Gold And Fishes

by Donna Carrick

Foreign aid worker Ayla Harris is struggling to bring hope back into the ruins of post-tsunami Indonesia. But when she discovers that her disreputable brother-in-law is missing, she sets out to find him and soon realizes that her own life is in terrible danger.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Amazon, Historical Fiction, Action

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2006

About the author

An Air Force Brat, Donna grew up in locations all over Canada. Her primary influences came from small town Saskatchewan, Northern Ontario, the mining towns of Cape Breton, Northern Quebec and her birth province of New Brunswick.

Her interest in creative writing was established early and developed into a passion for fiction that continues to this day. She studied both Literature and Psychology at the University of Toronto and currently writes novels, short stories and poetry.

An executive member of Crime Writers Of Canada, Donna volunteers her time as a mentor to aspiring CWC authors. She remains active in the Canadian writing scene, supporting Sisters In Crime, Word On The Street, Bloody Words and a variety of other venues for the literary arts.

Donna is the author of 3 mystery novels: The First Excellence ~ Fa-ling’s Map, Gold And Fishes and The Noon God. All titles are available in paperback as well as Kindle and e-reader versions.

An office manager, wife and mother of three, Donna divides her time between the hectic pace of Toronto and the relative peace of Ontario’s spectacular Georgian Bay. Life is never dull with husband/author Alex Carrick, their children, their beloved golden retriever Daisy and Dora The Cat.

Donna enjoys sharing her knowledge of and enthusiasm for the independent and self-publishing industry. Contact Carrick Publishing to arrange a workshop or group engagement.

Reviews

[R.G. Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author takes you on the most difficult tasks taken by aid workers from Canada who responded to the December 26, 2004 Tsunami off the coast of Indonesia, Sumatra Island, Banda Aceh. Over 300,000 people died or were missing when all was said and done. You will struggle with the aid workers, and the terrible conditions they worked through will come to light while feeling you were right there with them. I compliment the author for all of the research which was necessary to give a more complete picture of how terrible the situation actually was. Not only were the aid workers dealing with all of the trauma of death and destruction, they were required to do so without offending the Muslim population's customs and beliefs. It's a tragic story told through the eyes of a nurse aid worker who finds deep and caring friendships while on her mission to help the poor people of Banda Aceh. I can't say I enjoyed the book, but I respect the author's presentation and learned things about a tragedy I may never have heard. I usually end a review by saying, enjoy, but this time I'll just say be prepared to learn about the tragic results of a Tsunami and the conditions aid workers are put through.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't pretend this was an easy book to read, strictly from an emotional perspective. Donna Carrick's protagonist, Ayla Harris, is a nurse who goes on a humanitarian relief mission to Banda Aceh in the wake of the 2004 tsunami and floods. Her mission is two-fold: help the people recover, and find her missing brother-in-law, who was vacationing in Thailand.

Carrick draws us into the difficult world of the relief workers as her characters experience shortages of supplies, theft, religious intolerance and more. Yet, while this is an emotionally harrowing book on some levels, it is also a story of triumph and courage as Ayla works with survivors to help bring normalcy to the troubled region.

Discerning readers of literary fiction are sure to enjoy this book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought to my attention again with details the terrible tragedy of the South-east Asia tsunami. As I finished the book, I heard on the news that a little girl who was lost so many years ago has just been found by her grandfather. Think she has been lost for seven years. The book describes the Canadian aid workers as it also weaves in a mystery. Carrick is a good story teller. I looked up another of her books, and found The Noon God - which was free on Kindle. Excellent book.

[Marian Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOLD AND FISHES is a wonderful, haunting novel, part mystery, part thriller, all human. The characters are all complex and compelling, the setting -- Sumatra after the 2004 tsunami -- is gripping.

I dropped a star because I felt the climactic scenes were too rushed, although a writer of Ms. Carrick's power would have made them unbearable, if they had been as fully realized as the rest of the book!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get an up-close-and-personal account of relief efforts following the 2004 tsunami, in this fictionalized story. It's a staggering tale, and all-too-human, in every possible variation of humans, at their best and at their worst. Definitely worth reading!

[ABCme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has a heart should read this amazing story! It's about the relief-work of a Canadian group of aid-workers, about compassion, strength and love. Parallelled with greed and abuse by a Western businessman and the Indonesian rebels. Pageturner!

[Diamond Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving and chilling read!

I really enjoyed the various storylines I'm this book, as well as the skill in which historical events were incorporated. Well done! I didn't want it to end.

[Gail Hartsfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story of 2004 tsunami

This this a story of loss and hope in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that devastated much of southeast Asia.

[Anandi]

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[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great fiction story against the backdrop of an historic event that devastated an entire area of the world. While, for most of the book, I felt the story was lost among all the facts and events that did occur and what the protagonist experienced as a relief worker, those facts and events actually made the story feel more real and believable to me. It brought a piece of history alive to me while providing some form of entertainment (the fictionalized story). The author did a great job of putting fiction and fact together. However, I did feel that there was too much emphasis on the fact part and, towards the end, the story felt a little rushed and almost unbelievable. As a whole, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

[Teri Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story had potential but was way too laden with detail. While it was interesting to learn about the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia, the minute by minute account of the events bogged down the plot of the story.

[Alison]

kindle 320 Indonesia

[Phyllis Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Preachy tome on disaster relief that is barely held together by a plot that is dropped at the end like a hot potato.

[TeriC · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story of relief work after the tsunami. Human emotions run the gamut in this story of help and survival.