In Velvet: A Novel

By Burt Weissbourd

The northwest corner of Yellowstone Park is closed for bear management, and Rachel, a bear biologist, is discovering some very startling animal behaviorgrizzlies denning in June, swans at their wintering grounds in summer, what appear to be Irish Elk, an extinct species, with huge palmated antlers. There are also horrific mutations in the youngelk calves with no front legs, earless bear cubs, and eaglets without wings. What has gone wrong? Why is this area closed? Who’s covering up these animal abnormalities in the Park?

A non-stop thriller set in some of North America’s wildest country, In Velvet takes you deep into the hearts of a hard case local detective and a Chicago cop as they take on a corrupt sheriff, a pathalogical poacher, and a lethal black ops manager to solve this ghastly mystery and restore the natural order in Yellowstone National Park.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rare Bird Books, A Vireo Book
• Release date: May 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781940207520

Burt Weissbourd

From 1977 until 1986, Burt Weissbourd developed screenplays working with screenwriters including Frederic Raphael (Two for the Road), Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People), Andy Lewis (Klute), Stewart Stern (Rebel Without a Cause), and many others. During this time he produced films such as Ghost Story, based on the novel by Peter Straub and starring Fred Astaire, and Raggedy Man, starring Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard. Weissbourd lives in Long Island, New York, with his wife, Dorothy. He has three adult children and two grandsons. 

Reviews for In Velvet

[catya77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good vs evil. Nature vs exploitation. Who will win?This vivid, multi-layered, multiple mystery narrative continuously weaves and winds throughout with lots of action, science and a hint of romance. To a point, a suspension of disbelief does assist with parts, but the story is easy to read and flows well.Characters are authentic, caring, and intriguing.Overall, a thrilling read.

[celticlady53 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Velvet is a story about events happening in Yellowstone Park, Rachel is a bear biologist who is seeing horrific changes in the animals in a part of the park. Mutations such as bear cubs with no ears, elk having huge antlers and they are getting the velvet on them in the wrong season and a bear, Woolly Bugger, that she has been tracking for 13 years, is digging a den for hibernation in the wrong season. There is research being done on thermophiles in the hotsprings that may be contributing to the strange animal behaviors.What can be happening? Rachel is determined to find out what is going wrong. With the help of Rainy, a friend and previous lover, she goes up against a corrupt sheriff, a dangerously demented poacher and other government officials.This is a fast paced, character driven novel that could actually happen, greed and corruption abounds amongst some of the characters. Rachel comes across as a tough woman but she is also very vulnerable, Rainey is a man who has seen his share of troubles but the two of them make for a dynamic couple. There is a lot of scientific jargon but that does not detract from the story. A great thriller for the person who enjoys a story who's characters are tough and gritty, no sugar coated people in this book! I enjoyed it immensely.

[mikedraper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This lovely novel is set in Yellowstone National Park.Rachel Stanley is a bear biologist who finds a body of a man who had been conducting experiments in the park. The body looked like the man was killed and partially eaten by a bear. There are also other disturbing things such as animals being born with deformities.Rainey is a former PI who meets Jen Donahue when Rainey was fishing in the park. Jen is a Chicago cop on leave. She's being harassed by her husband and there is a battle for child custody.There are a number of courageous characters and a large number of people out to get whatever they can. There is an evil sheriff who wants to go into business selling illegal elk horns to a Chinese businessman. There is also a crazed poacher and a black-ops agent doing experiments.It's a battle of good vs. evil and the characters are tremendous. Don't miss this wonderful book.I enjoyed the story, the courage of the characters and the setting.I was sad to see the story end.I received this book in return for my honest review.

