If you’ve not read the first two books in The Magdeburg Trilogy, beware! This review contains spoilers. Go read the first two!

I think trilogies work so well because dramas have been presented in a three-act form for centuries. Act one: Set up the scene and the characters and give the leading actors a confrontation or situation to deal with. Act two: The protagonists find themselves up to their eyeballs in trouble, the antagonists look strong, and the action rises. Act three: everything crashes down in a wave of tension, action, and resolution. The Night is Found, book three of this trilogy, is a satisfying end to Connor Lewis’ story.

Charged by Roul Aquilla’s dying words to “Lead the Packs,” Connor wants to find a way to unify the packs of Europe against the murderous Luparii and the Hounds of God. He returns to New York to meet with pack leaders there, both to warn them of the threat against the werewolf species, and to find out how they unified their people.

Connor knows he’s out of his league. With Amara’s backup, he carefully manages his leadership role in the uncertain territory of his own home city. The American wolf pack leaders play their cards close, and their loyalties are completely unknown. One of the leaders is pushing a legal contract between their two lucrative international businesses. Another pack leader is trying to broker an entirely different kind of partnership with Connor directly. The New York pack seems unconcerned about the threat of the Luparii, and he wonders, quite reasonably, whose side they’re on. If there’s anything he’s learned so far, it’s not to trust anyone until their intentions are clear.

As in book two, Madison is seen in brief chapters from her point of view. Arden is still in Europe, working hard to notify all of the far-flung packs about the threats to their people. The Hounds of God are amassing an army, ready to bring the born wolves fully under their control and rule. Breber is out for revenge.

“It is the dawn of a new era,” he continues. “Those who will not follow the rule of law must be eliminated for the greater good. Heaven’s Hand begins its march today to protect humankind from the evils of the beast.”

And Bouget? Oh, don’t forget about him. With the three factions officially at each others’ throats after the trial, he wouldn’t miss the chance to further his own goals.

Kruger brings this trilogy to a close through well-timed tension and tactics almost as militaristic as her characters’. It should surprise no one that loyalties shift and blur. Actions that may seem out-of-character at first glance make sense as the situation unfolds.
One of the themes of the trilogy is Connor’s coming-of-age, rising from a clumsy nerd teenager to a young man taking up a mantle of leadership and responsibility. As Madison says, “When did you become such a badass?” I appreciated that Connor’s emotional journey wasn’t a solo trek. He learns that other people have experience and information to share, from battle tactics to leadership skills to knowing the right time to make an exit. Without the mentors who helped him, he’d still be a confused, snarling “whelp” with no control over his form or his emotions. These people aren’t parents or classic authority figures like teachers, they are his friends, allies, and even his enemies.

I’ll toss in an aside that Madison still has some serious growing up to do. I am disappointed that she wound up in a damsel-in-distress scenario after she proved her mettle in The Night Has Claws. I’m holding out hope that Ms. Kruger will return to this world for a second trilogy, and let us see what becomes of Madison, Josh, the American packs, (particularly the Wilds) and Connor’s own pack.

All in all, The Magdeburg Trilogy is a satisfying series, appropriate for young adult and older readers. I’d call this a supernatural thriller with memorable characters, international intrigue, and a plausible historical background and setting. There’s a bit of perfectly age-appropriate romance that doesn’t feel at all forced. I look forward to more work from Kat Kruger. ( )