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Climb aboard Save the Bay 's education vessel to catch a glimpse of migratory harbor seals lounging on Citing Rock near Rose Island. You'll learn all about the life of a seal, from their migration patterns and food habits to the laws and regulations involved in conserving this species, all while taking in 360-degree views of Narragansett Bay and historic Newport Harbor.

For more than 15 years, Save The Bay has been offering seal watch tours and nature cruises providing the opportunity to enjoy the cooler months while observing local wildlife.

One hour seal tours are entirely boat-based, while 1.75-hour tours include a visit to the grounds and lighthouse on Rose Island.

• One-hour tour : $22 adult, $17 Save The Bay members, seniors, children aged 3-12
• Two-hour tour : $55 adult, $50 Save The Bay members, seniors, children aged 3-12

Tours depart from Perrotti Park at 39 America's Cup Avenue various dates from November through April. 

View full the schedule here

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Discover Newport

Discover Newport is the non-profit organization dedicated to promoting of the City of Newport and its eight surrounding coastal communities. We speak in seasides and sunsets. 

Want to see a harbor seal? Bundle up, because winter is the best time for this Newport tour

NEWPORT – Do not assume you must wait until warm weather arrives in order to enjoy an aquatic animal watch in these parts.

Seal watch tours – more specifically, harbor seal watch tours – are a winter and early spring option run by Save The Bay . And as long as you dress smart, in layers and with some nylon for wind and moisture blockage, this affordable option should be a treat.

The tours last an hour, departing from and returning to Perrotti Park, 37 America's Cup Ave., on the waterfront. The migratory harbor seals like to hang out on Citing Rock in Newport Harbor . Save The Bay's harbor seal watch tours start in November and run until April, at which time the cold water-loving seals start their trek north, summering along the New Hampshire, Maine and Canadian Maritime coasts.

In addition to the one-hour harbor seal watch tour, Save The Bay also offers a two-hour Seal & Lighthouse Tour that includes a stop on Narragansett Bay's Rose Island .

The seals seen on the Save The Bay tours are different from the larger gray seals so commonly seen, year round, along the coasts of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Harbor seals range in size from 4.5 to 5.5 feet/100-175 pounds for females and 5 to 6 feet/175-275 pounds for males. The gray seals check in at 6-7 feet/600-700 pounds and live in much larger colonies than do the harbor seals.

The harbor seal Save The Bay tours run on weekends and on holidays and school vacation weeks. The departure times vary, with the STB vessels leaving Perotti Park around low tide when Citing Rock is most exposed, meaning more space for leisure-loving seals.

Eric Epirrmanns, STB's lead captain and one of the organization's foremost seal experts, said watchers are generally more than satisfied with their tours. “Wonder, Joy. Everyone acts like a kid looking at seals,” he said. “They are cute and cuddly looking. Lots of oohhs and aaahhs.”

Asked to speculate on the seals' reactions to their human gawkers, Pfirrmann said, ““For the most part they ignore us but they are always alert. We keep our movements as predictable as possible as they will notice any out of character movements. Harbor Seals are smart and live their whole lives near humans. A vessel that stops, suddenly slows or worse, points its bow at them is a threat.

“After a few visits, they recognize our boats. Strange boats or worse kayaks or paddleboards will still spook them. Still we try to keep our time with them limited to 20 or so minutes at a time.”

The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act protects all seals from being hunted or harassed. Harbor seals were so named for their preference for protected waters, such as those humans use for harbors. “They're used to humans,” Pfirrmann said. “They've figured out a good way to co-exist.”

Pfirrmann, 58, said that because harbor seals are in our waters only during the colder months, they have no natural predators in southeastern New England. Even in the summer, he added, they do not attract predators like the great white shark, which prefers the larger more predictable colonies of gray seals.

Harbor Seals, Pfirrman said, are “opportunistic eaters and will catch just about anything that swims or crawls, and they follow schools of herring migrating down the coast from the Gulf of Maine.”

Save The Bay's two vessels,  Alletta Morris and Elizabeth Morris, are both about 46 feet long. Though both are partially covered, the tour, Pfirrmann emphasized, should be regarded as an outdoor activity. The heads (bathrooms) are winterized but available for emergency use.

