That Thing at the Zoo by James R. Tuck

From Goodreads: Shredding monsters is his stock and trade. He sniffs them out, tracks them down, and corners them. End of story. But when the tables are turned, expect the unexpected. Knowing his enemy is a rule Deacon Chalk swears by. But he's never seen anything like whatever is leaving the Atlanta Zoo's most dangerous predators bloodless, skinned, and hanging high in the treetops. And he's only got until sunrise to keep it from turning the entire city into a slaughterhouse. Now Deacon is in zoo lockdown with a handful of staffers to save. His zookeeper backup has more guts than monster-hunting experience. And the only chance Deacon has to run this thing to holy ground is to unleash his darkest, most uncontrollable instincts.

That Thing at the Zoo is a prequel novella in the Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter Series. I picked it up as a freebie, right now it is at its regular price of $0.99 on Amazon.

I liked this a lot. Deacon is a bad-ass with heart, the traumatized hero that I find so attractive in fiction. This was a self-contained story that is a great introduction to the series, and in fact made me more interested than I already was.  It's gritty and action packed and dark, but has that bit of humor that also draws me.

I would recommend this a great read-a-thon quickie with substance that will let you know if this series is for you.  I'm pretty sure it's for me!

James R. Tuck's Website