Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels

From marine monsters to delicious delicacies, eels have long been a source of fascination for many, and journalist Shell (The Job: Work and Its Future in a Time of Radical Change) asserts that they may be the most remarkable creatures of them all. Despite decades of research, much is still unknown about the intricacies of the eel reproductive process. As a result, this makes eel-breeding a tricky—and lucrative—business. These mysterious creatures have weathered centuries of continental shift and mass extinction, but can they survive an onslaught of human attention? Shell’s thorough, thought-provoking history of the eel is as much about industry as it is about nature, sprinkled liberally with stories of crime and commerce. Narrator Coleen Marlo gives a clear, no-frills performance. While that approach is often well suited to nonfiction, Shell’s engaging and informative writing might have been better matched with a more expressive delivery.