Big Breath In

by John Straley

A retired marine biologist turned amateur sleuth has an ax to grind—and a child to save—in this new standalone mystery from the author of the acclaimed Cecil Younger series.

Diagnosed with terminal cancer, retired marine biologist Delphine is on the brink of throwing in the towel. She has outlived her PI husband and worries she’s become a burden to her son and his growing family. One night, while contemplating how to go on, Delphine witnesses a violent argument between a man and his girlfriend. When Delphine discovers the woman has gone missing along with her young child, Delphine embarks on a quest to find them.

What begins as a chance encounter balloons into a rescue mission across the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, Delphine encounters the dregs of humanity—grappling with schemers, kidnappers, and murderers—as well as its joys. With the help of a few friends, a retired PI, and a queer biker gang, Delphine is determined to see her mission through . . . knowing full well it may be her last.

While Big Breath In stands alone, longtime Straley fans will recognize the characteristic wit, heart, and contemplation of life that threads through every one of his books—and discover a new heroine to fall in love with.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Novels, Young Adult, Thriller, Crime

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2024

About the author

Novelist John Straley has worked as a secretary, horseshoer, wilderness guide, trail crew foreman, millworker, machinist and private investigator. He moved to Sitka, Alaska in 1977 and has no plans of leaving. John's wife, Jan Straley, is a marine biologist well-known for her extensive studies of humpback whales.

Reviews

[Keiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Big Breath In, retired marine biologist Delphine faces a terminal cancer diagnosis and contemplates her future. After witnessing a woman and child being mistreated by a man, she later finds out that the woman has gone missing. Determined to help, Delphine embarks on a rescue mission through the Pacific Northwest, uncovering a dark web of criminals. Alongside an eccentric cast of friends—including a retired PI and a queer biker gang—Delphine races against time to save the woman and her child, all while making peace with the life she’s leaving behind.

Overall, I found the book engaging and gave it a solid 3.7 out of 5 stars. Delphine is a compelling protagonist, and her journey is both heartfelt and adventurous, but there were a few elements that I found distracting. It's minor but Delphine's son being a Dodgers fan, despite living in Monterey, CA, struck me as odd. Given the intensity of the Giants/Dodgers rivalry in Northern California, a brief explanation for his fandom would have been appreciated. Without it, this detail feels like a minor oversight in understanding California culture.

Additionally, the numerous references to whales were a bit of a mixed bag for me. While they showcase Delphine’s deep connection to marine life, they sometimes felt unnecessary and detracted from the story’s main plot. I’m still undecided on how they affected the pacing—on one hand, they’re symbolic, but on the other, they break up the narrative flow. I was busy trying to envision whales in a vast ocean while simultaneously trying to figure out how Delphine was going to come out of her struggles on the winning end.

Finally, Delphine’s mission occasionally felt too convenient, with things falling into place a little too easily. While it made for an enjoyable, fast-paced read, some additional tension or obstacles would have deepened the realism of her journey.

Despite these minor critiques, Big Breath In is an entertaining, heartwarming tale about a woman’s final adventure and her determination to make a difference in the world before she’s gone.
Straley’s wit and heart shine through, even if certain elements could have used more nuance.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very memorable protagonist is the best thing about this P.I./crime book, but it’s amply studded with other pleasures and felicities.

Delphine, a marine biologist, has spent her life observing and recording data on the mysterious sperm whale, and she thought she’d spend some years post-retirement compiling and collating the data to write it all up—her life’s work and legacy. But a one-two punch completely derails her plans. Her beloved P.I. husband has just died and she’s just received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Well, shee-yit. She’d occasionally assisted her husband with his P.I. work in the past, so when a colleague reaches out and asks her to take on a missing baby case, her first instinct is to refuse—she has such a short time left, she needs to spend it on her work. But she’s drawn in anyway when she encounters an abused young woman who needs help getting herself and her baby boy away from her repulsive, skeevy boyfriend. And the game is afoot! A beautiful sense of place—the Pacific Northwest—permeates the book as Delphine heads out on her motorcycle, collecting a crew of weird and wonderful folks along the way.

As I read, I sometimes thought to myself, what an unlikely career combination—P.I. and marine biologist—but happily read on. Well, the author tells us in an afterword that Delphine is inspired by his remarkable wife, a P.I. and marine biologist! Ya gotta love it.

[Marilyn Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a reader of John Straley's fiction for a long while now. In this book, there is a perspective of maturity that tells me Straley has really been paying attention to the trajectory of his life and using the changes that come with age in his writing. This is a story quite different than the ones he told in the Cecil Younger series. This one is a very slowed down and personal mission of the protagonist, Delphine, a marine biologist who is dying of cancer, to free babies who have been kidnapped and are being sold on the black market to white supremacists. Her study of large marine animal behavior is always in her mind as she negotiates how she will protect the young of our species against the various kinds of human predators who would harm them. It must have taken significant restraint on Straley's part to tell this story through the efforts of a woman who knows she is dying and yet, even though the problem does not involve her directly, she feels she must use every bit of her remaining strength to solve.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the release of THE WOMAN WHO MARRIED A BEAR in 1995, author John Straley began a career that would include multiple awards and both the Cecil Younger and Cold Storage mystery series that have spawned legions of fans.

He continues to bring his special style of crime noir writing with the release of stand-alone novel BIG BREATH IN. This is a not just a novel, but an emotional experience that features a protagonist who will pull on your heart strings as you go on this adventure with her. Retired marine biologist Delphine has received a deadly diagnosis of terminal cancer and may not have much time left on this earthly plane. To honor her late husband John, a Private Detective in the Alaska area where they lived, she takes on a search from a former colleague of theirs to save a missing mother and her infant child.

Delphine is currently in Seattle where she is being treated by her oncologist and in the last stages of the chemotherapy and other attempts to prolong her life. A fellow cancer patient that she has befriended named Robert is much closer to death than she is and gives his motorbike to her. She will use this vehicle to get around in pursuit of the woman named Leigh and her oddly named infant child, Blue Sky. Delphine’s friend Tom Foster requested her help and motherly instinct in this case for Leigh got mixed up with a very bad man named Tyler ‘Tye’ Dearborn who is running an extremely illegal baby selling ring and is mixed up with some extremely dangerous types.

Delphine is successful in finding Leigh and Blue, but it is difficult for her to convince Leigh that getting away from Tye would be in her best interest. Instead, Delphine finds herself on the bad side of Tye and his giant henchman known as the Babysitter, especially when she has to watch as they trash her apartment and steal her cancer medication. Even though it is tough to help someone that does not want your help, Delphine sees this mission as the last thing she needs to do before checking out and is determined to bring down Tye and his black-market baby ring at any cost.

When she learns of her friend Rober’s passing, Delphine is taken in by his widow named Jenny. She gets her involved in the case and they continue to work on Leigh, that is until tragedy strikes and Leigh is brutally killed and left in a dumpster. Baby Blue is gone and Delphine simply cannot stand for what Tye may do next with the child. Her adventure gets bigger and far more dangerous and will find Delphine teaming with a lesbian bike gang called The Grease Monkey Dykes. With these interesting folks on her side, along with some other newfound friends, Delphine may just fulfil her mission even if it means neglecting the medical attention she requires at the end of her life cycle.

Throughout BIG BREATH IN we are privileged to enjoy Delphine’s inner monologue which mostly has to do with the life of sperm whales and other marine creatures that help to take her mind off of her own mortality. It lends perspective to the novel and really allows you to connect with Delphine in the most personal way. Although it is not a long read, it was not a novel that read quickly. This is primarily due to the loaded and memorable prose Straley is famous for which simply draws you deeply in. His Acknowledgements reflect on the personal connection he had with this story with his own wife’s long battle with Parkinson’s disease and that seemed to make this experience that much more memorable.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Angelator · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a weird book. A woman dying from cancer goes back and forth between her body almost ready to cross over and saving these babies from a human trafficking ring disguised as an adoption group.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio book, of which I fast forwarded probably half. Think I’ve read every book by this author and obviously not recommending this one. The whales that are supposed to serve as metaphor and illumination are distracting. Give them their own book. And to suggest a woman with late stage pancreatic cancer at this level of chemotherapy is capable of these activities is kind of insulting to those living with it in real time.

[Valentina Rengifo · Rating 1 out of 5]

literally not good and an injustice to the premise. could’ve been 12 pages long if it wasn’t full of copy and paste info from the sperm whale wikipedia page

[Matt Heavner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story - mix of crime, insanity, mortality, Alaska, and plot..

[Denise Millstine Millstine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book - that I parallel read with the audiobook after release.
The premise drew me to the title - with the protagonist having end stage pancreatic cancer.
I found inconsistency in her abilities and lack of authenticity around how she would/could function which was distracting
That the author was inspired by his wife’s (different) health journey was touching
The mystery/thriller aspect was entertaining enough - and dealt with serious subject matters (trafficking, white supremacy, antisemitism)
Still, the book disappointed in the end - perhaps I hoped for too much

[Megan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a very special book. Delphine is in Seattle from her native Alaska and receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. Knowing that she is near the end she contemplates her life. Her husband is gone and her son is making a new family. Glancing out the window she sees a woman and her child being abused by a husband, a boyfriend, whatever and it pisses her off. The next day she notices the woman is gone. Recognizing this might be her last adventure she jumps in to investigate. With a cast of characters you will love she is determined to make things right. Truly a great book!

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the release of THE WOMAN WHO MARRIED A BEAR in 1995, John Straley began an award-winning career that would include both the Cecil Younger and Cold Storage mystery series, which have spawned legions of fans.

Straley continues to bring his special style of crime noir writing with the release of BIG BREATH IN. This is not just a novel, but an emotional experience that features a protagonist who will pull on your heartstrings as you go on this adventure with her. Retired marine biologist Delphine has received a terminal cancer diagnosis and may not have much time left on this earthly plane. To honor her late husband, John, a private detective in the Alaska area where they lived, she takes on a search from a former colleague of theirs to save a missing woman and her infant child.

Delphine is currently in Seattle, where she is being treated by her oncologist and is in the last stages of chemotherapy and other attempts to prolong her life. Robert, a fellow cancer patient she has befriended, is much closer to death than she is and gives her his motorbike. She will use it to get around in pursuit of Leigh and her oddly named daughter, Blue Sky. Delphine’s friend, Tom Foster, requested her help and motherly instinct in this case. Leigh has gotten mixed up with Tyler “Tye” Dearborn, a very bad man who is running an illegal baby-selling ring and is involved with some extremely dangerous types.

Delphine finds Leigh and Blue Sky, but it is difficult to convince Leigh that getting away from Tye would be in her best interest. Instead, Delphine finds herself on the bad side of Tye and his giant henchman, known as the Babysitter, especially when she has to watch as they trash her apartment and steal her cancer medication. Even though it is tough to help someone who doesn’t want your assistance, Delphine sees this mission as the last thing she needs to do before checking out and is determined to bring down Tye and his black-market baby ring at any cost.

When she learns of Robert’s passing, Delphine is taken in by his widow, Jenny. She gets Jenny involved in the case, and they continue to work on Leigh --- that is until tragedy strikes, and Leigh’s lifeless body is found in a dumpster. Blue Sky is gone, and Delphine simply cannot stand for what Tye may do next with the child. Her adventure gets bigger and far more dangerous, and it will find her teaming up with a lesbian bike gang. With these interesting folks on her side, along with other newfound friends, Delphine may succeed in her final act, even if it means neglecting the medical attention she requires at the end of her life cycle.

Throughout BIG BREATH IN, we are privileged to enjoy Delphine’s inner monologue, which mostly has to do with the life of sperm whales and other marine creatures that help take her mind off of her own mortality. It lends perspective to the novel and really allows you to connect with Delphine in an intimate way. Although it is not a long book, I didn’t read it quickly. This is primarily due to Straley’s loaded and memorable prose that draws you in deeply. His Acknowledgements reflect on the personal connection he had with this story, given his wife Jan's 20-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, which makes the reading experience that much more memorable.

Reviewed by Ray Palen

[Teena · Rating 3 out of 5]

*SPOILERS* There is the potential for a few spoilers in this review, although I won't give away the ending or the resolution because I am not finishing this book. Marked DNF.

Disclaimer: I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways, with the expectation of a rating and/or review.

Okay, so I gave this book a pretty good chance and read up to around page 94 or 95, nearly 1/3 of the book. The blurb about the author mentioned that he is award-winning, so I expected a decent read. I am not saying it's not decent, but it's not epic or memorable enough for me to continue. Oddly, or maybe not so oddly, I recognized that I would not finish it when the main character, Delphine, a cancer patient near the end of her life, realizes that there are things she wants to do with her remaining time and things that she does not. I also realized at that point (I am not ill or terminal, just mindful) that I didn't want to spend any more time reading a book that I was not in love with.

*SPOILER* There are whale fact passages. From the first passage about whales, I thought that this book was giving Moby Dick vibes. I returned Moby Dick to the library 3 different times before I finally read it, in part because the whale information gets so dry. With Big Breath In, the informative whale passages are less intrusive and easier to learn from, but they do interrupt the flow of the story and that's distracting. I do respect the decision to include them, though, to educate the reader on whale facts and the plight of the whale in a world where humans seem to dominate most ecosystems.

For me, the turning point in my willingness to read this book was when Tyler (or Tye) was robbing Delphine's meagerly furnished apartment, near the hospital where she was receiving cancer treatment. The writing of the scene is messy, the things that Leigh (Tye's girlfriend/abuse victim/accomplice?) says are not clear, and it just seems improbable. In fact, too many of the events that happened so far just seem a little too coincidental. Yes, certain circumstances need to align to move a plot forward and to facilitate the main character's story arc, but in this story, they seem just a bit too obvious.

I am giving this book 3 stars, but it is probably closer to 2.5 or 2.75 for me. Ironically, the parts that I will probably take with me from the book are the parts about the whales. I may flip through the rest of the book and look for more whale commentary before I donate it to someone else.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Putting little pieces together until a big picture emerges."

That's exactly what John Straley does here in Big Breath In. He weaves the habits and habitats of Nature into the mesh of human existence. And that blatantly leaves the loops and openings of what drives individuals on a quest for that existence or on a mission of wanton destruction.

We'll meet Delphine. Delphine is a marine mammal biologist who had been stationed in the Glacier Bay National Park. Her specialty spotlights Humpback, Killer, and Sperm whales. She continues to add memos to her already astute research. But life has handed her the spikey end of the stick.

Delphine now lives in a rundown hotel blocks from a hospital in Seattle. It's inhabited by those who walk the walk like Delphine. She is a terminal cancer patient with not much time left. It takes great effort to follow through on her appointments. She's a widow and her grown son, Bertie, lives in California.

Time stands still until it eventually picks up the pace. Delphine and her husband, John, worked also as criminal defense investigators hired by lawyers. Their scientific backgrounds inspired an almost bloodhound response. Delphine receives a call from Tom Foster, a private investigator. He wishes for Delphine to check out an individual wrapped up in a shady adoption scheme. And Delphine will run head first into the likes of it through a young mother named Leigh.

Straley's Delphine will conjure up thoughts of inhaling your second wind. She's inherited a yellow Sportster motorcycle from a friend who recently succumbed to cancer. She'll take to the roads banking into the turns. "This was the opposite of dying and she drank it in." Be sure to read the Author's Notes for the inspiration for the character of Delphine.

Big Breath In won't be for everyone. There is a heavy theme driving this storyline with cruelty and violence at times. But overriding that is the determination and the force of Delphine's spirit. She's been a voice for the whales for over 40 years and now she finds herself as an advocate for young children. She draws in that "big breath" in fighting the good fight. Witness that. You will not be the same. Guaranteed.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Soho Press and to the talented John Straley for the opportunity.

[Tom Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful, enraging, heartbreaking book this is! Those of you familiar with Mr. Straley's work will recall his mysteries set in the Far North, replete with oddball characters inhabiting what feels like the end of the world. This book is nothing like that. Instead we have a career oceanographer who is nearing her inevitable death due to cancer. It is these two themes that alternate throughout. Delphine, our lead, and her husband absolutely fought the good fight, dedicating themselves to the study of sperm whales, and all associated environmental factors and consequences. He was killed by a drunk driver while biking home from work, and after 20 years she still misses him. It is while Delphine is in Seattle undergoing more treatment for her cancer that by chance she comes across a scene where a young lout berates and ultimately strikes a young woman who is carrying a baby. Delphine goes over to aid the woman, the lout complains, and winds up getting zapped by Delphine's taser. This episode draws Delphine into the world of babies for sale, motorcycle gangs, and murder. Interspersed with all this are sidebars discussing the nature of sperm whales, their social structure and behavior, their astounding physical capabilities. These creatures survived near extinction, only to live in a world where the changes to their environment may yet kill them off. The parallel of the nurturing female whales, raising their calves as a group, to the same behavior of a lesbian biker gang rescuing the stolen children is evident. In fact, this book is a paean to female strength. You should read this.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Big Breath In,” by John Straley, Soho Crime, 288 pages, Nov. 12, 2024.

Delphine is a retired marine biologist who helped police break up a child trafficking ring. She and her late husband, John, lived in Sitka, Alaska. They both started out in criminal investigations.

She is now in Seattle, being treated for cancer. Her surgeon said she has a slow-moving cancer that is terminal. Delphine worries she’s become a burden to her son, Bertie, and his family. One night, while contemplating how to go on, Delphine witnesses a violent argument between a man and his girlfriend. When Delphine discovers the woman has gone missing along with her young child, Delphine embarks on a quest to find them.

What begins as a chance encounter balloons into a rescue across the Pacific Northwest. Soon, she winds up in the middle of a battle between a child-trafficking ring and an Aryan biker gang. Delphine is determined to see her mission through, knowing full well it may be her last.

Straley interweaves action, insights on whales’ social behavior, and flashbacks to Delphine’s life before she got sick. The plot relies heavily on coincidence and the whole thing isn’t believable.

I rate it three out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can’t help but love and root for Delphine, and a number of the supporting characters are memorable, especially Jenny’s oldest and youngest kids, Gudger and Dwayne (The Viking). The third kid, Ned, was just along for the ride.

The real villain was a memorable but somewhat enigmatic character. So many of the other characters kept you wondering if they were among the good guys or the bad guys that it’s hard to comment on them without introducing spoilers.

Overall though, this was one of my least favorite of Straley’s novels. You know you’re not really enjoying a book when you’re impatient for it to end.

I think one factor was that Straley interrupted the action frequently with lectures on sperm whales, gray whales, orcas, and other marine animals. I may have learned a bit, but most of the material is quite familiar to watchers of Animal Planet, PBS’s Nature, and Discovery Channel. Yes, there was some value in terms of understanding and appreciating Delphine’s marine biology background and some not so subtle symbolism, but overall they were a distraction.

I know, I know - the same criticism is made of Moby Dick, but rather than one lengthy digression, Straley does numerous short ones, and I found the frequent interruptions annoying.

Hoping for a better story next time.

[Viccy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delphine is a retire marine biologist with terminal cancer. She is living in a rundown SRO by the hospital where she receives treatments. Her husband, a former investigator and PI is dead, too, killed by a hit-and-run driver near their home in Washington state. Her friend, who lives in the room next to her, dies and leaves Delphine his motorcycle. She uses it to run around and one day witnesses a man abusing a woman holding a small child. Delphine intervenes and finds herself smack-dab in the middle of baby selling ring. Things go from bad to worse when she promises the supposed mother that she will get her baby back. Delphine hits the road to eastern Washington to confront a gang of motorcycle thugs. With help of a queer gang of bikers and the widow of her friend that died, Delphine will take on the thugs, even if she dies trying. A stand-alone from the author of the Cecil Younger series, this was an interesting meditation on living and dying with cancer.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine in this book, Delphine, is dying. She’s also a retired marine biologist who dedicated her life to studying the mental processes of large brain marine animals. And, she was a partner with her private investigator husband in his investigations. All this comes together in this novel exploring mortality, whale social patterns, a life-time of memories, with a child trafficking case tucked in. If it sounds a bit strange, it is. The child trafficking case isn’t the main story, Delphine’s musings are. Delphine is a strong and memorable character who manages to surrounds herself with a tribe of like-minded people, including a lesbian biker group and a family grieving their own loss. The lengthy passages about whales which was at first interesting and sort of awesome, became distracting as did Delphine’s dreams. While it took some effort to finish the story, I’m thinking it was worth it.

[Pamela Sewell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodreads Giveaway. Marine biologist Delphine has recently lost her husband of many years and been diagnosed with terminal cancer. When returning to her hotel following a treatment she witnesses a young woman and her infant being terrorized by an abusive boyfriend. When the woman and her infant disappear Delphine finds a reason to go on determined to find her and rescue them. A random encounter leads to a zany quest across the Pacific Northwest. Along the way she meets some rough and zany characters finding aid in unexpected places. This stand alone novel by one of Alaska's prominent writers featured a solid but gritty plot. Woven into the narrative were tidbits of information regarding the habits and characteristics of various species of whales which I found interesting but distracting from the main story.

[Don Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for what is essentially two books, a non-fiction book, that I loved, about whales, particularly sperm whales, and a mystery story about a marine biologist dying from pancreatic cancer, also recently widowed from her PI husband, who agrees to take on her own PI case to “stop thinking about herself” and to “save the babies.” The babies are being caught in a bogus adoption scam profiting from the banning of abortion. This story really strained the suspension of my disbelief, especially when she decides to perform this Quoxotic mission on a Harley-Davidson Sportser. Just what you would expect from a late stage cancer patient who can barely get out of bed. Nevertheless, I did finish the book, largely because I was constantly looking forward to the next “digression” about whales. They were fascinating. The story that in my mind supported them, less so.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delphine is dying but she is tired and bored with having her entire life be facing cancer treatments and waiting for the end. When an old friend asks her to help him track down a bad guy, she surprises herself by saying yes. Then fate steps in and not only does she find the guy, but a group of missing babies. She becomes obsessed with returning the babies to their mothers and so begins an adventure with thugs, neo-Nazis and unexpected friends. The author includes a lot of information about sperm whales, which at first I found a bit slow. Eventually I actually enjoyed learning about these large mammals.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's see, here. We have a 60-something year old marine biologist dying of cancer; bald, frail, and weak due to chemo treatments, who rides a Harley Davidson Sportster like an expert racer and is hired to track down a baby who was kidnapped by an illegal adoption ring which pulled a scam on a white supremacist motorcycle gang. She gets an assist in resolving the case from the "Grease Monkey Dikes", a lesbian motorcycle gang. This, interspersed with a treatise on the life of sperm whales (a-la Moby Dick). I think my time could have been better spent.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

in summary, this is about a retired marine biologist with terminal cancer who is asked by a former colleague to look for a stolen baby, and (with many coincidences) stumbles on a baby snatching ring. She is faced with a choice of continuing her cancer treatment until she dies, or setting out with the last of her strength to track down the baby snatcher. She's a great character, as are most of the others in the book. I really liked this book.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing gets choppy and inconsistent, but as a native Washingtonian I appreciated the strong sense of place. I also was fascinated by all the whale facts, until the description of the human pancreas that is actually describing the liver. Made me wonder if some of the whale information was also erroneous.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Big Breath In" started slowly for me, seemingly telling me more about main character Delphine's vast knowledge of whales and the ocean than the developing story of a conflict over baby adoptions. By halfway through though,that story really got going and the book was hard to put down.
Toward the end though it seemed to me overly violent and a bit unreal how Delphine is able to function among the bad people and situations. The novel did have a well done ending though.

[Mary Ahlgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Straley's love and respect for his wife shining through regularly, so kudos for that! But Delphine's behavior and energy level, during the end stages of pancreatic or some other metastic cancer, and sudden obsession with finding "babies" and mothers/caregivers/ and difficult to "get" kidnappers, never resonated with and ultimately disappointed.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judging by the varied reviews on Goodreads, you either loved this book or hated it.

I enjoyed the plot but felt the pacing was slowed by the information on the whales.

I have not read a lot of John Straley, but this was very different from what I have read and expected.

I borrowed a copy from the public library.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

So unusual. Delphine is beyond brave. Besides being a mystery, the book delves into what it is like to have terminal cancer, the lives of whales, biker gang culture, neo-Nazis, and the land and culture of rural northwestern US. The book encompasses ecology, biology, and sociology.
I am going to look for more John Straley.

[Brooklyngirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to put this book down when I was about half way through but struggled my way through to the end. I found the story line difficult to follow and the characters didn't engage my interest. It isn't necessary a poorly written book. Just not for me.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea what I thought this book was about but it certainly wasn't what I expected. The characters were well fleshed out. The plot was odd but I just went on the ride. I like whales and found it to be a strange parallel.