Well written and fast paced, as a fan of The X-Files, I really enjoyed this. I have some minor issues regarding character development, but it was a fun read nonetheless. Would have liked the book to delve more into cryptozoology - which is what attracted me to the story in the first place - but I’ll make sure to check out the new installments in the Sam Brodie series. ( )

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my thoughts in any way.

When Wyoming game warden Sam Brodie discovers a saber tooth tiger in the wild, she is drawn into a shadow world where extinct predators are resurrected for sport. I really enjoyed this book. The plot moved quickly and I liked the characters. While the "science" requires you to suspend disbelief, that didn't bother me. I hope this is the start of a new series because I would enjoy spending more time in this world. ( )

The Lazarus Key by Rachel Aukes is about Wyoming game warden Sam Brodie. She sets out to investigate a Sabre-toothed tiger sighting. But she finds more than just the extinct animal, Sam crosses paths with hunters and discovers that scientists are cloning extinct predators for a hunting experience for the wealthy.
I liked the main character Sam, she was pragmatic, empathetic and tough. It was such an interesting premise. Bringing back and cloning predators from the past for hunting purposes. Done right this could have even been a series of books based on that premise.
My complaint about this book was that the scientific aspects felt glossed over. It's what I enjoy reading about in sci-fi based books like these. I also thought less time spent in the "bad guy's" heads would have made the book more realistic, they felt a little under-developed.
Overall, an enjoyable read. ( )

The Lazarus Key is like the X Files, but with Fish and Wildlife game wardens instead of FBI agents, and a plot revolving around extinct animals being brought back to life through cloning. I liked Sam/Scully right away. (Barnes/Mulder not so much.) Unfortunately, the science of the revived species was glossed over and seemed a little too convenient or dubious at times (how could any fish, novel species or not, that’s a scavenger and not a top-of-the-food-chain predator, have no natural predators in the ocean?), but the plot was suspenseful and kept me turning pages.

The switch back and forth from Sam’s first-person chapters to third person was jarring. The chapters from the bad guys’ points of view would have been better in third person objective rather than from inside their heads. The bad guys are cartoon villains, and a little more distance might have kept them more realistic. The text could have used some better copy editing, which also interferes with a seamless reading experience. Odd word choices and grammatical errors are distracting: “How big bugs do you have here in Montana?” “No different than…”

I was also disturbed by how some of the plot threads were, or weren’t, resolved at the end. But still, it was a fun read with a clever premise. ( )

It took me a few chapters before I started to get into the book but once I did, I couldn't put it down. The book takes place in the present with the game warden and in the past with the story of how the saber tooth tiger came to be. Chapters switch between present day Sam and the past with the scientist. It takes some getting used, to but overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is OK with a little science fiction. ( )