The couple Gene and Sandy Ralston are really admirable, what they do and how they live. I would have loved to have known them personally. The cases they helped were fascinating. However, I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the writing style of the book. Still an enjoyable book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Steerforth Press for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

An amazing story about an elderly couple who have spent a long time doing sonar searches and recovery for the bodies of people who have drowned. A moving book about how talented and empathetic they have become at doing something many others have tried and failed at. Sadly, they haven’t been able to find anyone to take over as they age out of being able to continue this endeavor.

Thank you NetGalley and Steerforth Press for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about an extraordinary couple Gene and Sandy Ralston who are both in their 70's, and are underwater search-and-recovery specialists. This involves voluntarily using their own boat and sonar equipment to help local authorities and even the FBI, locate missing people when all other avenues have failed. They offer this service, their own personal equipment, and their time free of charge and just ask for just the cost of the gas it takes to use the apparatus. Incredibly they are self-taught, and counted among the best in the world at what they do. So far have help to locate over 130 missing people.

What an extraordinary story. I was very interested in this book when I read the synopsis as we have recently had a missing person in the town where I live and sonar services were used in the search.

This is a really interested book, not really about true crime but more about people who give their time to help families put their loved ones to rest.

When people go missing, law enforcement investigates. But when law enforcement is not able to find the victim, the Ralston's are asked to assist. During their career, in their retirement, they have found over 100 bodies of those who have gone missing in bodies of water. From those who have been missing only a short time, to many who have been missing for years, this couple uses sonar to find the bodies of loved ones for their families.

What a book! Oh my goodness. I could not read this one fast enough. I was amazed at what they have been able to accomplish. They deserve so much more recognition for their work.

Amazing and engaging, this was a fantastic book!

Thank you NetGalley and Steerforth Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a story of a couple, Gene and Sandy Ralston, who run an underwater search and retrieval operation with their own boat and equipment including sonar devices that bought themselves. They volunteer to search lakes for those who have drowned and have not been found. They have found 130 victims – including some for the FBI. The book is interesting in the way it highlights exactly what the Ralston’s searches mean to those who are missing their loved ones.

The author does delve into the science behind the technology as well as how death is viewed in diverse cultures by using some mythology (the Ferryman) and some from other author’s works. He does reference exactly where the information comes from so if the reader is interested, they could read more on the topics discussed. Sometimes the science and other information was above my head which took me out of the story.

However, I do believe that this is worth the read. Underwater retrieval is something I have not read much about and this book has piqued my interest in this area.

Oh dear, I didn’t finish this book. It wasn’t because I didn’t like the subject of the book - it was the clumsy, messy writing that got to me. There was an awful lot of background history that wasn’t really relevant, it felt like padding . It is a true account of two wonderful older people- the Ralstons- who use sonar to recover bodies from deep water all over the USA. Now in their eighties, they have a scientific background but not in sonar technology. They taught themselves how to use the equipment to great effect.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a prepublication ebook in return for an honest review.

An interesting read about a couple who almost by accident became the foremost experts on underwater body recovery. It was fascinating to hear about the Ralstons and the network that they've created that spans police, park rangers, and families of those who have gone missing on the water.

However, there were times that the book jumped back and forth between cases too much, and by the time we returned to a specific incident that was partially discussed earlier, I had completely forgotten what the story was.

Husband and wife duo, Gene and Sandy, use sonar to find drowning victims in the US and Canada. Nearing retirement age, they've recovered over 100 bodies.
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Just OK. There's no clear timeline, as the author jumps around a lot. They also include a lot of unrelated info, like the Ralston's thoughts on COVID and vaccines. Like yes, COVID was relevant to the timeline, because it created issues with traveling across the border, but their opinions on vaccines was not. Nor was including their questionable online persona. It could be argued that it was relevant to showing them as fully developed characters in the narrative, because people are complex, but I don't care. I just wanted to hear about their work.

Grateful for these folks, their skills, and all they do with them. I learned a lot, however. I wish there had Bern more of a case narrative like 'Unexplained.' That would have amped up the entertainment and intrigue.

Explore the unknowns within an ecosystem of a kin eye to discovering the elements of a good book! 🤓

Recommend this book. 📕