Theft

A Novel

“Ambitious and distinctive . . . taking us into the lives of two endangered species, Mexican wolves and a Southwest underclass family, equally hunted by fate” (Ivan Doig, bestselling author).

Willa Robbins is a master tracker working to reintroduce the Mexican wolf, North America’s most endangered mammal, to the American Southwest. But when Colorado police recruit her to find her own brother, Zeb, a confessed murderer, she knows skill alone will not sustain her. Willa is thrown back into the past, surfacing memories of a childhood full of intense love, desperate mistakes, and gentle remorse. Trekking through exquisite New Mexico and Colorado landscapes, with Zeb two steps ahead and the police two steps behind, Willa must wrangle her desire to reunite with her brother and her own guilt about their violent past.

In this remarkable debut, Loren’s lyrical prose gives voice to the wildlife and land surrounding these beautifully flawed characters, breathing life into the southwestern terrain. Within this treacherous and mesmerizing landscape, Theft illustrates the struggle to piece together the fragile traces of what has been left behind, allowing for new choices to take shape. This is a story about family, about loss, and about a search for answers.

“Theft is the best book I’ve read in as long as I can remember.” —Catherine Ryan Hyde, New York Times bestselling author

“Loss and love coexist in Loren’s lyrical words.” —Medium

“A literary narrative encompassing the bonds of family, the echo of tragedy, as well as love and acceptance, played out against a fragile yet enduring natural world.” —Kirkus Reviews