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The Wreck of the Mary Deare
The battered hulk of a huge ship looms out of the stinging spray of a furious gale. Only one man, half-mad, remains aboard, working without sleep or sustenance to save her from sinking.
But this man is no hero, and this ship was not meant to be saved. As Hammond Innes' classic tale moves from desperate struggles on the sea to a nail-biting courtroom controversy, the murky truth about the last voyage of the Mary Deare finally comes to light.
But this man is no hero, and this ship was not meant to be saved. As Hammond Innes' classic tale moves from desperate struggles on the sea to a nail-biting courtroom controversy, the murky truth about the last voyage of the Mary Deare finally comes to light.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
336 people are currently reading
874 people want to read
About the author
Hammond Innes
104 books107 followersRalph Hammond Innes was an English novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as children's and travel books.He was awarded a C.B.E. (Commander, Order of the British Empire) in 1978. The World Mystery Convention honoured Innes with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bouchercon XXIV awards in Omaha, Nebraska, Oct, 1993.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at the Cranbrook School in Kent. He left in 1931 to work as a journalist, initially with the Financial Times (at the time called the Financial News). The Doppelganger, his first novel, was published in 1937. In WWII he served in the Royal Artillery, eventually rising to the rank of Major. During the war, a number of his books were published, including Wreckers Must Breathe (1940), The Trojan Horse (1941) and Attack Alarm (1941); the last of which was based on his experiences as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain at RAF Kenley. After being discharged in 1946, he worked full-time as a writer, achieving a number of early successes.
His novels are notable for a fine attention to accurate detail in descriptions of places, such as in Air Bridge (1951), set partially at RAF Gatow, RAF Membury after its closure and RAF Wunstorf during the Berlin Airlift.
Innes went on to produce books in a regular sequence, with six months of travel and research followed by six months of writing. Many of his works featured events at sea. His output decreased in the 1960s, but was still substantial. He became interested in ecological themes. He continued writing until just before his death. His last novel was Delta Connection (1996).
Unusually for the thriller genre, Innes' protagonists were often not "heroes" in the typical sense, but ordinary men suddenly thrust into extreme situations by circumstance. Often, this involved being placed in a hostile environment (the Arctic, the open sea, deserts), or unwittingly becoming involved in a larger conflict or conspiracy. The protagonist generally is forced to rely on his own wits and making best use of limited resources, rather than the weapons and gadgetry commonly used by thriller writers.
Four of his early novels were made into films: Snowbound (1948)from The Lonely Skier (1947), Hell Below Zero (1954) from The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1957), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). His 1973 novel Golden Soak was adapted into a six-part television series in 1979.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
November 2, 2016
Above me the sails swung in a ghostly arc, slatting back and forth as Sea Witch rolled and plunged. There was scarcely wind enough to move the boat through the water, yet the swell kicked up by the March gales ran as strong as ever and my numbed brain was conscious all the time that this was only a lull.
A storm is brewing somewhere in the Atlantic, heading straight for the little sailing boat that John Sands has bought in France and is now trying to take over to a British port. He is dead tired at the tiller, frozen to the bones and surrounded by miles and miles of misty darkness. John dreams of the small business he is trying to start with a couple of friends, using the "Sea Witch" as a diving platform for salvaging wrecks in the Channel, in the aftermathh of World War II. He is brutally brought back to reality when a hulking, rusted mountain of iron is coming out of the dark, heading straight for his sailing boat. Nobody answers his frantic cries for help or the screams of the fog horn. The big ship looks utterly abandoned. Escaping death by inches, John as his two crew members only have time to see above the exposed propellers, in huge metal letters, the name of the ghost ship : Mary Deare
With typical British sang-froid, like the fabled captain from "Typhoon", the only comment made after this close brush with death is :
'I don't mind admitting it now that we're alone', he said, 'but that was a very unpleasant moment.'
This midnight close encounter is just the opening salvo in a breath-taking adventure that will reunite John Sands with the roving steamer "Mary Deare", found again adrift the following morning, seemingly abandoned by her crew and headed for destruction on the treacherous coastline of France. Lured by the possibility of salvage money, John boards the steamer, only to become marooned there by the incoming storm, alone with the half-crazy captain of the wrecked ship, Gideon Patch. The mystery of the extensive damage the steamer has suffered, of the destruction by fire of all communication devices, of the missing crew and of the irrational behaviour of Captain Patch - all these questions need to be postponed until the only truly urgent question is answered : will the two men be able to survive a Channel spring storm in the ruined ship?
Do you know how old this ship is? Over forty years old. She's been torpedoed three times, wrecked twice. She's been rotting in Far Eastern ports for twenty years. Christ! She might have been waiting for me. cries Patch in frustration.
Hammond Innes knows his sea lore. He speaks from direct experience, and he can put the reader right in the eye of the storm like only an old deck hand could. In my opinion, he belongs in the same top tier of maritime authors as Douglas Reeman, Patrick o'Brian and Nicholas Monsarrat. All four authors are also indebted to the great XIX century masters, Henry Melville and Joseph Conrad. I mention this, because I find the construction of the present novel, with Sands as the first person narrator and Patch as the doomed hero as typical of Conrad stories. Patch is haunted by his past mistakes, isolated by the burden of command and rejected both by the crew and by society for perceived failures of character. Also reminiscent of Conrad is the titanic struggle between human obstinacy and Nature unleashed.
It is difficult to be scared of something that is inevitable. You accept it, and that is that. But I remember thinking how ironical it was; the sea was to me a liquid, quiet, unruffled world through which to glide down green corridors to the darker depths, down tall reefs walls with the fish, all brilliant colours under the surface dazzle, down to the shadowy shapes of barnacle-crusted wrecks. Now it was a raging fury of a giant, rearing up towards me, clutching at me, foaming and angry.
I could write in more detail here about the clarity of the presentation, rich in technical terms, yet very easy to follow through; about the almost documentary style of the middle section of the novel, following the inquest into the "Mary Deare" sinking, about the skills of the author in building a taut thriller with plenty of action and reversals of fortune, but I believe the most enduring memories I will have of this story will have to do with the basic struggle of Man against the elements and with the ultimate refusal of the "Mary Deare", a cursed ship if ever there was one on the high seas, to sink into oblivion without a valiant fight.
Highly recommended for fans of sailing adventures.
August 16, 2020
An enjoyable thriller about a ship, The Mary Deare, wrecked in the Minquiers (a large outcrop of rocks south of Jersey some 20 miles from the French coast).
The ship hides some secrets and captain, crew, owners and insurance companies all have an interest in how, what and why.
Taking readers through the shipwreck, a court of enquiry and later adventures this is a solid sea based thriller. This is helped along as it shows all the seagoing knowledge of ships, tides and weather of the author, who served on ships including the Antarctic after his second world war service in the Royal Artillery. Innes was very popular in the 50s to late 70s writing over 30 novels.
It was a fun read.
The Wreck of the Mary Deare was published in 1956 by Collins. My copy was released by Vintage under their Classics collection. 272 pages.
The ship hides some secrets and captain, crew, owners and insurance companies all have an interest in how, what and why.
Taking readers through the shipwreck, a court of enquiry and later adventures this is a solid sea based thriller. This is helped along as it shows all the seagoing knowledge of ships, tides and weather of the author, who served on ships including the Antarctic after his second world war service in the Royal Artillery. Innes was very popular in the 50s to late 70s writing over 30 novels.
It was a fun read.
The Wreck of the Mary Deare was published in 1956 by Collins. My copy was released by Vintage under their Classics collection. 272 pages.
August 25, 2019
Thrilling, atmospheric sea saga. Gideon Patch, the haunted master of the Mary Deare, is a complex and satisfying character, full of mysteries and ambiguities, by turns sinister, intriguing, admirable and tragic.
July 13, 2024
Of the seven or so Hammond Innes novels I've read so far this one is the best. Innes to me is
straightforward, poignantly written adventure stories with one major flaw: the protagonist's frequent bouts of slow-wittedness. Well, not in this one. (Read by Bill Wallis: chapeau.)
straightforward, poignantly written adventure stories with one major flaw: the protagonist's frequent bouts of slow-wittedness. Well, not in this one. (Read by Bill Wallis: chapeau.)
