Rob McNabb is a rookie conservation officer tasked with bringing a vicious wildlife poacher to justice in the brutal environment of northern Ontario's Hudson and James Bay region, a job made more difficult by brutal winter conditions that make travel hazardous, as well as the murderous reputation of his quarry.

The primary target of Eagle Feather, the poacher, is the region's endangered polar bears. But no animal worthy of profit in his black market enterprise is safe from the poacher's weapons. He has already killed one man when Rob takes up the hunt, and his record soon reveals that it wasn't his first human victim. He's adopted a First Nation's name for his poaching. His real name is Gerald Morgan, and his multiple crimes trace back to his service in the Canadian military.

Because of the terrain in which they work and the treacherous weather that is so often a part of their day, Rob and his associates depend largely on bush planes, snowmobiles and, sometimes, snowshoes for travel. Early in the novel, the bush pilot who brings McNabb to a target location suffers a stroke. The conservation officer is forced to take control of the Otter DHC 3, a plane he's unfamiliar with, and fly the victim to medical help, saving the man's life. This life-saving mission introduces him to another bush pilot, Sam Williams, his soon-to-be girlfriend.

Bear Runners is a novel in which the twists and thrills come in quick succession. One of the most nail-biting moments comes when Eagle Feather shoots down Sam's plane as she spots one of his hidden campsites in the forest ... just as a blinding blizzard bears down on the area. Rob, who is in the area and hears her mayday transmission, races to the scene, not knowing if he'll find her living or dead.

Rob and his fellow conservation officers work with local police and other government agencies to track down the killer, without the territorial bickering that is so often a part of mystery/thriller novels. It is this cooperative attitude that finally brings results in Bear Runners, and it does nothing to diminish Rob's role in the story.

The author, David Ferguson, is a retired conservation officer, and it is his experience in the field that lends to the authenticity of the story. This is the first of a series, and I hope to read more of the adventures of Rob and Sam.