<b>Peter Benchley’s fascination with the sea and its magnificent inhabitants inspired such classic novels as <i>Jaws</i> and <i>The Deep</i>, making him the preeminent author of ocean adventure and suspense. <i>The</i> <i>Girl of the Sea of Cortez</i> was his most heartfelt, cherished story of the relationship between man and the sea, both those that live in it and those who love it. </b><br> <b> </b><br> On an island in the Gulf of California, an intrepid young woman named Paloma carries a special legacy from her father—a deep understanding of the sea and a sixth sense about the need to protect it.<br> <br> Every day, Paloma paddles her tiny boat into the ocean and anchors over a seamount—a submerged volcanic peak sixty feet underwater that is clustered with spectacular sea animals and a wondrous web of marine life.<br> <br> It is there that an astonishing event takes place, when on one of her dives Paloma is shadowed by a manta ray—an animal so large it blocks the sun. She develops an extraordinary relationship with this luminous, gentle creature, but instinctively knows its existence is a secret she must fiercely protect. <br> <br>Benchley’s novel paints a poignant picture of humanity’s precarious relationship with the ocean, which unfolds alongside a heartrending story of familial bonds, often revealing that the ignorance of man is far more dangerous than the sea. Full of beauty, danger, and adventure, <i>The Girl of the Sea of Cortez</i> is triumphant—a novel to fall in love with.<br> <br> <b>Praise for <i>The Girl of the Sea of Cortez</i></b><br> <b><i> </i></b><br> “It’s hard not to compare Benchley’s tale . . . with Hemingway’s classic <i>The Old Man and the Sea</i>.”—<i>The Christian Science Monitor</i><br> <b> </b><br> “Charming.”—<i>The New York Times Book Review</i><br> <br> “For a hot summer’s day, <i>The Girl of the Sea of Cortez</i> is the next best thing to looking through a clear face mask into blue water swimming with fish.”—United Press International