The Rotting Whale by Jann Eyrich

Coming out this month is the first of a new series – eco-mysteries – featuring detective Hugo Sandoval. I really enjoyed reading this one. Not only was the plot interesting, but it was beautifully written. If you know me, you know I always enjoy reading books that take place in Northern California, too! This novel is not overly long (it’s 200+ pages), so if you are in the mood for a shorter, more manageable read, this could be a good choice for you!

Here’s the scoop:

When the natural world and the build world collide, the earth needs a good building inspector…

In this first case in the new Hugo Sandoval Eco-Mystery series, an old-school San Francisco building inspector must reluctantly venture outside his beloved city and find his sea legs before he can solve the mystery of how a 90-ton blue whale became stranded, twice, in a remote inlet off the North Coast.

Set on the turbulent Mendocino Coast against the backdrop of a failing fishing fleet and illegal cannabis grows, Sandoval encounters roadblocks and lies as he grapples with the connection between a red tag posted on the historic Chicken Cove ranch and the decomposing marine mammal at the foot of its cliffs.

Debilitated by more than a few idiosyncrasies, reluctant media darling Hugo Sandoval is a people’s hero, fighting the good fight in a modern era where development and climate change butt heads – and where each requested permit attempts to eclipse the old San Francisco Sandoval loves.

Here’s some background on the author:

Working as a hands-on, independent woman contractor in San Francisco for twenty years, Jann Eyrich resided in the legendary shacks of Telegraph Hill where the writer was gifted anchorage to the City, along with insight into the lives of the characters she continues to create. First as a documentary filmmaker, then as a screenwriter, Eyrich’s stories always seem to be set within an environmental footprint. Later, as a writer and an activist in Sonoma County, Jann heard about a real blue whale stranding itself on the Mendocino Coast in 2009 and, with that, the adventures and character of Hugo Sandoval were born.