About the Book
Book: The Search for the Shadow Cat
Author: Kurt Mahler
Genre: Magical Realism Fantasy
Release Date: October 20, 2025
Venture into a lush, mystically supercharged natural world where the fate of an entire animal kingdom hangs in the balance in The Search for the Shadow Cat, the captivating third installment of the Jaguar Oracle series.
After a long absence from the Rio Grande Valley, the majestic jaguar named Oracle returns for a perilous quest to restore the three feline tribes—bobcat, ocelot, and long-lost jaguarundi: the “shadow cat.”
With Patch the raccoon, Plod the horse, Bog the toad, and the child named Miracle, Oracle navigates a richly-drawn landscape, pressing through pain and perplexity to rediscover ancient wisdom that will awaken creation, from a jabber of green jays to secretive turtles to trees holding on to treasured knowledge. Along the way, Oracle finds an unexpected ally in a conflicted young entrepreneur, while a hermit holds the key to unlocking the jaguar’s destiny.
Blending magical realism, mythology, and environmental advocacy, this pulse-pounding adventure will captivate readers with its tale of courage, honor, and the power of reclaiming our forgotten roots.
Book Excerpt
The wind twisted into a blast of cold, hitting Gem from below and throwing her into a sumac bush. Shaking her head to recover clear thought, she jumped into the air again.
“This wind is not from the gulf!”
“Indeed, it is not,” rasped the wind, “for then it would obey the laws of nature. But I am not of this nature. I am its pariah! Stop, you senseless messenger! Stop your flying and your calling. Stop spreading vain hope to the birds and the beasts. I have already removed from flight the feathered friends you made at the manplace of the Komodos. All have lost heart. All have dropped their wings. All have fallen silent, the brown as well as the green. The one tribe has returned to hunkering and the other to anxious noise. But you remain, oh foolish and impetuous one, for you were the most deeply deceived. You were taken in by beauty, but I will take you out by fear! Stop now!”
In the empty space between Gem and a shrub of sweet acacia, the void seemed to become a vertical puddle of dark water. The rippling pool congealed.
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About the Author
Kurt helps those who built someone else’s dream finally build their own.
As a speaker, advisor, and award-winning poet, he draws from twenty years of lived experience in forty nations.
He is a sought-after voice on five continents, advising expats in places as challenging as Cuba, Persia, and North Korea. He has published multiple books , hundreds of articles, and well-respected poetry.
Kurt and his wife Karen have been married since 1993 and raised their family in Afghanistan, where they founded a community development agency. They are Americans living in the Emirates with ties to the Gulf Coast, the Rio Grande Valley, Central Texas, Louisiana, and New England.
He writes in the poetic tradition, inspired by the wonder of creation, the mysteries of the Ancient Faith, and the drama of the nations. Guiding sources for his work include the Hebrew prophets, the Desert Fathers, Dante, Milton, George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien.