Whisper of the Seals by Roxanne Bouchard

Detective Moralès returns in a breathtaking literary thriller set on the icy seas of Quebec’s Magdalen Islands, in the midst of a brutal seal hunt, where nothing is as it seems and absolutely no one can be trusted...

Fisheries officer Simone Lord is transferred to Quebec’s remote Magdalen Islands for the winter, and at the last minute ordered to go aboard a trawler braving a winter storm for the traditional grey seal hunt, while all of the other boats shelter onshore.

Detective Sergeant Joaquin Moralès is on a cross-country boat trip down the St Lawrence River, accompanied by Nadine Lauzon, a forensic psychologist working on the case of a savagely beaten teenager with Moralès’ old team in Montreal.

When it becomes clear that Simone is in grave danger aboard the trawler, the two cases converge, with startling, terrifying consequences for everyone involved...

About the author

Over ten years ago, Roxanne Bouchard decided it was time she found her sea legs. So she learned to sail, first on the St Lawrence River, before taking to the open waters off the Gaspé Peninsula. The local fishermen soon invited her aboard to reel in their lobster nets, and Roxanne saw for herself that the sunrise over Bonaventure never lies. Her fifth novel (first translated into English) We Were the Salt of the Sea was published in 2018 to resounding critical acclaim, We Were the Salt of the Sea was published in 2018 to resounding critical acclaim, followed by The Coral Bride, which was a number-one bestseller in Canada, shortlisted for the CWA Translation Dagger and won the Crime Writers of Canada's Crime Book of the Year Award. Whisper of the Seals is the third novel. She lives in Quebec with her partner, an undertaker.

Review

‘Whisper of the Seals’ is an ominously dark and suspenseful slow creep of a book which thoroughly overwhelms the reader's senses. Even now I have that prickly feeling on the back of my neck as I am writing this review. From the outset, you know that something terrible is going to occur and it's just exactly when and where.

We find our beloved characters roughly five months after the event of ‘The Corpse Bride’. DS Morales is taking a holiday with Erik Lefebvre - winter ski cruise round the Gaspe peninsula. He has just completed his divorce and feels empty and heavy. Fisheries officer Simone Lord has been transferred to the Magdalen Islands for the winter and has been asked to observe a seal hunt at the last minute. The boat is the only one going out into the waters as there is a storm approaching, hence the suspicion and Simone being asked to observe throughout the trip. But the crew doesn't want her there, firstly because she is a woman and secondly because she is an official.

This is the third of the series that has been translated to English by the David Warriner and it was a welcome return to the wilds of Quebec. You can read this very easily as a standalone though. The beauty of the language and the writing completely capture the image I have of this area. Dazzling from the white of the snow but with a tinge of the danger of being in such an inhospitable environment. Roxanne just nails the location aspect of this series and it is part of why I am drawn so much to this series.

I found this to be a very uncomfortable read on many levels. Firstly, the book does revolve around a seal hunt and for many readers, this may prove to be too much. However, I want to learn about different cultures and even though I found it unnerving to read I also found it fascinating. For many in the world we only really know about this practice from campaigners videos and reports so to it see it from another perspective was illuminating in some ways. Still uncomfortable but I think it is meant to be! But that is just the first layer of the onion to be peeled away with the next being the misogynist and dangerous situation that Simone has found herself in. To me this isn't a Morales book, this is a testament and celebration of Simone. A woman who is determined to make her way in the world even if that means butting heads with long-held superstitions, battling against the immature misogyny of working in a male-dominated profession and also battling against herself in a way. Erik calls her an overachiever but as the story evolves we find that isn't the case. This is the next layer of uncomfortable as we know she is in a dangerous situation with people who want to either rape or even kill her. As each page is turned the level of tension increases incrementally until you are at a heightened level of complete and utter dread.

If anyone does read this book let me know I need to talk to someone about it, spoilers and all!! So many emotions after finishing it.

Again, a triumph from this writer!