The main character has a rehabilitated wolf that he is caring for. It is hurt and lost due to the events of the story, including being shot at, but does not die. They are reunited at the end of the novel.
The events of the story begin when the main character starts to investigate an old death - this person was a gay man, and homophobic slurs are used to refer to him a few times in the novel.
The dead character but also one of the suspect characters who was said to have had a relationship with the dead gay man, however he denies it throughout the novel.
PTSD is mentioned, and there is discussion of whether or not the main character has it at the end. (His conclusion is no, but that can be left up to reader interpretation.)