Evasive Species by Bill Byrnes

​This book is one long chase scene – people chasing a Komodo dragon. And as such it’s surprisingly solid and well done, especially for a debut.
The plot is fairly straight forward. A Komodo dragon is minding its own business in the wilds of its native Indonesia when it gets kidnapped (dragonnapped?) and brought over to the swampy wilds of Florida. This is neither legal not well thought out, but greed is ugly and stupid, and now Florida has a hungry apex predator on the loose.
Call in the troops. Or at least, TJ Forte, US Fish and Wildlife officer, who normally specializes in python but is smart enough to adapt.
Now let the chase begin.
Komodos are very smart, unlike most Floridians. So it takes locals a very long time to figure out that what they are dealing with isn’t just a renegade gator or two.
There’s plenty of information about both species and more in the book. That was probably my favorite part: the author has obviously done loads of research and it shows in the way narrative comes to life in vivid detail. Both from people’s and Komodo’s perspective.
Good amount of animal and people abuse, killing, eating, etc. Nature’s brutal.
Overall, the book is dynamic, entertaining, and fun. This is one trip to Florida you’re going to want to take at an armchair remove. Watch out for the predators.