A detective on the brink of retirement faces a series of cadavers that appear to have been bitten to death in Something of a Calling, a terrifying novel by Zoje Stage (Wonderland; Baby Teeth).
Two weeks before retirement, Detective Andy Cooper is kayaking when she spots a corpse in the lake with a lasso around his neck and his legs gnawed as if by piranha. Disillusioned with trying to serve justice in a broken world, Andy tells herself this won't be her case, but she can't let go of the puzzle. Then more bodies appear, accompanied by rumors of sudden bizarre changes in animal behavior. Meanwhile, Andy meets and invites Fiona, a free spirit embracing van life, into her home in part to protect her from lurking dangers and nosy neighbors, but mostly for the promise of a new friendship. Andy's life has been lonely since the death of her daughter and her divorce from her husband. However, hints that Fiona may have something to do with the murders won't stop nagging at Andy. But how could these hints fit with the evidence that animals seem to have caused the deaths?
Stage integrates elements of horror, eco-thriller, and police procedural to create a brief but taut vision of nature's revenge. Andy's frustration with the system's failures to protect the vulnerable or punish the rich and powerful is palpable, as is the bond between two women who are outsiders in different ways. When Something of a Calling's climactic revelation comes, it is at once shocking and inevitable. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library