Introducing the first in a New Eco-Mystery Series. When a blue whale is struck by a research vessel off the north coast of California, San Francisco’s eccentric building inspector Hugo Sandoval is catapulted nearly two hundred miles north to the headlands of a troubled sheep ranch and its captive whale. Responding to a call for help from his cetologist daughter, Hugo leaves his precious San Francisco waterfront for the precarious Chicken Cove where he grapples with the connection between a red tag posted on the historic ranch and the decomposing marine mammal at the foot of its cliffs. Set on the turbulent Mendocino Coast against the backdrop of a failing fishing fleet, illegal cannabis grows, and the struggling town of Fort Bragg, readers will be captivated by the book’s offbeat hero who must find his sea legs before he can solve the mystery of how a 90-ton blue whale became stranded in a remote inlet twice.
This new eco-mystery series tracks the collision of the man-made environment and nature while simultaneously charting Hugo’s own personal evolution as a husband, father, and son.

A charming cast of secondary characters who revel in the unassuming man’s perceptive abilities, while overlooking his many idiosyncrasies, provide assists in solving the mysteries. We meet Carmen, his corporate lawyer ex-wife; T. Ray, his best friend and fellow sleuth; his intuitive assistant Mrs. Dunne who steers their office on Otis Street, as well as the many regulars who populate Sandoval’s San Francisco.

Release Date September 2023 - Manuscript Available
Two Titles in the series to come: The Blind Key (Spring 2024) and The Singing Lighthouse (Fall 2024)