Shipwreck Island

ADVENTURE:  Professional maritime salvager Roy Berenger has seen more than his share of shipwrecks and adventure, yet when the beautiful, determined Natalie Claiborne shows him a journal written by a survivor of a lost merchant ship, he can’t help but be intrigued. The General Grant was wrecked off the treacherous shores of the remote Auckland Islands and its cargo of gold lost. It’s a legend, the impossible dream of treasure hunters – and against the better advice of others, Berenger decides to find it.

Assembling a crew of reliable professionals, Berenger and Natalie begin their hunt for answers. But if the remote location, shark-infested waters, and near-arctic conditions  aren’t bad enough, someone is determined to sabotage their efforts – and they aren’t above killing to keep Berenger’s crew from the treasure. Shipwrecked on a deserted island without means of contacting the mainland, can Berenger and Natalie keep their wits long enough to find the treasure – and survive?

Using the tragic and true history of the USS General Grant to anchor his story, Mr. McPike writes an action tale full of twists, turns, and dark suspense. Unfortunately, clumsy prose, grammatical errors, characters acting against their established personalities, and poorly written action scenes detract from the readers’ enjoyment and make the narrative hard to follow. After some editing and revision, however, this would still be a fine action-adventure, especially for fans of Alistair McLean.

Janice Martin