March 24, 2024
There is something so compelling about a well-written sea story. It’s a microcosm of humanity set against Nature and Time which reveals true character. I haven’t read widely in this genre, but those I have read—Moby-Dick or, The Whale, The Caine Munity: a Novel of World War II and Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea—have been absorbing, inspiring reads/listens which left me wondering how I would do under similar circumstances. Probably not half so well as the best of the heroes and not much better than the naves. In other words, they were sobering reads for me. I pray the Good God never lets anything like that happen to me or any of my loved ones. Reading about these things is more than sufficient! 🫨
My husband and I listened to this on our recent driving trip to Ft. Smith to visit daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. It was a repeat for him but he did not mind listening to it again, so I KNEW it must be good, as he does not as a rule RE-read/listen to books.
The writing is excellent and the mystery twists and turns, building deceptively. Jack/John Sands, co-owner of The Sea Witch with his friend Mike, are nearly hit by the speeding ghostly Mary Deare one night in a storm. The 6000-ton ship with all her lights ablaze seems empty of crew but she is headed at full-speed for a rocky area known as the Minquiers or “the Minkies” in local English, a group of islands and rocks, about 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Jersey, a treacherous area for seamen to navigate under the best of circumstances, but this was night, in a gale.
The story follows what Jack discovered aboard the Mary Deare that night, back to a court of inquiry to reveal what happened to the original captain, owner, the part of the crew who lost their lives and the cargo, based on the testimony of the surviving captain, Gideon Patch, which was disputed by the rest of the crew. And while Jack had a great liking for the haunted Patch, he also knew he was hiding something, but what? Who was telling the truth, who was lying and why? What had really happened on board that fateful last voyage of the doomed Mary Deare?
I will be on the lookout for more by Hammond Innes. Highly recommended!
My husband and I listened to this on our recent driving trip to Ft. Smith to visit daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. It was a repeat for him but he did not mind listening to it again, so I KNEW it must be good, as he does not as a rule RE-read/listen to books.
The writing is excellent and the mystery twists and turns, building deceptively. Jack/John Sands, co-owner of The Sea Witch with his friend Mike, are nearly hit by the speeding ghostly Mary Deare one night in a storm. The 6000-ton ship with all her lights ablaze seems empty of crew but she is headed at full-speed for a rocky area known as the Minquiers or “the Minkies” in local English, a group of islands and rocks, about 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Jersey, a treacherous area for seamen to navigate under the best of circumstances, but this was night, in a gale.
The story follows what Jack discovered aboard the Mary Deare that night, back to a court of inquiry to reveal what happened to the original captain, owner, the part of the crew who lost their lives and the cargo, based on the testimony of the surviving captain, Gideon Patch, which was disputed by the rest of the crew. And while Jack had a great liking for the haunted Patch, he also knew he was hiding something, but what? Who was telling the truth, who was lying and why? What had really happened on board that fateful last voyage of the doomed Mary Deare?
I will be on the lookout for more by Hammond Innes. Highly recommended!
November 28, 2016
I picked this up at a used book store, one of those "fill a bag for a buck" deals. It was missing a dust jacket and I almost gave it a miss but tossed it in at the last minute.
I'm glad I did.
This is a well written, evenly paced adventure thriller about a wreck and the crew who abandoned her, leaving the captain to live or die alone. Why were they so anxious to leave? What was the ship carrying? And why were so many lives lost?
There is a court enquiry which takes up roughly one third of the book, but I never felt impatient with it. And then we are back in the chase... trying to reach the wreck before others can destroy evidence...
This was good. A nice "between books" read.
CONTENT: Some foul language, but this was written in 1956 so it's pretty tame by today's standards.
I'm glad I did.
This is a well written, evenly paced adventure thriller about a wreck and the crew who abandoned her, leaving the captain to live or die alone. Why were they so anxious to leave? What was the ship carrying? And why were so many lives lost?
There is a court enquiry which takes up roughly one third of the book, but I never felt impatient with it. And then we are back in the chase... trying to reach the wreck before others can destroy evidence...
This was good. A nice "between books" read.
CONTENT: Some foul language, but this was written in 1956 so it's pretty tame by today's standards.
