From the Deep by Kateri Stanley
Publisher: Burton Mayers Books
Publication Date: May 6, 2022
About the Book
Julian Finch, widower and fisherman, awakes to learn that the bodies of two colleagues have washed up on the beach of Drake Cove. The close-knit community is under fierce public scrutiny due to a long-standing tradition called "The Culling", the annual slaughter of pilot whales for consumption. An act which divides the nation.
The suspects are the extreme animal rights group, the Fighters Against Animal Cruelty (FAAC) who go wherever the politics is trending. They've been harassing the small fishing town for many years, smashing up their boats and sending vicious hate mail.
Tensions mount after a viral video, uploaded by the FAAC of Julian killing a pregnant whale, causes uproar online and in real life. In the aftermath, Julian becomes the victim of hate crime. In order to avoid further life-threatening attacks, Julian and his daughter take refuge in the home of Frank Blothio: ex-fisherman turned writer and political activist who does not have the best history with the animal rights movement, or Drake Cove as a whole.
As Julian integrates into the Blothio way of life, he discovers heinous secrets and disturbing truths lurking beneath the skin of his hometown that will change his life forever.
Rating: 
Review:
What a ride this book was. The book is about Julian, a fisherman in Drake Cove. He is a widower, with a teenage daughter, who lives in this small fishing town just trying to get by financially and mentally.
The book begins as a murder mystery, fishermen are showing up on the shore in horrible condition. Soon the book transitions to life with Julian and his daughter. there is day to day stuff, fishing, friends in the town, activists trying to stop the fisherman etc. I almost forgot about the murders for a while because the book stops talking about them almost entirely while we are going through Jules' life. Oddly, the book then starts to be more than one point of view at about the 40% mark, which I found a bit strange as well, but it was nice to have some other perspectives for the end half of the book.
There was a lot here. If you are squeamish, I would not recommend this book, there was a lot of fish killing and graphic moments of the fisherman’s jobs. I think it lends well to the story and to the activists playing a role in the book, but it was hard to read. The synopsis noted the ‘slaughter’ of whales, but I didn’t expect it to be so violent. That being said it was a fascinating read for the most part. The characters were interesting and had a fair amount of growth throughout the book, which I appreciate. The plot was captivating, albeit a little all over the place – there is the culling, the activists, the father/daughter dynamic, the mother being gone/romance dynamic, and then the mermaid/sea creature possibility that were all thrown together… oh yea and the murders… again, almost forgot that is where we started.
If you enjoy books with supernatural creatures set in pretty mundane surroundings, or fisherman tales/ related this might be a good book for you. It was a good mix of reality and fantasy being woven together to form a book with modern-day problems that captivate the reader and spark emotion with fantastical elements.
I enjoyed the book and think others will as well. But be prepared for some violence.
About the Author
Kateri has been inspired by the wondrous mediums of books, music, TV and film. After working in the healthcare industry for eight years and studying for an Arts and Humanities degree, she made the decision to move cities in the West Midlands and live with her ever-suffering partner and her cat. Her debut novel Forgive Me was published by indie press house, Darkstroke Books in 2021 and it reached #1 in the US Horror Fiction charts on Amazon.
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