Richard and Robin Mariner are on their first vacation in
years when their plans are slightly altered. They come
across the beautiful ship "Katapult" anchored in the Indian
Ocean and are fascinated by the possibilities of what the
design itself can do for their shipping company, Heritage
Mariner. The creator and owners of the ship agree to take
them on a voyage to test the multihull beauty, since it is
obvious the couple know a thing or two about the sea and
the vessels that sail its waters. They are all enjoying
themselves when they hear a "May Day" call and race to
investigate the situation.
The group on the "Katapult" finally locates the ship that
sent the distress signal, billowing smoke and flames coming
from hull make in painfully obvious. They find the ship
strangely deserted with damage that can only come from an
air assault; they barely manage to get off the ship before
in explodes.
Unfortunately for the Mariners, the strange occurrences do
not stop there. They are informed that a terrorist group
has taken one of the Heritage Mariner ships and its crew
hostage. Leaders of the armed forces refuse to take part in
any rescue mission, so Richard has to take matters into his
own hands.
This second book in the Richard Mariner series by Peter
Tonkin, following THE COFFIN SHIP, spins an exciting,
action-packed thriller with colorful characters and enough
intrigue to keep the pages turning straight to the end.
Definitely a great read.
While on a rare vacation on a cruise ship, Richard and
Robin Mariner stumble upon a terrorist plot to strangle
the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf. By the author of
The Coffin Ship. 12,500 first printing.