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Release date: February 11, 2019
Pages: 322
Binding: 5.25 x 8 x .75
ISBN: 978-1-61822-073-8


"Throughout the book, the passions and sincerity of animal advocates are captured with immense respect…Ultimately, the novel provides insight to the lives of animal activists, and shows the dangers—to activists themselves—of standing up for animals. The narrative also demonstrates the importance of fighting for justice for animals within the bounds of the law in a moving show of compassion for all those who advocate for animals."

"The Tourist Trail by John Yunker is a an action-packed, poignant adventure of people involved in animal rights. Weaving between four main characters, the book is an exciting tale of intertwined fates…The book is perfect for any reader as it covers multiple genres including adventure, romance, and environmentalism."

"If you enjoy books with drama, adventure, excitement, and even a little romance, you will definitely enjoy John Yunker’s new book, The Tourist Trail. If you love animals you will enjoy The Tourist Trail even more."

"The Tourist Trail is a testament to how humans and the inhabitants of the sea interact and affect one another. As the characters learn and adapt, so does the reader. I promise that you will finish the book with a different perspective regarding our responsibility to life in the sea."

"The book is full of excitement and suspense and reads easily while adeptly addressing ethical issues of animal protection and animal rights."

"Where Oceans Hide Their Dead is an epic, gripping, charming novel...you will find yourself thinking about the passionate, flawed, and funny characters all day long ... without even realizing how much Oceans has forever changed you."

The long-awaited sequel to
The Tourist Trail

Robert Porter has quit the FBI in search of his long-lost (and presumed dead) love, Noa, only to find himself on the wind-raked shores of Southern Africa working for a seal-rescue organization. When a confrontation with local sealers ends in murder, Robert must abandon the seals and his search to join a private intelligence firm seeking to locate an activist who stole files from one of the world’s largest biotech companies.

On the other side of the planet, Tracy Morris is an Iowa City hospice nurse by day, while by night she obsessively follows, and ultimately loses, Neil Cameron Jr., whom she sent to prison back when she was a brokenhearted drug addict. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Amy Bakas, an American backpacker unsure about her impending marriage in the States, joins an attractive and mysterious man hitchhiking to the South Island. Along the way, she discovers that he is Neil Cameron, and that he is on the run for his life.

The stories of Robert, Amy, and Tracy collide on a desolate beach of Australia in this passionate, adventurous novel about living on the edge of society and love in all its myriad forms.



"An eco-thriller should make us want a better world. The novel balances a grim reality with hope and optimism ... Where Oceans Hide Their Dead succeeds at being a captivating eco-thriller."

The Paw Report

"Where Oceans Hide Their Dead is an epic, gripping, charming novel in which the talented John Yunker lets his readers into a world where people would travel across the globe to die for a greater cause—whether it is saving sea life or saving their lost loves. Regardless of whether you’ve read the book’s precursor, The Tourist Trail, this book will have you rapt; you will find yourself thinking about the passionate, flawed, and funny characters all day long, until you settle in for your nighttime reading without even realizing how much Oceans has forever changed you."


Praise for The Tourist Trail

"What’s impressive about this novel [is that] it occupies so much literary territory. It is at once a romance, an adventure story, an environmental polemic, and a keen study of just how animalistic humans are...It is a reader’s pleasure, due in large part to the meticulous control with which Yunker commands his language."

"The Tourist Trail by John Yunker is an exciting, thoughtful, intelligent and extremely well-written ecothriller. This novel continually surprised me and kept challenging me at every turn."

"This immensely readable and exciting novel brings together the seemingly disjointed lives of characters who share a common thread: whether they know it or not, their purpose is to be devoted to the cause of helping animals...The Tourist Trail is epic, sprawling and strikingly cinematic."

"The multiple character story lines all weave together by book's end though it's not always apparent how the author will pull it off. Trust me, he does and with enough flair to keep you interested. The beauty of the landscapes and creatures seen is not lost on the reader nor is the attention to detail paid when reviewing the knowledge imparted on the lives of these beautiful, resilient and yet fragile creatures."

"Author John Yunker's own experiences traveling to Patagonia, Norway, and Antarctica served as the inspiration for The Tourist Trail. If you don't already, you will come away from this novel with a better understanding for nature."

"This is a book for all of humanity, one that questions our actions and leaves us quaking with the consequences."

"The Tourist Trail is an exciting saga full of plot twists, romance and non-stop danger. As the book progresses, the lives of the characters begin to intertwine and the emotional twists and turns become just as enveloping for the reader as the dangerous battles at sea."

"[T]he multiple narratives romp along at an exhilarating pace whilst the classic trick of consistently switching viewpoints keeps you pressing on through the quieter passages…Ultimately, this is a story of a group of individuals each struggling in their own way to find a path through the conflict of what it means to be human. As animals of instinct we are drawn to consume the earth’s resources and to dominate the natural world for our own comfort and enjoyment. Yet our self-awareness and rationality have led us to question the morality of our interaction with nature, and to understand that our own success is often unsustainable."

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Ashland Creek Press is an independent, vegan-owned publisher of eco-literature, which includes books in all genres about animals, the environment, and the planet we all call home. We are passionate about books that foster an appreciation for worlds outside our own, for nature and the animal kingdom, and for the ways in which we all connect.


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