Dark Tide: A Novel of Suspense - Hardcover

Kennedy, William P.

3.23

26 ratings by Goodreads

9780312117689: Dark Tide: A Novel of Suspense

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 031211768X ISBN 13: 9780312117689

Publisher: St Martins Pr, 1995

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

The author of Toy Soldiers and Guard of Honor returns with a novel of greed, murder, and betrayal as two couples on a Caribbean cruise are held hostage, discover illegal cargo, and turn on one another.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly:

This newest work from the author of Toy Soldiers and Rules of Encounter bears obvious plot similarities to Vincent Bugliosi's true-crime opus And the Sea Will Tell. Unambitious grade-school teacher Bill and his hyper-organized wife, Jeanne, join their friends Howard, a macho businessman, and his understanding spouse, Marilyn, to charter a yacht for a Caribbean cruise. The charter captain is a young guy named Steve; his girlfriend is Cindy, a pretty courier of mysterious packages. When Cindy's latest job goes bad, she runs to Steve with a fortune in uncut diamonds and bonds. Steve takes his paying crew hostage, and, fueled by strong winds and greed, the sextet sets sail. A few more deaths, at sea and on land, is as much plot as Kennedy provides?the rest is psychological filler. Kennedy squanders a remarkable amount of narrative space on repetitive speculations on the moral implications of keeping ill-gotten loot and on the insidious effect its possession might have on those who keep it. The nautical detail is fine, and the premise, while slight, would suffice for a shorter story. Most of this one, however, rides dead in the water: a lot of psychobabble from an author who has previously offered better.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Bill Chester and Howard Hunter were friends in their youth. To renew their friendship, the two men and their wives charter a beautiful yacht to cruise the Carribbean islands for relief from winter's cold. Howard, more than a bit of a braggart, annoys their hired captain, Steve, by promoting his knowledge of sailing. But when Steve greets the four with a gun as they return from a shore visit, taking them hostage, their winter vacation swiftly develops into terror on the seas. Kennedy is a masterful writer, as exhibited in Rules of Encounter (St. Martin's, 1992), but Dark Tide is not the novel it might be; the smuggling subplot is not convincingly integrated into the main story, thus making the terror less convincing. Additionally, Kennedy's characters are not thoroughly developed. Most public libraries can pass on this, but purchase if Kennedy has a strong following.?Alice DiNizo, Raritan P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.