April 2, 2016
I never thought that I would like sea stories, but I loved this one, and after reading it I began picking up sea adventures. I don't recall much of this book, but it was good enough to keep to own after I read it.
May 28, 2022
Worse things happen at sea…
The little sailing boat Sea Witch is crossing the Channel one night, when suddenly a large ship looms out of the darkness and nearly rams her. The crew of the Sea Witch are planning to start a new business venture as salvagers and when they realise the ship may have been abandoned the skipper, John Sands, who is also our narrator, sees this as a possible salvage opportunity. So despite the fact that a storm is approaching, he decides to board the ship, the Mary Deare, to see whether they can bring it to harbour. But when he gets aboard, he finds the badly damaged ship is not completely abandoned – its captain, Gideon Patch, is there, exhausted and drunk and on the point of giving up hope. The storm hits, and Sands is unable to get back to the Sea Witch, so he and Patch are left to try to prevent the Mary Deare from sinking before help arrives. But what has caused the damage to the Mary Deare? And why has her crew, all but Patch, abandoned her? Sands finds himself caught up in a mystery as well as an adventure…
Hammond Innes was a big name in adventure writing in the last century, with a long career spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s. I’m sure I probably read some in my youth, but if so they’ve long faded from my mind. This one dates from 1956. The entire plot involves sailing – both big and small ships – and is full of nautical terminology and information about sea conditions, tides, and so on. Innes was apparently a keen sailor himself and clearly knows his stuff, and has the happy knack of not dumbing his knowledge down but still managing to keep the unknowledgable reader, like me, following in his wake. The story takes place mostly in the Minquiers, a cluster of reefs, rocks and tiny islets off the shores of the Channel Islands.
The story is divided into three parts, roughly speaking, with the first and last being adventures on the sea and aboard the Mary Deare, while the middle section involves the official court inquiry into what happened aboard. The adventures are exciting, though I did wonder if even strong experienced men could really have survived some of the physical ordeals Hammond puts them through.
The court case is what gives the adventure its plot. The Mary Deare has had a run of bad luck, firstly with the captain dying unexpectedly, so that Patch, who had only joined the ship in its last port, is thrust into the role of captain. A man is missing, a representative of the ship’s owners, and it is presumed he must have fallen overboard. Then there’s a fire which cuts off ship-to-shore communications, and finally an explosion in the cargo hold, breaching the hull. But are these things all accidents, or is there a nefarious plan afoot? The crew claim Patch ordered them to take to the lifeboats and make for shore, but Patch denies this, counter-claiming that they effectively mutinied under the direction of another crewman, Higgins. Then there are rumours that something dodgy went on the last time the ship was in harbour – that the supposed cargo of aero-engines had been secretly transferred to another ship. Patch, whose career and reputation are on the line, believes the only thing to do is to salvage the wreck and examine the cargo, and he ropes in Sands and the Sea Witch to help him.
The writing is perfectly attuned to the style of the story, with great descriptions of the sea and the storms, the conditions aboard the Mary Deare, how Patch and Sands go about trying to get the engines going again, and so on. The adventure sections have a real atmosphere of tension for the most part, though I felt the final section went on a bit too long – by that stage I was ready for the plot to be brought to its conclusion.
The courtroom scenes are slower, but I enjoyed the way Innes laid out all the conflicting evidence and gave us contrasting pictures of the various crew members. We see it all through the eyes of John Sands, who, like the reader, has no knowledge of any of these men other than what they themselves tell us. Therefore, like us, Sands has to make a judgment as to whether Patch is the victim of a conspiracy or is himself the saboteur.
