Raptor — Judith Van Gieson

SAVAGERY FROM THE SKY. MURDER ON THE GROUND.

A steady law practice, a stash of tequila, a lover she calls the Kid--only a debt of the heart to her dear, dead aunt Joan compelled the woman named Neil Hamel to leave the stucco comforts of Albuquerque for stark, mountainous Montana, in search of a bird. No ordinary winged creature, the Arctic falcon is a near-mythic figure, a cool killer who likes the meat around the heart.

Joining an expedition in pursuit of this elusive species, Neil witnesses a sight even more awesome--a bloody body plunging off the top of a high cliff. She's soon swept into a murderous case that brings together militant environmentalists and high-stakes poachers, Federal investigators and even an Arabian prince. Neil is suddenly the target of human predators not necessarily larger or faster, but more willing to kill, in a wilderness with no shelter--and little chance for survival.