Review Detail

A remote and misty murder mystery that knows how to play to spooks, contemplation, and melodrama. Endings and beginnings collide for Lucy, an orphan raised as an employee to a reclusive, eccentric businessman, when her tentative dreams for life beyond the island where she was raised are interrupted by her employer’s cryptic refusal, a gruesome scene, and a shocking revelation that she has inherited enormous wealth. It’s so overwhelming, it’s tempting to run, yet the lure of responsibility and possibly discovering her heritage and identity are too big to ignore, and Lucy is just realizing how tangled up she already is in the island’s legacy and her inexplicable bond with the sea wolves - orca whales - that patrol the island shores.

I liked this a lot. The story takes its time, with plenty of reflection and wondering on Lucy’s part as events spiral out of control, creeping toward explosive confrontations. The assorted cast of friends and suspects offers a glimpse into many issues of the time, including the emerging role of women in academia and industry, distrust of immigrant workers, grief and loss at the tail of the Great War, and the conflict between human progress and nature (in this case, with an emphasis on fishing and aggression towards orca whales).

Even while holding heavy thoughts, Lucy brings lots of life to the tale. She’s resourceful and scrappy and used to making the best of things for herself. When competing love interests make their move, she swoons and scoffs as the occasion demands, and while the dramatics certainly show all the signs of a classic love triangle - fist fights and all - the riotous emotions stem from childhood loss and love that brought much sweetness and gravity to otherwise petty squabbles.

If this were a longer book, I’d love to see more of Lucy’s artistic or academic ambitions (which are largely set aside once the investigations get going), her reflections on family and self identity, and her at-least-a-little-mystical connection to the whales. But as it stands, I fell into the historical murder mystery, the teen drama (yes, I'll admit it), and the ending full of glimmering possibilities.