The Dolphin

On debut Craig Hallenstein has written a superbly constructed thriller. Cleverly plotted with several storyline threads and a lot of interesting characters, including a deranged villain who's the nastiest I've come across since Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
Set in New Orleans, the background details seem very authentic. Ok I've been there once, but its described very much as I remember it and the characters and general landscape are very well realised. Thank goodness there is no square jawed, indestructible hero but a series of well drawn characters, suitably flawed, who are believable and, at times, vulnerable, who carry on until a gripping conclusion.
No spoilers here about the plot and the people, just a suggestion that you should, under no circumstances miss this book. Highly recommended.

Craig Hallenstein's debut novel, The Dolphin, is a fascinating look at how people's psychological outlooks on their lives can be similar and yet entirely different.

Sean Jordon is a genius when it comes to psychology. He was analyzing other folks' problems from elementary school onward and yet he had the hardest time dealing with his own issues. His naivete turns what for some would be an otherwise harmless dalliance into a lifetime stigma he tries to keep hidden.

Sean manages to keep his secret for years. Happily married and raising a young daughter, Sean goes about his business teaching psychology at a university in Louisiana, forming new ties with an old buddy and living his life as peacefully as he can. Then one day, a person from his past comes to town; a person he's hard pressed to remember. Suddenly, Sean's life has become a nightmare and he is forced to face all the demons he's held at bay for years while keeping one step ahead of the law and three steps ahead of a murderer who's targeting not only Sean himself, but anyone Sean holds dear.

Sometimes, when trying to keep the sharks in one place, there may be a dolphin or two who are caught in the net.

Sean Jordan is one such man. Branded a sex offender at the age of 15, his life has been nothing but chaos. Now married with a young daughter of his own, he still carries the feeling of guilt and fear.

Now living in New Orleans, he is outed by a well-known radio personality. Sean is assaulted by the police, his best friend is murdered, and his wife is leaving him. When the radio personality's 13-year-old daughter is abducted, all eye are on him. And he does the only thing he knows to do ... and that is to run.

Bit by bit the reader learns what really happened to him as a young boy .... why he feels guilt. But is he really a sex offender? He is scared that he is, although he's never touched a child in a sexual way. So is Sean the shark ... or the dolphin?

This book brought back something that happened to me when my children were young. I opened my door one day to find a policeman standing on my porch. In his hand was a flyer with a young man's picture on it. He handed it to me, recited some code, then said this was my notification that a sex offender would be living in my neighborhood.

I hadn't thought of this since then, but now I wonder .... is he still a registered sex offender? How has it affected his life?

This is an extremely well-written book. The author is a psychologist himself, father to 5 sons. He brings a lot of reality to his first book of fiction. He has placed his characters against the backdrop of the Mardi Gras. The reader can hear the sounds, the yelling, see the beads, the costumes, the masks as the tension rises until it explodes. It left me reeling.

Many thanks to the author / Storyville Press, New Orleans / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Review will be posted April 1 The Dolphin was a bit different than most of the books I usually read. I was drawn to it because it is set in New Orleans. It is not about the animal dolphin, but rather a sex offender that is considered a dolphin:

“When the law goes fishing for sharks, it casts a wide net. Sometimes it catches a dolphin. Not supposed to. Just happens. Unfortunately, after they’re caught, most dolphins die in the net”

The story follows Sean Jordan. He was out delivering papers as a kid when his house exploded, killing his parents. Sean somehow feels responsible for what happened. He finds himself relocated in New Orleans as an adult. Despite being a registered sex offender he has a pretty nice job, a wife and a daughter. Everything seems to be going pretty well for him. That is until a new radio station shock jock comes to town. He decides that he is going to "out" all the local sex offenders. While this information is public, many don't bother to look for it. But LeGrande has decided it his business to tell the names and addresses of local sex offenders and gets the community in a frenzy.

Then there is another explosion. The aquarium. A young girl is found dead. Somehow Sean finds himself as a suspect, despite being innocent. There is a second explosion. Sean's best friend is killed. Again, Sean is the suspect. With Mardi Gras just around the corner, one of the other radio station's talk show host's daughters disappears. Of course, the police are looking at Sean. His life is falling apart since being outed - he has lost his job, may be losing his wife and daughter and keeps getting dragged into all the police investigations as a suspect.

When trying to figure out what is going on and who is framing him, he ends up kidnapped as well. The kidnapper is planning to do something big during Mardi Gras. Can Sean figure out a plan to stop him before it is too late?

Throughout the book I liked Sean and was really rooting for him. Sex offender or not, he seemed like a good guy and it seemed he got his status through a series of misunderstandings and misuse of power and justice. Despite not having solid alibis, I knew he was innocent and was really hoping that he would figure out who did it and bring them down. It was fun to read about New Orleans and Mardi Gras and recognize the street names from my trip there last year and be able to picture it all a little bit better in my head now that I have been there.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

A Dolphin: An innocent person caught in the net of sex offender registration. “When the law goes fishing for sharks, it casts a wide net. Sometimes it catches a dolphin. Not supposed to. Just happens. Unfortunately, after they’re caught, most dolphins die in the net”.

Is Sean Jordan a dolphin?

Sean constantly battles the demons of his past, connecting to his dead grandfather to justify his thoughts and fears. In doing so, he remains reasonably well balanced and is able to cope with his life. That is until a radio station, in an attempt to push for higher ratings, outs him as a registered sex offender....

It took me a while to get into this book and at one point, I nearly gave up. However, I persevered with it and I’m glad I did. Slowly, the story builds and pulls you in. This book isn’t your usual run-of-the-mill mystery/thriller. It’s very dark and thought-provoking and its controversial core topic certainly makes for an interesting read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wish the author every success with this debut psychological thriller.

This is one of those books that gets in your head and won't leave. The characters are extremly well done. You will feel what Sean feels and understand how badly the justice system has failed him. Detective Lt. Owen Dupree believes in one persons guilt even though he can't prove it. Del LaGrand has his own inner demons and strikes out at the defenceless. This is a fast paced thriller loaded with current social issues and laws that need to be reassessed. Multiple plot lines all come together, with an explosive climax, at the madness of "Mardi Gras" in New Orleans. A thriller that won't quit till the last page. This would make a fantastic movie.

Thank you NetGalley for the free Kindle version

I very nearly gave up on this book when the physiology skills of the 8 year old central character seemed too good to be true. Glad I carried on though because the story was anything but a simple "brilliant person conveniently resolves everything by his amazing skills". Great thriller very well researched and written. Be prepared to keep changing your mind about if Sean is the dolphin or the shark!!

Loved this book,can't wait to read more from this author

Suspenseful and frightening, a harrowing read, so well written.

​The Dolphin starts a little slow but as the reader continues the suspense and plot thicken. This is Hallenstein's first novel but he does an excellent job of taking the suspense and turning it into a page turner. I'm looking forward to reading more by Mr. Hallenstein. I was given an early copy of The Dolphin to review.

Yes, this was definitely a thriller. Once it gets going it hard to put down. A well written book with lots of action.

This was a sad, thought provoking, story. Compelling reading with believable characters and a logical storyline. Conclusion was a relief and reinforced ones belief in mans humanity to man, except for the odd sociopath/psychopath.

A well written thriller about a thought provoking subject. It was difficult at times continue reading on because of all the failures of the justice system and my growing frustration. This book gave me a lot to think and discuss about with my friends and it will stay with me for a long time.

Eye opening view into the world in to a wrongly accused sexual offender. Some times you can really miss the mark. Very well written would highly recommend.