SHADOW OF THE GRIZZLY (A Double D Western) [Hardcover]

Larry Jay Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993 | Series: A Double D Western

When the bear-god kills the son of their chief, the Yocuts of southern California turn to their neighbor, Clint Ryan, to do what they cannot--kill one of their gods.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his fifth El Lazo western ( The Benicia Belle ), Martin has produced a land-locked, Old West version of Peter Benchley's Jaws . Chased from its habitat among California's giant redwoods, a mammoth grizzly worshipped as a bear god by the local Indians goes on a rampage. When the son of the Indians' chief is killed by the animal, the tribe seeks out Clint Ryan to hunt it down. Although he demurs at first, circumstances force him to join both Indians and other hunters and to go after the bear. Martin alternates between the point of view of the humans and that of the bear as it kills its pursuers one by one. Dialogue is often stilted and fails to ring true. The casual evil of Ryan's competitors in the hunt, never explained, seems largely unmotivated. Still, with tight plotting, Martin manages to keep the reader's attention, and series fans should not be disappointed.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

L. J. Martin is the author of 20 novels and non-fiction books. He lives in Montana and California with his wife, Kat, also a novelist. He writes as L. Jay Martin, Larry Jay Martin, and L. J. Martin. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 185 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385469020
• ISBN-13: 978-0385469029
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,420,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

L. J. Martin is the author of 22 novels (westerns, historicals, mysteries, and thrillers), and has a number of screenplays, one of which was optioned by a major NBC approved producer. He's also written five non-fiction books, KILLING CANCER (he's a two time cancer survivor), WRITE COMPELLING FICTION, an instructional work for aspiring authors, MYRTLE MAE & THE CREW, a book of cartoons, FROM THE PEA PATCH, a conservative political series of essays, and COOKING WILD & WONDERFUL, a cookbook with story content. He and Kat live in Montana in the Spring, Summer, and Fall and on the California coast in the Winter. His wife, Kat Martin, is a NYT bestsellling, internationally published, romantic suspense and historical romance author published in over a dozen foreign languages and in 2 dozen countries. When not writing, L. J. is cooking and developing recipes for his webpage www.wolfpackranch.com, hunting, fishing, or hauling his cameras around the high country, or promoting their careers. He has two dozen novels and non-fiction works listed on Amazon and Kindle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Shadow of the Grizzly, August 29, 2011

By 

L. J. Martin (Montana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow of the Grizzly (Mass Market Paperback)

From Johnny Le Bon, Rave Reviews Magazine; posted by the author: The adventures of John Clinton (Clint) Ryan continue in SHADOW OF THE GRIZZLY. This exciting adventure tells of a magnificent grizzly bear who becomes the target for greed, revenge, and self-preservation. When Clint Ryan finally realizes his dream of a ranch set in the beautiful San Joaquin Valley near Kaweah River, he populates it with forty horses he received for helping Don Carlos Vega. Clint has his hands full getting the ranch on its feet, especially when three mountain men from Tennessee creat havoc trading some "lead" for coffee. He singlehandedly takes on the leader in a fierce fight and sends the scoundrels on their way. Zeke Stokes vows revenge, and the mountain men kill one of Clint's hired hands on a gold prospecting trek. When Zeke learns of a giant injured grizzly, he and his brothers decide to hunt down the bear for meat, which they intend to sell to the prospectors. They only injure the grizzly, driving him insane and turning him into a dangerous killer. Knowing the circumstances, Clint reluctantly hunts down the great bear after he's killed a Yocuts chief's son, a tragedy that threatens Clint's ranch. When the grizzly also mauls one of his mares and nearly kills again, a fiery end comes to part of the Stokes gang. Zeke gets his due in real western style. Larry Martin has preformed a masterful job of providing readers with the grizzly's perspective in this tale eliciting well-deserved sympathy for the plight of the animal. this is yet another fine story about the Old West from a top writer.