Descriptions of the Canadian Wilderness are wonderful. Lots of Characters. Sort of "Film Noir"

Wonderful writing style. Loved it.

What an mesmerizing murder mystery!

A murder mystery set is the 1800's. The story wraps up in the end, and you will want to know how it ends. I thought the story was a little slow, I finished the book just to end the story.

Loved the style and story, but hated the ending. Felt like the author was tired of writing and ended the story abruptly, with key elements (and characters) tossed off and disregarded!

Lots of characters to keep track of, lots of subplots that really don't resolve very well, but a gripping read nonetheless.

The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penny is a mystery that is very different from your usual mystery. That's why I read it.

The story takes place in Canada around the time of the U.S. Civil War, maybe a little before then. People from various parts of Europe have come there to brave the elements and live in a settlement together, all speaking English but with lots of different accents. A French trapper has been murdered, and the obvious suspect is a 17-year-old who has fled the settlement.

Most of the book involves the boy's mother, a halfbreed Indian, and an employee of the Hudson Bay Company hiking across Canada in a search for the boy.

The mystery is, at first, who killed the French trapper. It turns out to be more than that, though.

Yes, this is quite different from your usual mystery. But, frankly, most of it bored me. It was so darned slow! There isn't anything thrilling about it.

I wouldn't have read the whole book but for two factors: 1) it wasn't a long book and 2) the book was a gift.

I also felt like this book was beneath my reading level. That is, it seemed to be a book I might have liked when I was in the eighth grade.

It's possible, though, other readers will disagree.

We liked it well enough. There were just too many characters and it just plodded along.

Wonderful multi-layered story set in 1860s Canada. A trapper has been murdered in a tiny settlement and we are taken on an exciting journey searching for the killer. The environment is brutally harsh, yet we feel the beauty and lure of the country. I found the descriptions of the landscape especially vivid and breathtaking. Loved the character of Mrs. Ross. It took me a while but I finally figured out her first name.

Great read. I especially enjoyed the vivid descriptions.