ANONYMOUS READER REVIEW #2

"Hundreds of carcasses of minke whales floated in the choppy waves.", April 15, 2009
By K. M. "literary devotee" (California) (TOP 500 REVIEWER/AMAZON)

Jan Everett is First Lady of the United States. She is also a fiercely dedicated Save the Whales activist. She brings the same total commitment to testifying before the International Whaling Commission on behalf of a complete ban on whale hunts as she does to personally sailing with and even leading crews that confront, harry, and seek to sink the pelagic whaling fleets.

In Washington, her husband, President Carsten Everett, contends with an uphill reelection bid, the controlling schemes of his ruthless chief of staff, a fifteen trillion dollar U.S. debt to other countries that could tank the economy, and the consequences of Jan's radical daring-do sea exploits (which have far-reaching consequences).

Meanwhile, reenergized powerhouse Japan, which holds a large percentage of the U.S. Treasury bonds and is also an unrepentant whaling nation, has plans for both the Everetts. And a Norwegian whaling tycoon concocts his own means of neutralizing Jan....

Oh, and in the swirl of battling the bad guys, Jan encounters pirate captain Arlov Vesprhein, and these two tough, extreme people posture and clash, bound by somewhat stereotyped sexual tension as SAVE THE WHALES PLEASE launches an amazing, techno-herded leviathan drive.

Save the Whales Please mixes whaling drama with quite sophisticated international maneuvering by players in Tokyo, Washington, the North Pacific, and Europe. The novel whisks cinematically from one short scene to another like the action blockbuster prose "movie" it is. Its nail biting opening scenes make one wonder if the authors haven't shot their biggest wad very prematurely. But not to worry. Konrad Karl Gatien and Sreescanda (who do also write for the big and little screens) skillfully pepper the story with limited victories on the various sides, only to then pose new obstacles and dangers. The culmination crescendos, pulling numerous plot threads together and piling peril upon peril to surprise even the jaded reader with its audacity.

Of course, no real First Lady would have the latitude Jan Everett does. Her handlers and protection detail would preempt the suicidal chances Jan takes, no matter how urgent the crusade. But one adapts agreeably to this creative license.

The novel's myriad facts about whales enrich the reader's knowledge. Did you know, for instance, that underwater sonar blasts are suspected for causing deafness, brain bleeding, and beaching in whales and dolphins? Did you know whales shed their skins much as lizards do? Did you know a whale is hunted and killed every ninety minutes? SAVE THE WHALES PLEASE acutely reminds us that these creatures could still be hunted to extinction.

SAVE THE WHALES PLEASE is formulaic, but in a brash, exhilarating, Clive Cusslerian manner. Especially for those who are intrigued by whales and the human struggle over them, this is an opportunity to be both educated and breathlessly entertained.