The harbor seal watch tourists are, Pfirrmann said, generally smart about dressing properly. The most common instances of underdressing, he said, happen in early April when it may be 70 degrees in Providence, prompting a teen on a school trip to dress in shorts. That mistake is felt soon after the boat pulls out from dock. “A Newport sea breeze,” he said, “can be a great learning experience.”

To reserve spots on a tour or for more information, visit savethebay.org or call 401-203-SEAL (7325).

Prices for the one-hour tour are $22 (non members), $17 (STB members, seniors, children age 3-12). For the two-hour tour, prices are $55/$50. Children younger than 3 are free on both tours.

Save The Bay Seal Tours on Narragansett Bay

by David | Dec 24, 2018 | Newport Attractions

Come see Rhode Island’s state mammal in its natural habitat with Save The Bay Seal Tours on Narragansett Bay!

Summer isn’t the only time you can enjoy a boat tour of Narragansett Bay. In fact, the only time you can see harbor seals in the bay is right now – winter! Harbor seals are migratory and love to come play and fish in Rhode Island’s wintertime waters.

Save The Bay, a non-profit organization that works to protect and improve Narragansett Bay, has been offering wintertime nature cruises for more than 15 years, now. Their one and two hour seal watch tours are an amazing opportunity to observe local wildlife and see the bay.

Save The Bay Seal Tours

Save the Bay seal tours are available from November through April every year. Attendees have the option of a Newport Seal Tour or a Newport Seal & Lighthouse Tour.

Newport Seal Tour This one hour tour departs from the Bowen’s Ferry Landing Market Square to provide 360º views of harbor seals and Narragansett Bay. Save The Bay’s education vessel will motor through historic Newport Harbor to reveal of harbor seals resting on Rose Island’s Citing Rock and the Newport Bridge. Fun and fascinating!

Newport Seal & Lighthouse Tour The Newport Seal & Lighthouse Tour is a 2 hour expansion of the Newport Seal Tour outlined above. The difference is that this tour also includes an hour-long stop and tour of the 1870  Rose Island Lighthouse . Due to repairs on the Rose Island Lighthouse, Save The Bay’s Newport Seal & Lighthouse Tour will only be available in April for the 2018-2019 season.

Save the Bay provides binoculars so that everyone can have a visual front-row seat during the tour. Your guide’s expert narration will impart facts about harbor seals and other wildlife, as well as the region’s environmental issues and rich history. You’ll come away from the experience better informed – and with a big smile.

Save the Bay offers a variety of excellent tours all year long. Learn more at  www.savebay.org .

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90-Minute Seal Watching Cruise in Narragansett Bay from Wickford

• 90-minute Narrated Seal Watching Cruise from Wickford, RI
• See the seals in their natural habitats in Wickford Harbor
• Experience scenic views along Narragansett Bay, off of Newport Harbor
• Local/Professional Guide
• Option 1 55 Brown St, North Kingstown, RI 02852, USA Seal Watching Cruises depart from the Wickford Town Dock located behind the pharmacy on the main street in Wickford, RI. Approximately 20 minute drive from Newport or Narragansett, RI.
• Option 2 Rhode Island, USA
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Stroller accessible
• Service animals allowed
• Infants must sit on laps
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Most travelers can participate
• Seal Watching Cruises depart from Wickford, RI located a quick 20-minute drive away from Newport and Narragansett, RI.
• The Captain reserves the right to cancel a tour up to one hour before departure due to unforseen weather conditions or not meeting our minimum of passengers.
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 travelers
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
• You’ll have 2 starting options See departure details
• Pass by Wickford Harbor Wickford Harbor Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
• You'll return to the starting point

