I tell you this story features talking animals and you think, “Ah. Like Disney’s Zootopia.” Nay, my innocent Chronicle-reading friend. This story’s not like Disney’s anything. Patrick Horvath’s short-run series is more akin to Dexter than most other anthropomorphic tales, as its lead – a brown bear named Samantha Strong – works by day in small-town Woodbrook’s hardware shop and by night sates her bloodlust on city slickers she buries, well. Beneath the trees where, you know. Nobody sees. Separation’s worked well for our antihero so far, but when a death happens on her turf, Strong needs to find who else is playing killer after dark. Austin Public Library offers both physical and digital copies for book club readers, so everyone can enjoy the fearsome furries. – James Scott
