"Pulse of the Earth: a Tale from the Triumvirate Universe" by Christopher Andrews

 A new angle on the Triumvirate series -- 5 stars

When I searched for my next book to read, I was pleased to discover that one of my favorite authors, Christopher Andrews, has released another novel in his Triumvirate series, “Pulse of the Earth.” But instead of its having the tag line, “A Triumvirate Novel,” like those that preceded it, this one is officially subtitled, “a Tale from the Triumvirate Universe.” And I’m here to say, this is truth in advertising.

What makes “Pulse of the Earth” so different from the rest is that it does NOT feature the Triumvirate themselves. Alistaire, Sean, and Trey -- the trio who usually star in this series -- are present within the story, especially Trey. But this book explores other aspects of this increasingly super natural world, and our hero this time is an American-Egyptian journalist named Jason Samir.

Jason works for an organization called “Watchdogs of the Weird & Unusual” -- an online news site that focuses on unexplained phenomenon that gets ignored by the main stream media (and which just happens to be run by the Triumvirate’s Trey, though Jason is oblivious to Trey’s undead aspect). He is sent to a local airport to interview a cryptic anthropologist, and from this assignment, two things happen:

1) He meets an enigmatic, tall, fellow reporter named Regina.
2) He discovers that the anthropologist, and everyone else on her plane, were savagely killed by a large, black wolf, which escapes into the rainy night.

As Jason attempts to follow up on the black wolf, and to build additional “relations” with Regina, he finds himself experiencing far more than he bargained for. It would be difficult to share many details without shortly slipping into spoiler territory, but Andrews keeps the plot chugging along at a smooth, steady pace.

Jason’s experiencing bizarre dreams, clashing with an abusive neighbor, interacting with his cop friend/source, pondering over a mysterious steamer trunk, and struggling to make heads or tails of Regina’s place in that very mystery -- all those elements interweave into an unexpected, but satisfying, entry in the series.

“Pulse of the Earth” has, arguably, a little less action than previous entries (until the climax, which is one heck of a blow out!), but it is rock solid on mood and intrigue, keeping this reader turning the page wondering what Jason will learn next. Because each big reveal proves to be a stepping stone toward the next bigger reveal, which is yet another sign of Andrews’ continual maturing as a writer.

“Pulse of the Earth” is, yet again, worth the wait, and another 5 star effort from Christopher Andrews. It is captivating, and left me urgently awaiting the next entry, which promises to return its focus to the Triumvirate (though I hope we’ll be seeing Jason again, too!). Check it out, it’s more than worth your time.