Song of the Sound

From an author whose work “recalls the magical power of The Horse Whisperer”: A dolphin expert in New Zealand finds love—and danger (Scotland on Sunday).   After years of freelance research on the sea life of Vimereax, France, and studying killer whales in Argentina, single mother Libby Bass and her daughter have now packed up for the coastal waters surrounding the Milford Sound in New Zealand. An expert in cetacean communication, Libby has a permanent new position with a dolphin-watch program, an opportunity she’s been waiting for. Even better, it’s in the heart of the Sound, home to the most mysterious and beautiful creatures on earth.   When she meets John-Cody Gibbs, Libby believes she’s also found the perfect man. A former fisherman from New Orleans, the widower is looking for his own peace and purpose in New Zealand’s Lake Manapouri, “the lake of the sorrowing heart,” said to be made up of the tears of the dying and grieving. John-Cody’s understanding of wildlife is so profound as to be almost magical, but a dark secret from his past soon threatens everything within Libby’s reach—and everyone she loves.   The follow up to Cry of the Panther, a novel in which “[Gulvin’s] passionate interest in animals and his charismatic lovers make for compulsive reading,”Song of the Sound powerfully explores romantic relationships and profound connections with the natural world (Scotland on Sunday).