• Tour35808482665 0 contributions 2.0 of 5 bubbles customer service bad customer service manager Diana my 11 year olds shrimp potatoes and sausage was ordered no spice, came out mild, she ate 2 shrimp gave the rest to her uncle, when I realized what was wrong she said her mouth hurt and she wanted to leave. cashier offered to wash the potatoes and sausage then reboil in just water to make the food warm. Really!!! asked for refund. I was refunded cost of potatoes and sausage but not the shrimp that got ate. really could not save a customer over $10 cost of shrimp. Doddies always makes her food right and watches her test it. lesson learned for me as well. everyone elses food was great, customer service terrible. Read more Written September 4, 2023
• marianne c 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles FISH"n Tales Lobster boat We enjoyed learning about lobsters and the many sea creatures (mostly crabs) Capt. Thaxter pulled up in the Northeaster's traps. Sarah, the crew, was knowledgeable. fun and patient with all the kids on board. Great cruise around Newport Harbor and towards the Newport Bridge. Boarding was quick & easy. Read more Written August 27, 2021
• kathyk2444 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Best fishing experience Terrific 3hr fishing trip. Capt. and crew very helpful and attentive. Most of the 3 hrs was spent fishing. They will clean fish dockside at the end of the trip! Read more Written August 18, 2021
• J388QPnancyc 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Wonderful The 3 hr fishing trip was wonderful. The captain and 2 mates were helpful. They knew where the fish were with plenty of bites snd fish. Truly enjoyable Read more Written August 16, 2021
• Z6103HLelizabethb 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Awesome Fishing Trip! We went on the 2 hour fishing trip on 8/14/21. We had a great time and caught a lot of Black Sea Bass and a Scup. The crew was awesome and were kept very busy with all the fish being caught. We only had 14 on our trip which was prefect, lots of personal attention. Matt and the Captain worked hard at the back of the boat where we were and were very pleasant and helpful. Thank you for a great fishing trip to add to our wonderful vacation in beautiful Rhode Island! Read more Written August 15, 2021
• 558tracye 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great 90 minute lobster boat tour We rode the 90 minute lobstering tour with our 21 month old daughter and had a blast!!! The tour was super well run, organized, and the boat was spacious (it felt totally safe both covid wise and for our young toddler)! The captain and Joan were awesome and made the trip fun and informative. Would not hesitate to book again!!!! Read more Written August 14, 2021
• jonathangP5939ZX 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great Time Fishing Great experience. When booking I asked to be placed on a waitlist for a more convenient day. Staff obliged and were able to fit us in. Took a 3 hr fishing trip. Crew was friendly, helpful and professional. Read more Written August 12, 2021
• georginamr777 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great first time fishing experience! We took the 2hr fishing trip with our 8 year old son. He loved it and had such a great time. The staff was professional, friendly and helpful. My son wanted to go back and do it again. Read more Written August 11, 2021
• FrankAProvidence_RI 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fun and educational Great afternoon with the grandkids on the Fish'n Tales Lobster boat. Even though we did not trap any lobsters the trip was still a great experience. Plenty of lobsters on board for show and tell. Learned all about bait, traps, mating, etc. The kids went nuts with all the spider crabs we caught! Definitely hands on and the children learned a lot. The kids were able to band the lobsters. Second time we book and the kids want to go again. Read more Written August 10, 2021
• Z5671PRmaryp 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Lobster tour My husband and I took our three grandsons on the lobster tour It was a great experience learned a lot about lobsters and other sea creatures boys thought it was great lots of hands on experience would highly recommend 5 stars +++ Read more Written August 6, 2021
• 794edwinh 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great Day Fishing in Newport, Rhode Island I took a trip to Rhode Island and wanted to get in a fishing trip with my son and heard many great things about Fish'n Tales Adventures and the FV/Northeastern. I booked a 7:30am, 3 hour trip and it was a great trip. The captain and the crew were knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. They were all around great! As for the fishing, we had a ton of action!!!! They put us on many fish and everyone that went fishing that day, came home with some fish. Many Black Sea bass, porgies (scup), and fluke came over the rail. I came home with a nice Black Sea bass and my son even caught a dogfish shark. Great trip all around. I definitely recommend this boat and I will be using them in the future. Read more Written July 30, 2021
• dennis g 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fantastic morning, caught 11 fish. I took my granddaughter who just turned 13 out for the morning fishing trip on the good ship Narragansett. It was a fantastic three hours on the bay. The captain of the ship was extremely professional, safety oriented, and gave us a five minute introduction prior to boarding. Everything, I mean everything was taken care of from safety vests to Polls to bait, water and finally filleting the fish that were keepers and providing an iced bag to take it home. The first mate, Jeff, was extremely helpful and courteous. He was all over the ship taking care of everyone instantly. I highly recommend the two or three hour voyage in. Well worth the expense. Read more Written July 27, 2021
• tlf610 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles Fun morning of fishing! My husband and I fished at 7:30am with Thaxton, Matt, and Ryan. There were about 15 of us on this outing. It was a foggy morning but Captain Thaxton took us to a few nice fishing spots. Most everyone caught some fish: Skump, black sea bass, a few others. The vessel was roomy; everyone had enough space. Matt and Ryan were very helpful and friendly. Read more Written July 22, 2021
• G3311BAwilliama 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fun on a Lobster boat Fish N' Tales Lobster boat trip is great family fun. You learn a lot about lobsters and how they are caught. Sara was a very personable and informative guide. The captain did a nice job driving the boat. The kids on board seemed to really love it, as did the adults. The boat ride is really smooth. A good alternative to a regular harbor cruise as you see the same sights but it has more to offer. Read more Written July 12, 2021
• amyg595123 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great family fun Lobster tour-it was fantastic, hands on for kids and adults, and informational. Captain and guide both great. Read more Written July 7, 2021