I listened to the audio book version, narrated by Bill Wallis, and for the most part it’s excellent. The exception is when Patch is drunk and Wallace acts this out, slurring his words. This made it very difficult for me to make out what Patch was saying, and several times I had to rewind and listen twice or three times to the same sentence. Happily Patch sobers up eventually and the problem went away. But I do wish narrators would remember that clarity is the prime essential in audiobooks, however much they may want to show off their acting skills.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this sea adventure and I'm looking forward to checking out some more of Innes’ books in the future, either in audio or print. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
The little sailing boat Sea Witch is crossing the Channel one night, when suddenly a large ship looms out of the darkness and nearly rams her. The crew of the Sea Witch are planning to start a new business venture as salvagers and when they realise the ship may have been abandoned the skipper, John Sands, who is also our narrator, sees this as a possible salvage opportunity. So despite the fact that a storm is approaching, he decides to board the ship, the Mary Deare, to see whether they can bring it to harbour. But when he gets aboard, he finds the badly damaged ship is not completely abandoned – its captain, Gideon Patch, is there, exhausted and drunk and on the point of giving up hope. The storm hits, and Sands is unable to get back to the Sea Witch, so he and Patch are left to try to prevent the Mary Deare from sinking before help arrives. But what has caused the damage to the Mary Deare? And why has her crew, all but Patch, abandoned her? Sands finds himself caught up in a mystery as well as an adventure…
Hammond Innes was a big name in adventure writing in the last century, with a long career spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s. I’m sure I probably read some in my youth, but if so they’ve long faded from my mind. This one dates from 1956. The entire plot involves sailing – both big and small ships – and is full of nautical terminology and information about sea conditions, tides, and so on. Innes was apparently a keen sailor himself and clearly knows his stuff, and has the happy knack of not dumbing his knowledge down but still managing to keep the unknowledgable reader, like me, following in his wake. The story takes place mostly in the Minquiers, a cluster of reefs, rocks and tiny islets off the shores of the Channel Islands.
The story is divided into three parts, roughly speaking, with the first and last being adventures on the sea and aboard the Mary Deare, while the middle section involves the official court inquiry into what happened aboard. The adventures are exciting, though I did wonder if even strong experienced men could really have survived some of the physical ordeals Hammond puts them through.
The court case is what gives the adventure its plot. The Mary Deare has had a run of bad luck, firstly with the captain dying unexpectedly, so that Patch, who had only joined the ship in its last port, is thrust into the role of captain. A man is missing, a representative of the ship’s owners, and it is presumed he must have fallen overboard. Then there’s a fire which cuts off ship-to-shore communications, and finally an explosion in the cargo hold, breaching the hull. But are these things all accidents, or is there a nefarious plan afoot? The crew claim Patch ordered them to take to the lifeboats and make for shore, but Patch denies this, counter-claiming that they effectively mutinied under the direction of another crewman, Higgins. Then there are rumours that something dodgy went on the last time the ship was in harbour – that the supposed cargo of aero-engines had been secretly transferred to another ship. Patch, whose career and reputation are on the line, believes the only thing to do is to salvage the wreck and examine the cargo, and he ropes in Sands and the Sea Witch to help him.
The writing is perfectly attuned to the style of the story, with great descriptions of the sea and the storms, the conditions aboard the Mary Deare, how Patch and Sands go about trying to get the engines going again, and so on. The adventure sections have a real atmosphere of tension for the most part, though I felt the final section went on a bit too long – by that stage I was ready for the plot to be brought to its conclusion.
The courtroom scenes are slower, but I enjoyed the way Innes laid out all the conflicting evidence and gave us contrasting pictures of the various crew members. We see it all through the eyes of John Sands, who, like the reader, has no knowledge of any of these men other than what they themselves tell us. Therefore, like us, Sands has to make a judgment as to whether Patch is the victim of a conspiracy or is himself the saboteur.
I listened to the audio book version, narrated by Bill Wallis, and for the most part it’s excellent. The exception is when Patch is drunk and Wallace acts this out, slurring his words. This made it very difficult for me to make out what Patch was saying, and several times I had to rewind and listen twice or three times to the same sentence. Happily Patch sobers up eventually and the problem went away. But I do wish narrators would remember that clarity is the prime essential in audiobooks, however much they may want to show off their acting skills.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this sea adventure and I'm looking forward to checking out some more of Innes’ books in the future, either in audio or print. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
February 26, 2016
One of my little guilty pleasures is 30's to 60's British thrillers. Think Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, Helen McInnes, Alistair Maclean and Hammond Innes.
This one was a big seller for Innes and a successful film was made of it starring a young Charlton Heston and an ailing Gary Cooper - a gamble because there is a very important court scene & they can be killers to films.
It has all the elements that one hopes: a flawed man with high moral values, corporate or government corruption, a thug and a love interest. The love interest is absent from this one, and instead we have two heroes - the flawed man, and the narrator.
It is full of fishy behaviour & the crew on the Mary Deare are obviously lying. I loved the scenes involving the grounding of the derelict ship. The language is very evocative and thrilling. I thought the court scenes which take up a good third of the book flowed and continued interest throughout. The chase to the wreck was fun and exciting, but then it all just fizzled. The ending worked, but it lacked the thrills and high adventure of the start of the book, and I was disappointed. It made me take off a star.
It is good to see Vintage reprint these classics to a new audience.
This one was a big seller for Innes and a successful film was made of it starring a young Charlton Heston and an ailing Gary Cooper - a gamble because there is a very important court scene & they can be killers to films.
It has all the elements that one hopes: a flawed man with high moral values, corporate or government corruption, a thug and a love interest. The love interest is absent from this one, and instead we have two heroes - the flawed man, and the narrator.
It is full of fishy behaviour & the crew on the Mary Deare are obviously lying. I loved the scenes involving the grounding of the derelict ship. The language is very evocative and thrilling. I thought the court scenes which take up a good third of the book flowed and continued interest throughout. The chase to the wreck was fun and exciting, but then it all just fizzled. The ending worked, but it lacked the thrills and high adventure of the start of the book, and I was disappointed. It made me take off a star.
It is good to see Vintage reprint these classics to a new audience.
November 27, 2015
Maritime Mystery/Thriller
Engrossing thriller. Holds up perfectly today, although originally published in 1956.
A small yacht (sailing ship) in rough seas in the English channel is hit -- apparently unmanned -- by a 6,000 ton freighter. As an ominous gale approaches, John and Mike, in the small yacht, make a decision to board the freighter. They have just opened a maritime salvage business, and see this as the chance of a lifetime.
John is able to board the Mary Deare, and encounters Gideon Patch, captain, who is alone on the ship, desperately trying to keep it afloat.
Amid dangerous, chilling seas, the freighter being tossed and drenched by the huge waves, layers of mysteries arise. Where is the crew? Why and how they leave? What is the captain hiding? Where is the original captain? What was loaded into the holds, and why did the captain first appear covered in coal dust? Was the crew intentionally trying to wreck the Mary Deare in that dangerous section of the English Channel?
Innes made me feel the numbing cold, the terror of being crushed by the thundering, brutal waves. Awesome read - reminded me of the superb The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea Sebastian Junger.
Engrossing thriller. Holds up perfectly today, although originally published in 1956.
A small yacht (sailing ship) in rough seas in the English channel is hit -- apparently unmanned -- by a 6,000 ton freighter. As an ominous gale approaches, John and Mike, in the small yacht, make a decision to board the freighter. They have just opened a maritime salvage business, and see this as the chance of a lifetime.
John is able to board the Mary Deare, and encounters Gideon Patch, captain, who is alone on the ship, desperately trying to keep it afloat.
Amid dangerous, chilling seas, the freighter being tossed and drenched by the huge waves, layers of mysteries arise. Where is the crew? Why and how they leave? What is the captain hiding? Where is the original captain? What was loaded into the holds, and why did the captain first appear covered in coal dust? Was the crew intentionally trying to wreck the Mary Deare in that dangerous section of the English Channel?
Innes made me feel the numbing cold, the terror of being crushed by the thundering, brutal waves. Awesome read - reminded me of the superb The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea Sebastian Junger.
October 30, 2022
Excellent.
October 22, 2019
The Wreck of the Mary Deare is likely Hammond Innes' most famous and successful work, helped in part by the feature film made just three years after the novel's publication. It opens with thrills and adventure and never really stops. Even a lengthy courtroom scene covering the middle of the story works only to enhance tension and suspense. And all the while, it is probably Innes' most intense character study, in particular of Gideon Patch through the eyes of John Sands, who boards the Mary Deare, an ancient dead in the water wreck of a freighter, only to find Patch as the sole survivor of a mysterious incident in which the entire crew has abandoned the ship.
