The Dolphin by Craig Bennett Hallenstein follows Sean Jordan, an aspiring child psychologist who had been labelled a sex offender at age 15. He’s spent years wracked by guilt over the choices of his youth. But is he really a sex offender? Sean moves to New Orleans trying to put the past behind him. Sadly, that wasn’t to happen. As a ploy for ratings, a radio host LeGrande outs all of the local registered ‘dangerous sex offenders’, which includes Sean. Thanks to this, when the radio host’s teen daughter disappears, Sean is accused. However, he becomes just as much a victim of the kidnapper. Sean is given a devil’s deal. He has the chance to save the young girl if he meets the kidnapper’s demands, but doing could cost his moral integrity. Refusing could cost his life.

This was an interesting read. Intellectually, I know that not all sex offenders are paedophiles or rapists, but society is trained to think so. In fact, there are a fair amount of cases that are the result of consensual teenaged encounters. Sean’s is one such case. As a result, he’s lived his life on the Registry, dealing with all the prejudice and suspicions that result. I had never heard of the term ‘dolphin’ before, regarding these types of sex offenders, many of whom shouldn’t even bear the label or stigma. This was certainly a controversial topic to work with, and it’ll certainly give you something to think about. The setting of New Orleans during Mardi Gras was great. It felt vivid and immediate.

***Many thanks to Netgalley, and Storyville Press for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.