I've enjoyed reading almost all of Owen Laukkanen's books, and this was no exception. It seemed that the suspense would never end; as soon as one problem was solved, new ones came along, and there was always the elephant in the room that we knew would need to be resolved.

If you like cold, wet, stories with stormy ocean trips, you'll like this one. It takes place along the coast of the Pacific NW in Washington and Canada, mostly in the water and almost always on a ship of some sort, except for the unlucky few who didn't manage to stay on board.

The main character was the captain of a tugboat, a young woman who inherited her skills and the boat from her father, who drowned while she was in charge. She has a great crew who are like family, and they keep things interesting. There is also some on again-off again romance going on. And I guess the subject of the story is how far people will go in order to get or hold on to a large sum of money. The answer is, pretty damn far.

I've basically run out of books to read by this author, except for a YA novel that I actually started once but decided it was too YA for me to spend time on. I hope he has some more in the pipeline. ( )

Laukkanen's thrillers are so good---fast to read because you can't put them down! Great characters. Everything happens fast so there are no dull moments trying to piece the puzzle together--it all just keeps happening. ( )

If you like seafaring stories this is a great one to read. It's action packed and pretty much the entire story is set out on the water, in either the tugboat or car carrier.

I really wish they would make this into a series. I'd love to go on more salvages with the Gale Force crew.


*I received this ARC from the Penguin Random House First-to-Read program in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!


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Someone pass the Dramamine! I am not a sea-worthy individual and my front porch is the closest I would want to get to this high seas adventure in real life.

Such a different kind of good for Laukkanen but he nailed. I'm so glad he wrote about this marine roots. I learned a lot from reading this book that I would have never even thought of before about boats and how things work.

The storyline was kept tugging me along and the entire crew of characters were great but but McKenna Rhodes is the best heroine I've read in a long, long time. ( )

McKenna Rhodes has taken over her late father’s deep sea salvage operation and, with the company in dire straits, she needs the fee for the salvage of the freighter “Pacific Lion.” However, McKenna and her crew have no idea that one of the freighter’s crewmen carries stolen bearer bonds. With the Japanese Yakuza on the trail of the bonds and another salvage ship racing to the scene, McKenna may find everything she loves . . . her ship, her way of life, perhaps her own life . . . will be lost.

Well-drawn characters populate this high seas adventure filled with excitement, betrayal, and mayhem. The clever plot twists and turns as suspense mounts and a young woman bravely fights for all she holds dear. Readers are sure to find much to appreciate in this absorbing tale that navigates the world of maritime salvage with intrigue and suspense.

Recommended. ( )