Judging by the covers of her novels, it's a successful recipe. Each of her books is dominated by the author's name in large clear print, with the title in small print beneath. Obviously, her loyal readers look for her name first, knowing they will get a well researched, readable book and perhaps learn something new at the same time.
The themes for her latest book range widely to cover not only family relationships, but the big one of when to terminate life support - and, in an extraordinary mix, the workings of a wolf pack.
The human lone wolf of the title is Luke Warren, a passionate admirer of all wildlife, but especially of wolves.
This obsession has led to his living as part of a wolf pack in the wilds of Canada for two years; which might have done a lot to expand human knowledge of wolf behaviour, but did little for his marriage or family life.
His son, Edward, departed for Thailand after a bitter dispute and his wife divorced him and remarried.
Only Cara, his 14-year-old daughter, opted to live with her father and share his knowledge of wolves.
When father and daughter are badly injured in a car crash, Edward returns home to support his mother and finds his father in a vegetative state in hospital and his sister fighting for the right to keep him alive.
Picoult knows how to keep her readers wanting to read on. The end of each break in the story tantalises with short phrases or small mysteries to be solved later.The book's format follows what seems to be the increasingly popular technique of separate sections being told by each of the main characters, so that individual perspectives are more easily covered.
Most of the information on wolf life is told by Luke, and a change of font to italics emphasises the importance of these co-joined stories.
I found what emerged from the accounts of wolf behaviours interesting, [although I remained sceptical about some of the conclusions], but the motivations of someone who would choose to live as a wolf difficult to comprehend.
Apparently, however, the character of Luke was modelled on an Englishman who has done just that. The major human interest themes revolving around the conflicting views of those who wanted to remove the life support systems from Luke, [thus enabling his organs to be used for others] and those of Cara, who wanted to preserve her father's life at all costs, were well maintained. Picoult's tricks of teasing her readers with hints of what's to come worked to keep my reading interest until the book's resolution, although I thought it a pity that the author found it necessary to include a rather fantastical and contrived epilogue.
• Pat Thwaites is a retired schoolteacher.
