A retired marine biologist turned amateur sleuth has an ax to grind—and a child to save—in this new standalone mystery from the author of the acclaimed Cecil Younger series. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, retired marine biologist Delphine is on the brink of throwing in the towel. She has outlived her PI husband and worries she’s become a burden to her son and his growing family. One night, while contemplating how to go on, Delphine witnesses a violent argument between a man and his girlfriend. When Delphine discovers the woman has gone missing along with her young child, Delphine embarks on a quest to find them. What begins as a chance encounter balloons into a rescue mission across the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, Delphine encounters the dregs of humanity—grappling with schemers, kidnappers, and murderers—as well as its joys. With the help of a few friends, a retired PI, and a queer biker gang, Delphine is determined to see her mission through . . . knowing full well it may be her last. While Big Breath In stands alone, longtime Straley fans will recognize the characteristic wit, heart, and contemplation of life that threads through every one of his books—and discover a new heroine to fall in love with. Praise for Big Breath In BookPage ’s Top 10 Books of the Month Paste Magazine ’s Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers of Fall “[Delphine] embark[s] upon a journey that will show her the worst that humanity has to offer — but also the best. Big Breath In is hard to put down and even harder to shake off afterward.” —Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review “The magic in this book comes in great part from its never-say-die-before-it’s-time heroine and from its rendering, in spare and vivid prose, of her unique sensibility. Big Breath In is a winner that effectively combines emotional poignancy with breathtaking action.” — The Wall Street Journal “ Big Breath In is yet another John Straley book worth adding to your shelf. The nights are getting longer and darker; it’s time to pour a cup of your favorite beverage, play a Mountain Goats album, and ride along with Delphine, private eye.” — Daily Sitka Sentinel “A rollicking hero’s journey. Straley has always had an uncanny talent for combining violence and humor, and Big Breath In includes measures of both.” — Anchorage Daily News “Thought-provoking and unexpected . . . Straley regularly reminds us, the brain is not enough. Rather, it will be the community that protects us, if we can be protected at all.” — Alta Journal “There’s a sweet history behind [Straley’s] book . . . Part crime drama, scientific inquiry, and metafictional love letter, Big Breath In features a courageous, motorcycle-ripping heroine inspired by the grit and determination of the brilliant scientist the author has spent his life with.” — Monterey County Weekly “A beautiful and truly uplifting book. You’ll also learn an awful lot about sperm whales.” —WYSO’s Book Nook “For more than a quarter century, John Straley’s mystery and detective fiction have both enriched and diversified those genres at the same level as Dashiell Hammett, James Crumley, Carl Hiaasen and James Lee Burke. But in his new novel, Big Breath In , his deeply compassionate fiction transcends genre, taking us to altogether new places. Using the marine ecology work of his own internationally renowned wife, Jan, as a point of departure, John pays homage to the genius of one of the most beloved field biologists to ever emerge from the Pacific Northwest. No other fiction writer can do what John Straley has done.” —Gary Paul Nabhan, recipient of the Western State Book Award, a John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing, and the James Beard Award for Food Writing “The main character in Big Breath In kicked my heart to pieces. Straley’s book reads like an entire ecosystem, embracing the behaviors of whale species and motorcycle gangs; the minds of ticks compared to those of humans; an Augustinian prayer; coruscating humor; people both tender-hearted and heartless. . . As in a healthy ecosystem, everything in these pages—human and otherwise—illuminates the rest. My (bruised!) heart is smitten with Big Breath In .” —Melinda Mueller, author of Mary’s Dust “Easily my favorite book this year. Once again, John Straley serves up a masterclass in storytelling with this page-turning tale of mystery, loss, and kinship. Big Breath In is a story you don’t want to end, and you’ll instantly fall for Delphine, the main character with a heart as big as the whales she researches. John Straley has imbued every page of this novel with a deeply personal love that hits you hard.” —Don Rearden, author of The Raven’s Gift “As [Straley] explains in his moving acknowledgements, Big Breath In is inspired by his wife, a marine biologist who has had Parkinson’s disease for 20 years. He created Delphine in her honor, and she is a memorable, whip-smart fireball of a character . . . Straley’s p