Scream Factory, Chizine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Writer magazine, the books THRILLERS: The 100 Must Reads and ON WRITING HORROR, and many more.
Gagliani is an active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and the Authors Guild.
Series:
* Wolf Cycle
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 18, 2021
This one just wasn't for me, though I could see why others might enjoy it so I gave it a generous third star. Maybe I'm just feeling nice today. I hadn't read the first in the series and hadn't yet fully connected with the characters, so maybe that was part of it, but definitely not all of it.
My biggest issue was the writing style. It jumped from one character's perspective to the next entirely too often and too quickly. Within just a page or two you could jump into the thoughts of three characters taking part in the scene. I didn't feel like having so many character perspectives was even needed, and while this was done "properly" with spaces to show it was going into the thoughts of another character, and it was probably done to speed the scenes up, I actually think this style slows things down. It felt disjointed and made it hard to care about any one character. I usually like to stick with one character's perspective per chapter, maybe two, but it can't constantly be jumping throughout. By all means, show us what the good and bad guys are thinking, just don't do it in the same scene. I like more surprises than that.
That being said, the story itself was okay, if a little predictable, the way it was written was just too distracting and a bit bland for me.
My biggest issue was the writing style. It jumped from one character's perspective to the next entirely too often and too quickly. Within just a page or two you could jump into the thoughts of three characters taking part in the scene. I didn't feel like having so many character perspectives was even needed, and while this was done "properly" with spaces to show it was going into the thoughts of another character, and it was probably done to speed the scenes up, I actually think this style slows things down. It felt disjointed and made it hard to care about any one character. I usually like to stick with one character's perspective per chapter, maybe two, but it can't constantly be jumping throughout. By all means, show us what the good and bad guys are thinking, just don't do it in the same scene. I like more surprises than that.
That being said, the story itself was okay, if a little predictable, the way it was written was just too distracting and a bit bland for me.
September 25, 2009
This guy's like Ray Garton in that he can build an exciting story on an old monster formula by making the story involving. Great characters!
December 30, 2021
Whew! There was a lot going on with this one. We have our favorite were Nick, and a host of bad guys. There were so many bad guys that you lost track of a couple by the end. We get some more background on Nick's past and some hella gory killings. If you like your werewolves to be more than a romantic boyfriend, this is your series, but remember to read them in order. This is the second in the series.
March 7, 2023
This is . . . awkward. When I reviewed the first book in the series, I said I'd like to see another story about Nick Lupo. And this one was kind of a drag. I did not get into this one at all. I guess I spoke too soon.
February 23, 2025
If you you’re looking for a thriller with a werewolf twist you’ll love Wolf’s Gambit. This is the second book in the series. I loved it and what a fantastic bloody good read it was. Looking forward to reading the third book!!!
September 13, 2022
Liked it but wouldn't reread.
September 6, 2011
Some people in the area believe there's wild animals on the loose and they are afraid because it's savagely tearing its victims apart. But Nick Lupo knows better. He knows a werewolf attack when he sees one. He is after all, a werewolf himself; though he's learned to control his urges and maintain his secret with the help of a few close friends. He's also a homicide cop, so he inherits the job of hunting this creature. It looks like there's new werewolf in town, a rogue out for blood, but looks can be decieving.
This is one of the best werewolf books I've ever read. It takes me back to "The Howling."
This is one of the best werewolf books I've ever read. It takes me back to "The Howling."
February 16, 2014
In the second Nick Lupo werewolf story, there have been some vicious killings, that look like they were done by a wild animal. Nick finds out there are others like him out there. With a lot more sex in this one - due to one of the other werewolf's sexually charged appetite when he is in human form. Damn, he made me wish I was a werewolf!:)
With Nick still trying to control the "creature" (as he calls it), brings back the werewolf tale, in an exciting and thrilling read.
With Nick still trying to control the "creature" (as he calls it), brings back the werewolf tale, in an exciting and thrilling read.
November 27, 2009
Fast moving but repetitive and predictable.
Read
January 15, 2010very good
March 26, 2010
I didn't like this book and couldn't wait to finish it.
January 30, 2011
A homicide cop who just happens to be a werewolf? Seriously! What's not to like???
April 24, 2011
it was great i totally recommenedable i have it so i would lend it out
February 17, 2012
Interesting characters, a good story line, a little repetitive at times, but over all, an enjoyable read. Would read other books by W.D. Gagliani.
November 18, 2015
One of the best werewolf books I've ever read
I'm not a big fan of quadruped werewolves, however I really was taken in by his style of writing and how he advances characters.
I'm not a big fan of quadruped werewolves, however I really was taken in by his style of writing and how he advances characters.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews