Blown by the Same Wind

Cold Storage #4

by John Straley

Mysterious dreams of grizzly bears, a bumbling FBI agent, and a tense hostage negotiation have the town of Cold Storage, Alaska, turned upside down.

Things in the sleepy fishing town of Cold Storage, Alaska, are changing. It’s the summer of 1968; the men are wearing their hair long, the Vietnam War is at its height, and multiple assassinations have gripped the country. But some things remain the same. Ellie’s bar is still the place to catch up on the town gossip, and there’s a lot to talk about, from the boys who have returned from the war (and the ones who haven’t), to the robberies that are plaguing the locals, to the new guy in a famous monk from Kentucky.

Ellie, herself a fugitive of sorts, is curious about this “Brother Louis,” and worries about his motives, but he seems harmless enough. However, when a handful of other outsiders arrive to town and start poking around the bar and asking questions, Ellie begins to have reservations. Have they followed this mysterious monk, rumored to be the famous author Thomas Merton, to Cold Storage? And what is it that they want, particularly the inept FBI agent with the strange Boston Corbett?

Inspired by assassination conspiracy theories, the life of Thomas Merton, and the changing tide of the ’60s, Blown by the Same Wind is a coming-of-age story for the town of Cold Storage itself.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2022

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

[Bill Sleeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as an ARC at the ALA conference this summer. It was an enjoyable read with a good twist, just what you want in a mystery. I liked it enough to check my local public library to see if they had any of the earlier books in this series.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the disappointment of What is Time to a Pig? I am pleased to find Straley back on track.

I’m not totally certain of his intent with Wind except to create the atmosphere of the Vietnam era and to introduce Thomas Merton to his readers who were previously unfamiliar with him.

The characters of Venus Myrtle and Glen Andre were perhaps a bit stereotypical (the flower child and the tortured vet) but were engaging and key to the theme of the nature of evil and the human response to evil.

The villains were one-dimensional but sufficiently menacing to sustain a level of suspense, and their monomaniacal obsession with white supremacy ensures no reader sympathy would be wasted on them.

Straley’s Alaska is not Northern Exposure or Tom Bodett’s End of the Road, but he does have his own set of quirky characters, and he does successfully evoke the feeling of isolation and rugged individualism most of us associate with the remote areas of Alaska.

For readers new to the Cold Storage series, my recommendation would be to start with The Big Both Ways, then Cold Storage Alaska, then this one. Don’t bother with What is Time to a Pig?

[Stephanross · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Blown By the Same Wind” by John Straley.
I cannot describe this novel - enough to say that it includes Thomas Merton, a sixteen year old sprite named Venus, and a 100 pound dog named Dot, among a host of other equally unexpected and engaging characters.
What I can do is insist that, if you are a soulful character yourself, you will absolutely delight in this story, especially if you are of an age to remember John and Yoko, Mai Lai, Richard Nixon and the summer of love, but probably even if you’re not.
10 stars. And if you go on to read any of the rest of John Straley’s works you will not be disappointed.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Totally unbelievable and far fetched. Thankfully short

[Tom Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alaska, like Hawaii, is a US state, but utterly unlike any other. Its isolation is both its attraction and its curse, and it retains the sense of being the Last Frontier, on the edge of civilization. In the 4th book of John Straley's Cold Storage series, the locals all know and depend on each other, faults and all.
Into this rather closed community comes Thomas Merton, the real-life poet, Cistercian monk, and 60s anti-war activist, who is on his way to study Eastern religions, and to meet the Dalai Lama. As it happens, the FBI is after him, since they cannot distinguish the difference between communal life and Communism. At the same time, a pair of what we would now call White Nationalists comes to town in search of what they believe to be the preserved body of John Wilkes Booth, their hero. Yes, the real world has made its way to Cold Storage. Our locals manage to accommodate all their foibles to fend of the threats, though the place will never be the same.

This is a very good book, and Mr. Straley, like most of Soho's authors, is a very good writer. You should read this.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t really know what to make of this book, hence the three stars. The first few pages threw me off, and even after finishing the book, I feel like they were awkward and unnecessary. After that, it improved and I enjoyed learning about the characters which might be even better if I had read the previous books. The deep philosophical points were overshadowed by my need to know what the heck was going on, so at times they felt like they were just getting in the way. I don’t actually know if I like the book or not and if it is because of the writing or my own dislike of some of the context and ideas.

[david kroner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

Very thought-provoking piece by an author who is respectful of the culture and beliefs of both Christianity and Tibet, and in fact, of the influence of God in our lives. The descriptions of Cold Storage, and Alaska in general, are excellent. The impact of My Lai on the American perspective of that war at that time can not be overstated.

[Louise Cather · Rating 3 out of 5]

i totally judged by the cover

Which featured an old fashioned rendering of a bear by a creek. Read this for the atmospheric descriptions. Read it for the surprise ending. Read it if you are a fan of Thomas Merton. Then wonder, as I did, at the strange plot.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up from 3.5. No on evokes Alaska better than Straley. And I feel like he does an equally sensitive treatment of the Vietnam war. But the actual plot of the book was little… fanciful? Convoluted ? Loved the dog, though.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Merton makes a surprise imagined visit to Cold Storage in 1968 a time of deep upheaval and change which does not overlook the people of this once hidden Alaskan gem. The writing is fluid the plot full of fun and the characters outstanding.

[Geoff Garnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect this book to be about historical figures with religious overtones, but enjoyed the speculative history along with a slow burn but eventually tense element of thriller. Enjoyable characters from a 19060s setting

[Eldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a book. Got lots of stuff--religion, Lincoln, Viet Nam, MLK, the FBI and a bunch of Alaska folks. Set in 1968--and I am old enough to remember that year--Straley does a good job of capturing the conflicts and the feelings of the latter part of that decade.

[Cheryl Raistakka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Another great read by John Straley. As usual, the characters are unusual! The plot is great and I love the explanations behind the plot and actions of the characters. Looking forward to the next book!!

[Nathan Backstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not get through What is Time to a Pig but this book returns to the same style as the others in the Cold Storage series which is a good thing in my opinion.

[Celia Morse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow start with a sudden shift to a breakneck pace to the end.

[Doug]

I liked this book. Iliked the story and the characters.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of invested in Cold Storage, Alaska so I had to read this after the misfire of “What Is Time to a Pig?”. Nice rebound by the author here.

[Jan Fitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

perhaps if I had read earlier books in this series I would have enjoyed it more.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent