Wolf's Trap [Paperback]

William D. Gagliani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

A murdered friend.

A descent into the darkness of the porn world.

A cop whose tragic past includes a terrible secret and a horrible burden.

A serial killer with depraved obsessions and a blood grudge.

They will meet in Wisconsin's dark and chilly North Woods.

But who will be the hunter, and who will be the hunted?

And how many innocents will have to die?

Editorial Reviews

Review

" I read the last half in one sitting on, appropriately, a night with a full moon. Bravo!" -- (Elaine Bergstrom, Author of Shattered Glass and Nocturne)

"... [a] suspenseful story that mixes serial murder with werewolves ... Another small press title worth chasing down." -- (Don D'Ammassa, writing in Chronicle; Dec 2003)

"... snares the reader right from the first page .... first-rate entertainment will keep you reading deep into the moonlit night." -- (Tom Piccirilli, multiple Bram Stoker award winner and author of A Choir of Ill Children and The Night Class)

"... will grab you by the reading jugular and keep you clawing the pages until the story's exciting conclusion." -- (CNN.com Headline News Book Lizard review by James Argendeli)

"A top-notch lunar-challenged hero, a villain bent on painful revenge, a deliciously developed plot ... Bravo!" -- (Elaine Bergstrom, author of Shattered Glass and Nocturne)

"I was caught in the jaws of the trap and could not escape until I finished page last." -- (Robert W. Walker, author of the Instinct and Edge Series)

"Shall I say it was a 'howling' good read?" -- (P.D. Cacek, World Fantasy Award winner and author of CANYONS)

Wolf’s Trap pounces and I was caught in the jaws of the trap until I finished page last." -- Robert W. Walker, author of the highly acclaimed Instinct and Edge Series

From the Author

I've always been fascinated with evil and what makes humans embrace cruelty. Most of the themes in my earlier short stories have been dark in nature, and in plotting Wolf's Trap I wanted to continue exploring evil and monsters, both human and supernatural, as well as sexual obsession.

It's generally accepted that werewolf mythology, which escalated during the Dark Ages, has often been used to portray the concept of duality. Two personalities, two creatures, united inside one body. The beast within. We all have a dark side, and the werewolf was an easy icon to adopt.

I see Nick Lupo (the cop), and Martin Stewart (the serial killer), as two sides of the same coin. They both have sufficient reasons for the things they do, and they know when they do wrong, yet they do them anyway -- they are not fully in control, yet they determine their own destinies. It's a kind of duality I wanted to explore, but in the context of an adventure story. In fact, most characters in Wolf's Trap have dual natures, intentionally.

I've always appreciated the more visceral approach to storytelling and I've been influenced by authors whose work is often called "erotic horror" -- the fine line between pleasure and pain, ecstasy and agony, interests me. Authors who have influenced me include David Schow, Jack Ketchum, Dick Laymon, Joe Lansdale, and Ray Garton.

True horror can be the fact that your neighbor is Jeffrey Dahmer. We horror writers don't have to make up that much stuff anymore -- it's all out there. We need to reflect it. The randomness of horror. The disgruntled guy with the gun. The child-killer. The molesting priest. Government spying. All this exists -- we don't need the supernatural to provide us with horror. I like a supernatural streak, or the potential, but the supernatural is not essential. People are evil enough on their own!

Wolf's Trap is not for everyone. It's dark and disturbing, and not always sweetness and light. That's why we call it horror.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Yard Dog Press (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893687449
• ISBN-13: 978-1893687448
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,292,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

W.D. Gagliani is the author of the horror/crime thriller WOLF'S TRAP, a past Bram Stoker Award nominee, as well as WOLF'S GAMBIT and WOLF'S BLUFF (Leisure Books). WOLF'S EDGE was published in October 2011 by Samhain Publishing (ebook, but will be issued in trade paperback in January 2012), and WOLF'S TRAP will also be reissued by Samhain in March 2012. The novella WOLF'S DEAL will be available for Kindle and other formats in late 2011. Gagliani has published the hard-noir thriller SAVAGE NIGHTS, the collection SHADOWPLAYS, and the novella THE GREAT BELZONI AND THE GAIT OF ANUBIS, all available for the Kindle and other formats.

A collection of collaborations between David Benton and W.D. Gagliani, MYSTERIES & MAYHEM, is available for Kindle and all other formats. Five collaborative short stories are included, as well as one solo short story from each author, and several bonuses along with a guest short story.

Gagliani is also the author of various short stories published in anthologies such as ROBERT BLOCH'S PSYCHOS, MORE MONSTERS FROM MEMPHIS, WICKED KARNIVAL HALLOWEEN HORROR, THE BLACK SPIRAL, THE MIDNIGHTERS CLUB, THE ASYLUM 2, MASTERS OF UNREALITY, DARK PASSIONS: HOT BLOOD 13, MALPRACTICE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF BEDSIDE TERROR (the last three with David Benton), and more.

