Stefanie Gilmour’s fourth novel, Track the Wolf, moves the Alex Steward series in a different direction. Whereas the first three books centered on the supernatural and human conflicts in the fictional town of Hopewell, Michigan, Track the Wolf broadens the world and changes the theme. The first three in this series form a loose trilogy. This novel either starts a different trilogy or stands on its own.
In this world, werewolves are people who can mostly control their shifting and may partially shift. Alex is a werewolf, and she lives with other supernatural beings such as magicians and vampires. In this fourth novel, Alex and her DJ boyfriend, Ben, are returning from a tour and visit out east and have arrived in Detroit. Alex has found her grandfather’s box with photographs, newspaper clippings, and a key, and its contents intrigues her. Her grandfather was a werewolf, and Alex inherited his abilities. Her grandfather was kind to her and loyal to her grandmother, yet in these pictures and newspaper clippings, her grandfather seems to have led a secret life. The newspapers hint that something brutal had wandered the Michigan countryside, slaughtering livestock. Did her grandfather leave his family and let his more savage side out? And who is this woman with her grandfather in the pictures, taken at a time when he was married to Alex’s grandmother?
Alex sets out to resolve these questions. Unfortunately for her, another werewolf attacks her in Detroit. With her acute sense of smell, Alex can tell this werewolf’s scent isn’t healthy. It tracks her as she leaves the city and ambushes her a second time. Alex must deal with this intruder while working her way across the state, unraveling her grandfather’s mysteries.
As mentioned above, this book is a fresh start for the series, whether a standalone or a tie-in to larger adventures. My largest critique of book three, though enjoyable, was it revisited themes explored in books two and three. This plot is more personal to Alex, and I enjoyed the new direction. With fewer characters and less political machinations, we get a more intimate portrait of who Alex is and what she fears, allowing her a different arc than in the prior books.
In each book, Gilmour expands her supernatural world in some way. For example, in book two, she introduced her version of a vampire. While these creatures mostly resemble the legends we know, they do have creative quirks. Gilmour has a gift when it comes to meeting a new “species” in Alex’s world, and she doesn’t disappoint here. I enjoyed all the new types, but the scene in the antique shop was a standout.
It may take a reader a bit to re-learn Alex’s world in the beginning, especially if you haven’t read the last book in a while, but this is another strength of the novel. Most of the characters from the prior novels aren’t here, and though Alex pines for them once too many times, their absence gives this fourth a lot of breathing room.
Track the Wolf is an enjoyable werewolf story that explores the deeper themes of hereditary and identity, and ultimately, if we choose our fate or succumb to it. Using a werewolf as a technique to discuss these timely topics is refreshingly clever. Hunt down your copy of Track the Wolf for your next supernatural fix.