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

90-Minute Seal Watching Cruise in Narragansett Bay from Wickford provided by Fish'n Tales Adventures

Save the Bay

Location & Hours

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Located in:

Bowen's Wharf

18 Market Square

Newport, RI 02840

Serving Newport Area

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About the Business

Seal Tours prove that summer isn't the only time to enjoy Narragansett Bay. Saturdays and Sunday, from October through April, Save The Bay offers seal tours and nature cruises out of Westerly and Newport, RI and Fall River, MA for an on-the-water look at Rhode Island's official State Marine Mammal - the harbor seal. Lighthouse Cruises are scenic half-day and full-day voyages past up to 20 active and inactive lighthouses of Rhode Island and an inside or grounds tour of one lighthouse. Selected Saturdays and Sunday from May through October, Northern Tours and Ultimate Tours depart from Providence, while Southern Tours depart from Newport, RI. …

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Truly wonderful placem so much packed into a small place. The volunteers truly cared about what they do the local animals were amazing. Super cool touch tanks. Had a wonderful time.

Such a cute aquarium! My 5 Y/O had the BEST TIME at the touch tanks and learned so much! It's very small but honestly that makes it charming! We were one of two families in at the time so we didn't feel rushed to leave certain tanks, etc. Awesome place, only $9/person. Since it's a non-profit aquarium we didn't mind buying a food goodies - great t-shirt and a starfish stuffy!

Fun and different way to spend an hour in Newport. I was vacationing in Newport during their Winter Festival weekend and came across the hour-long seal watching tour. As someone who is always searching for a boat tour of some kind, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to buy tickets. I have to say, while the staff was fun, friendly, and knowledgeable, the most disappointing part of the tour was the actual "seal watching" part. Basically we circled a couple of rocks from 150ft+ away (because of a marine animals law that I am completely for), and we're able to semi-make out a number of seals hanging out on the rocks. It's not their fault there weren't a lot of seals out that day, so I don't hold that against them at all, but the binoculars that they gave us to look through were very hard to keep steady on the choppy waters and I ended up with a headache for the rest of the afternoon. Unless you have a really good long-lense shooting camera, the seal pictures aren't going to be great. However as a huge admirer of the Pell Bridge, I loved getting right next to that. Overall, it was a good experience and it goes to a good cause. Fitting for all ages, but I heard a number of kids (under 10yrs.) that seemed a bit disappointed. They also gave us buy 1 get 1 admission to the Save the Bay Aquarium and Exploration Center upon docking - which would have been nice to know before going there before the tour and paying for two admissions - but again, it was for a good cause.

I love the Bay in winter. Wrap up warm and watch seals frolicking. Great winter activity.

Seal tour on a pleasant, easy-going morning. Not much in the way of seal sightings, but a nice way to see Narragansett Bay for an hour. The price is reasonable and goes to a good cause. Seal tours run Nov-Apr, so there's usually availability. But just in case make the reservation (especially if you have kids). Bino's provided.

We took this tour in mid April with an almost five year old and a very active almost two year old. We did the hour tour. It was a great experience and at the time we did it, there were tons of seals sunning themselves on the rocks and a few swimming in the bay. It seemed to go by very quickly, so if you have the time, take the two hour option. The one hour was good for us as our younger child would not have been happy for two hours on the boat needing to hold hands or be held. Our almost five year loved it! The information about the harbour seals during the tour was very interesting.

boating in cold weather on the Narragansett Bay for a good cause? overall, a win. tickets are $22 a head and we had a blast. learned about the various types of seals you can spot in the Bay, and actually saw a lot of them. the two staff members on our boat were friendly, helpful, and informative. learned about the seals and conservation efforts to preserve their population, as well as some local history and folklore. the boat has clear tarps covering it, in case the weather is really bad, but we had a bright sunny day and fairly calm waters. binoculars are provided. we left a few minutes late because someone was running late, and the return trip back to the dock was a little fast because of this. not a big complaint, but everyone else had showed up early or on time, so it was a minor annoyance. then again, I enjoyed the bumpy, fast ride back to the dock. I think I was the only one who did, but then again I've been riding the subway since I was able to walk so things like that don't faze me. the tours run from the end of November into April. pay ahead of time to ensure your spot and have a good time!

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Enjoy A Guided Boat Nature Tour And Explore A Lesser-Known Side To Newport, Rhode Island

Beth Price-Williams

A professional writer for more than two decades, Beth has lived in nearly a dozen states – from Missouri and Virginia to Connecticut and Vermont – and Toronto, Canada. In addition to traveling extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., she has a BA in Journalism from Point Park University (PA), a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University (NJ), and a Master of Professional Writing from Chatham University (PA). A writer and editor for Only In Your State since 2016, Beth grew up in and currently lives outside of Pittsburgh and when she’s not writing or hanging out with her bunnies, budgies, and chinchilla, she and her daughter are out chasing waterfalls.

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Living in Rhode Island usually goes hand-in-hand with a natural love of the water. We spend as much time as we can on, in, and near it all year round. Life near the water means adventures galore, including a guided boat tour in Rhode Island that will give you a peek at some of the most adorable seasonal residents of Narragansett Bay.

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Learn more about this guided tour in Rhode Island on its TripAdvisor page, and start planning your next adventure.

Have you been on a guided boat tour in Rhode Island? Did you see any seals? Share your experience in the comments! For another unique way to see Newport, join a trolley tour in Rhode Island .

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Seals—and Save The Bay Seal Tours—return to Newport

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By Save The Bay

On November 18, a Save The Bay education vessel will depart from Perrotti Park, marking the organization’s 23rd seal tour season in the “City by the Sea.”

Between November and April, the environmental nonprofit organization will run one-hour Seal Tours, and two-hour Seal and Lighthouse tours, complete with expert narration by Save The Bay staff. These one-of-a-kind excursions offer passengers of all ages the opportunity to experience the beauty of Newport, catch spectacular views of the Claiborne Pell Bridge, learn the history of the harbor, and spot Rhode Island’s state marine mammal, the harbor seal, in its natural environment.

“Harbor seals are the most common marine mammal in New England,” said Save The Bay Captain Eric Pfirrmann. “While their population was once in steady decline due to human activities, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 helped reverse the trend. Following the guidelines of the MMPA, we make sure that our tours stay at a safe distance so that we don’t disrupt these amazing animals, but we do provide guests with binoculars so they can see the seals in perfect detail.”

“While we see a variety of seal species in Narragansett Bay, we can identify a harbor seal by its size and its ‘puppy-dog’ face. We usually spot them resting ‘hauled out’ on rocks or in a ‘bottling’ position, where they float upright like a glass bottle.” 

For over two decades, Save The Bay has offered Seal Tours during the region’s cooler months when harbor seals migrate into local waters following their food supply. Save The Bay’s education vessels allow guests to observe winter seals and other wildlife in their natural habitat, all while benefiting the nonprofit’s mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay.

Save The Bay’s one-hour Seal Tours run most weekends and during school holidays and vacations. Ticket prices are: $22 per adult; $17 for Save The Bay members, seniors, and children ages 3-12; and free for children ages two and under. 