He has also written book reviews, articles, and interviews that have been published in places such as THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, CHIZINE, CEMETERY DANCE, HORRORWORLD, PAPERBACK PARADE, HELLNOTES, FLESH & BLOOD, BOOKPAGE, BOOKLOVERS, THE SCREAM FACTORY, HORROR MAGAZINE, SF CHRONICLE, BARE BONES, and others. Also published in the Writers Digest book ON WRITING HORROR (edited by Mort Castle) and in the Edgar Award-nominated THRILLERS: THE 100 MUST READS (edited by Morrell & Wagner), published by Oceanside for the International Thriller Writers. In October 2011, THE WRITER magazine published his article on writing werewolf epics.

His interests include old and new progressive rock, synthesizers, weapons, history (and alternate history, secret history, and steampunk), military history, movies, book reviewing, and plain old reading and writing. He is an Active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and the Authors Guild. He lives and writes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HOWLING GOOD READ, February 10, 2004

By 

Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wolf's Trap (Paperback)

Nick Lupo is a no holds barred cop; a renegade at times; definitely one to be reckoned with---he's also a werewolf! Gagliani's debut novel is right on target in this unique genre-crossing thriller.
Martin Stewart is a demented serial killer who is seeking revenge on Nick because as a werewolf he unknowingly killed his sister. Martin is also a victim and perpetrator of child abuse and loves his lipstick.
Add an elderly Indian shaman, three brilliantly scarlet rednecks, a lovely and gutsy doctor, and all kinds of mayhem and you get WOLF'S TRAP.
Gagliani uses music from those ephemeral 70s and 80s as his backdrop, even Alan Parsons Project! Being a child of those days, this touch was so nice.
A really good horror book; one of the best in recent years!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More like 3 1/2 stars, will appeal to some....., May 21, 2006

By 

Deborah Wiley (Winter Haven, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wolf's Trap (Mass Market Paperback)

Detective Nick Lupo is after a serial killer. Unfortunately, this killer knows Nick's secret- Nick is a werewolf.

Nick is drawn into serial killer Martin Stewart's twisted world after the murder of Nick's neighbor and friend, Corinne. Martin wants to avenge his sister, Caroline's death. Nick advertently killed Caroline many years ago while in werewolf form and has struggled with controlling the Creature inside him ever since. It will be paramount for Nick to learn control now in order to stop Martin's diabolical plans or Nick will lose everyone he cares about before Martin finally kills Nick. Nick and Martin are not the only players in this game, however, as both seek help from others in their struggle against one another.

WOLF'S TRAP offers an intriguing twist on the werewolf tale. The author cleverly develops the story by switching to each character's point of view. These shifts allow the reader to fully see the motivations behind each character's actions and add depth to the story.

W. D. Gagliani has written a dark tale that will not appeal to all readers. Martin and Caroline suffered horrible abuse as children and this abuse is described in detail. These details are necessary, however, to explain Martin's obsession with lipstick but will offend some readers. The scenes with Buck Benton, Wilbur Klug, and Kenny are perhaps a bit overdone and didn't seem necessary to the plot. In fact, this reviewer thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book and had a difficult time finishing the book once Buck, Klug, and Kenny were introduced.

Overall, WOLF'S TRAP is a well-written werewolf tale that will garner its share of fans. The author expertly uses flashbacks to provide Nick's history to the reader. Nick and Jessie are very likeable characters that this reviewer would enjoy seeing again- without the involvement of Buck, Klug, and Kenny!

Courtesy of CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars That last reader was obviously clueless about Horror!, November 1, 2004

By 

True Horror Fan (Midwestern woods) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wolf's Trap (Paperback)

I find that last review irritating! That reader must never read Horror or anything dark! Hello, this is a novel featuring a serial killer! He's a really bad guy. Really bad. He kills women, yeah, but he kills men, too. This isn't so far from the killers in books by James Patterson, Jeffrey Deaver, Robert Walker, and what about Edward Lee and Richard Laymon? It's not for the timid, but it's a solid read, and the gore goes with the territory. Yup, there's child abuse, too, in flashbacks, so be warned. I think that reader wanted some sort of mild fantasy, and this ain't it! Nick Lupo's a good guy (a cop) with some bad qualities and issues, and the killers are all bloodthirsty, sexist fiends, but the hero kinda turns out to be... a woman! There's a theme of redemption here, too, if you look for it. I think people should check into what a book is about before complaining that it's not what they wanted. If you don't like really nasty killers and scenes of brutality or sex, then read a kids' book. This one's a tough crime & horror hybrid that just isn't for everyone. I was going to give this first novel 4 stars, but now it seems even better to me and I'm giving it 5!