In Velvet

Weissbourd (Inside Passage) weaves science and malevolence into the serene world of Yellowstone National Park with mixed results. Rachel Stanley, a bear biologist, has been noticing unseasonal behavior in her favorite grizzly. Far more alarming is the sudden appearance of horrific mutations in the park’s wildlife, from legless elk calves to wingless eaglets. Rachel joins forces with former boyfriend Rainey Jackson, a onetime private detective, and Jen Donahue, a visiting former Chicago cop, to determine the causes. Meanwhile, the people you’d normally count on—sheriff, park ranger, wilderness guide, federal agent—commit vile deeds that include decapitation and burning a home and acres of forest just for spite. Even worse are the secretive scientific experiments—supposedly being conducted by the Defense Department and designed to turn hot spring microbes into bombs—that recklessly endanger the entire ecosystem. Weissbourd keeps the story moving, but unfortunately with mounting reader incredulity. (May)