The magnificent landscapes of Montana; an animal in trouble; an equally troubled teenager; a blossoming, but tentative, romance. Those were the ingredients which worked so well for Nicholas Evans in his bestselling debut, The Horse Whisperer, and nobody can blame him for reworking them into another smash-hit in The Loop. Two things lift Evans above bestseller bottom: his research into, and obvious empathy with, the animals he writes about (in this case wolves, and he has the grace to credit Barry Lopez for the influence of his seminal book, Of Wolves and Men); and his armoury of strong women, who do their best to upend the plot and sabotage the stereotypes. An easy read with a heart of gold? You got it.