[queenalyss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*I have received this book in exchange for an honest review*Burt Weissbort creates a unique mystery novel as the reader journeys through Yellowstone Park in search of answers. Animals have begun to look and act strangely . But so do just about every character in this novel as events come to a head. The story is fast paced and slow, unorganized then laser focused. It is able to create this dynamic through its standalone characters that all get thrown into the boiling pot.PlotThe daily happenings of Yellowstone National Park are in danger as the elk begin to grow adult sized antler too early and bears develop birth defects. But, this is no average story about seasonal hormonal changes. No - something unspeakable is happening. Actually, several awful things are happening in the forest and to the people in the town. Now Rachel and Rainey have been thrown right into the mix.I really cannot give away much more. After about the halfway point, the story picks up the real events at the park. A lot of back stories and motives are covered in the ending. I am fine with this but perhaps it would have been a good opportunity to expand the book past almost 300 pages... But, I can see where some may find that too much was happening… that the story was no longer logical or realistic. LandscapingYellowstone Park is the amazing backdrop to the story. At every turn, the reader is mesmerized by the park, the animals, or the other beautiful scenery of Montana. We get to see grizzlies, elk, eagles, cliff faces, raging fires, and even geysers. A few pictures exist within the story as well - considering the beautiful scenery, it actually would have been nice to see more photography. Being an outdoorsy type, I loved that all of this action was set in a national forest, which has its own protocols and goals separate from the county. It brings an additional dynamic to the story. CharacterizationThe excellent characterization brings this novel to life. As I mentioned, each character has his or her own story and motivations. Weissbort takes us into their heads without bogging us down in too many details. I found that some of the characters' purposes were not clear until the end, which was a nice surprise. I don't want to get into each character as describing them and their development might give away the ending. Another great trick of the author's characterization is that it's hard to tell who the bad guys are, just as in real life. You think you know the enemy until the ugly truth is pushed into your face.The "Ehhh...." MomentsThe romance. I generally do not prefer romance in most of my novels. While I will admit that this was done in good taste, I found it to be a little unnecessary. The initial background development it provides for Rainey and Rachel was good but the following events generally did not build the story or characters. We can easily see, without the happen-upons of coitus and bitchy back-and-forth, that Rainey is motivated by Jen and that Rachel has understandably fallen in love with Rainey again. This next moment is not a personal issue of mine but it could be for others: violence. Some violence and gory details are contained within this story. It isn't much but fair warning if your stomach turns too easily.ConclusionI read a review which stated that this book is intriguing, but incredulous. Understandably, this reviewer has a point because the real events start looking like an episode of 24. However, I disagree. The ending may feel rushed and maybe impossible, but the point of view determines the pace. We are seeing everything through the characters' eyes - and they do feel rushed. Their lives and the things/ people they care about are in danger. So why would they not feel as if their worlds were tumbling after them? Weissbort did a fantastic job defining his characters, plot, and landscape. I was completely submerged in this story and would recommend it to anyone.

[nancyluebke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this interesting story about what happens when someone messes with the environment of Yellowstone Park. I received this book for free and I voluntarily chose to review this. I've given it a 4.5* rating. This is not for the under 18 readers. There is a lot of violence in this from people we should be able to trust. There was many twists and turns in this apparent tell it all from people within the Park System. It's a scary thought if this could happen in today's timing. Published in 2014, it gives me the chills just thinking if something like this would happen. Not a good book to read right before bed. It will make you think about our world around us.

[undermyappletree · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bear biologist Rachel teams up with former private detective and ex-boyfriend Rainey along with Jen, a former Chicago cop and visitor to Yellowstone for complicated reasons of her own. The three are thrown into a complex plot involving secret government research, an out-of-control black ops manager, local politics, a corrupt sheriff and forest ranger, and a crazy poacher – plus a murder or two along the way. Meanwhile more and more strange behavior is occurring among the wildlife in Yellowstone.There is a large cast of quirky characters, each with their own agenda. The story rapidly shifts between multiple points of view. While initially making it a little challenging to follow, this added a layer of complexity and provided insight into the minds and motivation each character.I especially liked having strong, no-nonsense female characters with bold personalities. The fictional, secret scientific research in Yellowstone’s hot springs was, at times, believable and at others like the actions of a rogue scientist rather than a calculated, if not incredulous, government plot. Set in 1995, before cell phones and instant communication and rescue, there is a heightened sense of danger and suspense in the remote areas of the wilderness.Set in the vivid northwest landscape within the beauty of Yellowstone Park, In Velvet combines nature and science into a suspenseful thriller with non-stop action, an engaging mystery, and a hint of romance.