The Sea Detective

By: Mark Douglas-Home

Narrated by: David Monteath

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home, read by David Monteath.

Cal McGill is an Edinburgh-based oceanographer, environmentalist and one-of-a-kind investigator.

Using his knowledge of the waves - ocean currents, prevailing winds, shipping records - McGill can track where objects came from, or where they've gone. It's a skill that can help solve mysteries ranging from disappearances to murder.

Two severed feet wash up on two different islands off the coast of Scotland. Forensics shows that the feet belong to the same body. As Cal McGill investigates, he unravels a web of corruption, exploitation and human trafficking, which threatens many lives across the globe - including his own...

Praise for The Sea Detective:

'Raises the bar for Scottish crime fiction ... elegantly written and compelling'
The Scotsman

'Excellent'
The Literary Review - top five crime books of the year

'Promises to be a fine series of detective novels'
Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month

'An unusual, interesting and enthralling read'
Shotsmag

'A compelling protagonist'
The Times Literary Supplement

Critic reviews

Raises the bar ... elegantly written and compelling. A crime writer to watch

Excellent

Promises to be a fine series of detective novels

An unusual, interesting and enthralling read

A compelling protagonist

Atmospheric and thought provoking

The human trafficing aspect of this story was stark and brutal but not gratuitous. It is a sad tale in so many ways but well crafted and well read. I enjoyed it immensely. I found myself sitting in the parking lot at work not wanting to disconnect because I wanted to know what happened next!

Interesting premise, but needs lots of editing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

There are too many POVs in this book! In my opinion, there should be only 3--Cal's, Helen's, and Bisanti's. The female police seem too fixated on body size and dating--seems sexist and unprofessional for women who undoubtedly worked hard to get where they are. Cal should be using GIS databases and maps--his "technology" seems pretty dated. Cal was also rather unlikeable--I get that he's complicated and makes mistakes, but he's also pretty rude to people and a bit self-involved. In my opinion, he's also too young. Helen is the one with her act together and there should be more of her and how she thinks and orchestrates her investigative coups. I didn't mind that there were two investigations going on, but they should have been linked thematically somehow--perhaps along the lines of how a failed fishing industry causes economic hardships that in turn, cause some people to make unethical decisions? Overall, this story could have used very heavy editing. It felt very much like a creative writing class project, with the author taking to heart the directive to "show, don't tell." I did not need to listen to a long list of coordinates or what each character was wearing every day. Way too much detail on things that don't matter and no narrative or explanation of events of major importance, such Helen's behind-the-scenes machinations, which are crucial to the plot. I thought the narration by David Monteath was very good.

What do you think your next listen will be?

A novel in the D.C. Smith mystery series, by Peter Grainger.

Which scene was your favorite?

I didn't have any favorites, but I thought the passages set on the island and the Scottish coast were the best.

Could you see The Sea Detective being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Actually, I could see this as an entertaining multi-episode tv show. The editing required for the screen would solve many of this book's problems and the settings and characters would be compelling.

Any additional comments?

These characters have a lot of potential and I hope the author improves with later installments. I may give this series another try.

Interesting idea for a detective but flawed

I loved the idea of a mystery solved by a grad student specializing in ocean currents, but the book was really all over the place. The main character, Cal, is unlikeable, and not in an interesting way. Just immature and jerky. And, the personal mystery about his grandfather turns out to be silly. I can't figure out why he suffered so much angst over a person he'd never met from an island he'd never been to. I think the author was looking for a way to make Cal seem deeper, but it didn't work.

Nevertheless, I listened to the second book in the series, hoping these were first-time novel flaws. They weren't. Mr. Douglas-Home, I hope you're reading these reviews because you're on to something special here. Just try to stick to one storyline about an issue that really matters (e.g., the sex trafficking angle in this book) and don't try to manufacture pathos.

needs updating

I have heard that sometimes television shows or movies are judged by women using a standard question: How many sentences in a row does a woman speak, or how many thoughts does she consider, without referring to herself in reference to a man? in this book, The women are constantly viewed as victims or wistful admirers of men.

Really great new series on audible, do try it

If you could sum up The Sea Detective in three words, what would they be?

Better than expected

Any additional comments?

This mystery series is one of the best. The character development is outstanding, even minor characters are three dimensional. Do not be concerned about eco warrier stuff, it is not offensive and truly a minor part of the main character. I hope the third book in this series will be available on audible soon as I am already loving the second book.