Save The Bay’s two-hour Seal and Lighthouse Tours, complete with a stop at Rose Island are offered less frequently throughout the season. Ticket prices are: $55 per adult; $50 for Save The Bay members, seniors and children ages 3-12; and free for children ages two and under. 

Tour schedules, tickets, gift certificates and more information can be found online at  savebay.org/seals  or by phone at 401-203-SEAL(7325).

Books | Don Winslow wraps up a crime trilogy and…

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Books | don winslow wraps up a crime trilogy and writing career with ‘city in ruins’, winslow's book tour brings him to costa mesa on tuesday, april 9, and santa monica on thursday, april 11..

For three decades, crime novelist Don Winslow followed a simple routine: He’d rise at dawn each day to begin writing by 5:30 a.m.

Twenty-five books later, most of them crime novels, many of them acclaimed, Winslow announced he was done . “City In Ruins,” the just-published final book in his Danny Ryan trilogy, is his final book, period.

Not that the old habits have changed overnight.

“Well, it was strange, I’ll tell you,” Winslow says, laughing, when asked about those first weeks after he turned in his final draft about a year and a half ago.

“Because I’ve been a full-time writer probably for the last 25 years, I guess,” he says. “That was my routine. I was just in that harness.

“I’ve tried not to get up at five in the morning – without a lot of success,” Winslow says. “The other morning, I forget, it was a Sunday or something, I slept till 7:30 a.m. My wife was like, ‘Yay, congratulations. I’m so proud of you.’

But she probably shouldn’t get used to that. The 70-year-old writer – or former writer, it seems – still has work he plans to do as an activist speaking out and producing films and videos about the tender state of democracy in the United States and the threat to it that Winslow sees in Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.

“I’m up early reading the newspapers now; I read at least five newspapers a day,” Winslow says. “I want to get an early start on that. And then I’ll, you know, these days, I go back to the papers, probably more than I did when I was a writer.

“But yeah, it felt weird, you know,” he says. “I mean, I spent 30 years with freaking Danny Ryan. There’s another character of mine, Art Keller. I did these three big, fat, drug books , and he’s in all three of them. And between him and Danny, I have spent more time with people who don’t exist than people that do.”

Winslow’s got a bit more time to spend with Danny Ryan, the protagonist of the trilogy that began with “City On Fire,” continued in “City Of Dreams,” and now wraps with “City In Ruins.” (The first book is being developed as a movie with Austin Butler signed on to play Danny.)

The novels emerged from Winslow’s long-simmering dream of writing modern crime stories inspired by such classical works as the Roman poet Virgil’s “Aeneid” and the Greek playwright Aeschylus’s “Oresteia” trilogy. Danny Ryan, like Aeneas in the original, moves from foot soldier to leader in the books, with some plotlines and characters drawn from their antecedents. Themes of power, betrayal, revenge, and grief also reflect clearly back and forth across the centuries.

Winslow’s book tour for “City in Ruins” brings him to Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 9, and Santa Monica on Thursday, April 11. It kicked off in New York City on April 1, where we caught up with him between his appearance on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC and a bookstore event later that day.

In an interview edited for clarity and length, Winslow talked about the classic parallels between “City In Ruins” and Aeschylus and Virgil’s works, the political work he’s involved in today, and why he doesn’t believe feelings matter when democracy is threatened.

Q: How satisfying was it to take your contemporary crime story and prove to yourself and readers that it could work using the inspiration of the classics and things like power, revenge and betrayal – all that good stuff.

A: All that good stuff, yeah. Listen, man, it took me 30 years to figure this out. I wrote the first sentence of the first book – which by the way, hasn’t changed – almost 30 years ago. So it was a challenge to find those modern equivalencies. Because what I really wanted was a book you could read as a modern crime novel, you know, with no reference to the classics at all, and yet still take from those characters and those themes and those stories.

I really wanted to follow through their lives, all those characters, not just Danny – although Danny, of course, is the spine of the story. But I also wanted to follow through on those classical characters. ‘The Iliad’ leaves you right in the middle of everything, you know, it starts in the middle and ends in the middle. And so it was satisfying to go through and find out what happened to these people afterwards.

And that’s covered, as you alluded to, in ‘Eumenides’ and the Furies and mythology and ‘The Odyssey’ and all of these things. I wanted to tie all those characters together both the modern and the classical ones.

So yeah, to have finished it was, frankly, really satisfying. And I’d be the last person to be able to judge if I pulled it off or not. That’s up to the reader. But yeah, it was satisfying to finally figure it out.

Q: In terms of the characters in this one, we have the casino world and we have this really nasty mobster Allie Boy from Detroit. We get more on some of the Rhode Island characters. How do you decide how to add new people into an ongoing narrative?

A: I know exactly. I mean, the Danny string in that novel really very closely follows the Aeneid. There’s a really nasty character, Turnus, in the “Aeneid,” that does some of the things that Allie Boy does in that book. The characters of Josh and Abe, you know, are drawn very closely from the Aeneid.

So I was just looking at those characters and trying to figure out, OK, what are the modern equivalents? And that’s always tricky. You don’t want to create cartoonish characters to fill in the plot, right? And so the issue is to make them real, as nasty as they may be, to give them a unique point of view so that they become real to the reader and not just sort of stand-ins.

Q: So now that it’s been a year and a half, do your characters still turn up in your mind from time to time?

A: Every once in a while. Art [Keller, from ‘The Cartel’ series] not so much, because it’s been a bit since I wrote a book called ‘The Border.’ But yeah, anytime there’s like a headline or a newspaper article about the Mexican drug world all of that comes back. In fact, sometimes it’s about characters who were the prototypes for characters in my books.

the guy who went to prison in San Diego. And, you know, I knew his story intimately.”]

Danny keeps popping back up because, look, the book is just coming out, and I’m talking a lot about it. But again, I’ve known the real-life Dannys my whole life, those guys I played hockey with and surfed with, hung out in bars with. So Danny’s kind of always with me.

Q: So let’s talk about your new work. I see videos from you on Twitter, or X. There’s a new one about Donald Trump I saw there.

A: Well, first of all, it’s not new. I’ve been doing this since 2015. What’s new is that I’m not writing a novel, so that’s the difference. But yeah, I mean, my sort of daily routine, I follow the news to do the – well, I guess they’re not tweets anymore – and then work on these videos. That’s my kind of day.

Q: When you write a book, you can meet people on a book tour or see the sales figures to know how it’s doing. How do you judge the impact of the activism you’re doing?

A: It’s tricky. It’s difficult. There are a number of aspects to it. We’ve had over 300 million views on those videos, which is mind-boggling. Fifteen million just from the last three of them. We hear from a lot of people, you know, supporting it, and we hear from people who are pretty angry about it. We hear from candidates who have told us that these videos and the tweets have had a positive effect. And in fact, some of them have been quite honest about telling us that our videos quite often get more views than the actual campaign material. So I think, yeah, we have had an effect.

Q: In a previous interview, you said you can’t allow yourself to be discouraged or pessimistic about the state of democracy and politics in the U.S. Talk a little about your feelings as this election year continues.

A: It’s absurd that a man who tried to overthrow the government of the United States is going to be the Republican nominee. That beggars belief, right? Of course, I’m concerned. This is closer than it should be. And there is a path to victory for Trump.

Optimism, pessimism, again, to me, it doesn’t matter. I guess this isn’t a terribly woke thing to say, but I’m gonna say that sometimes feelings don’t matter. I’m sorry. They don’t. What are we supposed to do? We feel bad, we’re supposed to lay down on the couch in the fetal position and let the country go to hell?

So, you know, depending on what’s happening, I feel more positive or more negative or whatever. But so what? Doesn’t matter. You just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and do what you can do.

Q: What kind of reaction have you been getting to your decision to stop writing?

A: A lot of people don’t believe me. A lot of my close friends don’t believe me. I’m not sure my wife believes me. I should start taking bets. Start saying, ‘Lay 100 bucks down and we’ll talk in a year.’ Get your money. Do you want to put any money down, Peter?

Q: No. But maybe you can fund the videos with your winnings.

A: There you go. Good idea.

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