Then he looked up toward the bright sun. A thin, long cloud moved slowly across the sky. He looked back at the shadow, smiled at his imagination, flicked the stub of his cigarette out toward the water, and turned and started back up the steps.
Behind him, the long shadow abruptly changed direction.
A moment later, gaining speed, it moved rapidly in the direction of a Russian freighter on its way out of Gulfport with a load of frozen Mississippi chickens.
* * *
Six months after that, people began swimming in the Gulf again.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles by Charles Wilson
DIRECT DESCENDANT
FERTILE GROUND
EXTINCT
PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF CHARLES WILSON
FERTILE GROUND
“Provides fast-paced suspense.”
—The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee
“If you enjoy a good whodunit, you’ll like the latest scientific thriller by Charles Wilson.”
—Northeast Mississippi Journal
“Wilson has written another medical thriller to keep readers of that genre engrossed.”
—Brazosport Facts
DIRECT DESCENDANT
“Move over, Jurassic Park … A terrific read, one done better with your door locked.”
—Clarion Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi
“A story as technically correct as Tom Clancy, as terrifying as Stephen King … A surefire bestseller.”
—Johnny Quarles, author of Fool’s Gold
“Lean, tight, and compelling.”
NIGHTWATCHER
“Splendid … A lean, tight, compelling story that was over much too fast. I wanted more.”
—John Grisham
“Wilson throws one curve after another while keeping up the suspense like an old pro; the whole book rushes over you like a jolt of adrenaline.”
—Kirkus Reviews
WHEN FIRST WE DECEIVE
“Steadily accelerating suspense…”
—Publishers Weekly
“Tightly plotted suspense that is also a subtle examination of the role trust plays in relationships, both personal and professional.”
—Chicago Tribune
EXTINCT
Copyright © 1997 by Charles Wilson.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
ISBN: 0-312-96212-6
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition/May 1997
eISBN 9781466828322
First eBook edition: September 2012