Empire of Wild

Joan has spent almost a year looking for her husband, Victor. He disappeared on the night of their first serious argument, and nothing since has explained where he went.

She belongs to a Métis family that has lived in the same close rural community for generations. The old ways have mostly gone unpracticed there, but Joan's situation now demands them. She goes to Ajean, an elderly, foul-mouthed card shark who is among the few people in the community still steeped in the traditions of her people. Ajean also knows about their ancient enemies.

Joan works with Ajean and with her twelve-year-old nephew Zeus, a peculiar boy with a devotion to Johnny Cash. Together they have to uncover what happened to Victor.

The book mixes a missing-person search with Indigenous tradition and an old threat, and the stakes are personal. Joan's life depends on finding the truth, and so do the lives of the people she loves. Ajean's rough humor and Zeus's oddness give the search some company along the way.