Innes' own love of the sea comes through in this work. His writing leaves just enough detail and use of nautical descriptions to attest to his expertise, while not alienating readers with only a cursory knowledge of the sea and ships. Some of the imagery is startling. I doubt there is another sea story that will ever match Innes' description of Patch's and Sands' escape through the Minkies, the shelf or rocks that dot the English Channel just south of Jersey. Sucked into this maelstrom at high tide, the water level then drops 30 to 40 feet, forcing the pair out of their dinghy and into a wild rush across the now dry patch of sand, gravel, and stone--only to be caught just six hours later by the rising tide and made to swim one last desperate mile to safety. I don't think Innes ever managed a better passage.
A note about the film version: it brought together two major stars, Gary Cooper as Patch and Charlton Heston as Sands, along with a third soon-to-be major star, Richard Harris as the villainous Higgins. It is also notable because the film had Eric Ambler as its screenwriter. Thus was Britain's preeminent postwar adventure writer, Innes, teamed up in a way with its most important writer of political thrillers and adventure mysteries, Ambler. But for the unsatisfying turn to a scuba diving story at the end, in place of the race across the Minkies, the film holds up well as a comparison to the novel.
Innes' own love of the sea comes through in this work. His writing leaves just enough detail and use of nautical descriptions to attest to his expertise, while not alienating readers with only a cursory knowledge of the sea and ships. Some of the imagery is startling. I doubt there is another sea story that will ever match Innes' description of Patch's and Sands' escape through the Minkies, the shelf or rocks that dot the English Channel just south of Jersey. Sucked into this maelstrom at high tide, the water level then drops 30 to 40 feet, forcing the pair out of their dinghy and into a wild rush across the now dry patch of sand, gravel, and stone--only to be caught just six hours later by the rising tide and made to swim one last desperate mile to safety. I don't think Innes ever managed a better passage.
A note about the film version: it brought together two major stars, Gary Cooper as Patch and Charlton Heston as Sands, along with a third soon-to-be major star, Richard Harris as the villainous Higgins. It is also notable because the film had Eric Ambler as its screenwriter. Thus was Britain's preeminent postwar adventure writer, Innes, teamed up in a way with its most important writer of political thrillers and adventure mysteries, Ambler. But for the unsatisfying turn to a scuba diving story at the end, in place of the race across the Minkies, the film holds up well as a comparison to the novel.
September 29, 2016
This is not only one of the four or five great sea adventure novels, but one of the four or five great adventure tales of our times. This novel alone would place Innes with the nineteenth century’s Robert Louis Stevenson and H. Ryder Haggard – Innes was the 20 th century answer to these two giants of adventure tales.
And this may be his classic: complex relationships, legalities, and examinations of heroism, as well as the struggle in the worst elements add to the richness of this novel.
This is a must read…time to toss the phone, grab the snacks and drinks, call in sick, and settle down for one great ride!
And this may be his classic: complex relationships, legalities, and examinations of heroism, as well as the struggle in the worst elements add to the richness of this novel.
This is a must read…time to toss the phone, grab the snacks and drinks, call in sick, and settle down for one great ride!
February 23, 2023
Started very strong and I was on the edge of my seat. The beginning chapters and the setup of the mystery of why the Mary Deare was sailing full tilt without a crew was very intriguing. Unfortunately, much less so once the story moved off the boats and into the courtroom. I definitely considered dnffing as I just wasn’t as engaged with it, especially after such a promising start. But those early chapters were very excellent so overall an ok read for me.
January 2, 2024
There are times when some of us take the sanctuary of comfort reads, when we want to read something light and fast-paced with an interesting plot, but which doesn't tax our mind too much. For many of us this comfort read is a cozy mystery. For me, it is the thriller.
Thrillers were a staple diet of readers during the Cold War era and even till the end of the 20th century. These days thrillers seem to have disappeared quietly (or it is possible that they are still popular but I see them less and less). The definition of the thriller has changed these days and today the word refers mostly to books which are similar in some ways to 'Gone Girl' or 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. But once upon a time, a thriller looked different – there were ships and planes and spies and adventure and action. Sometimes the story happened in the middle of a war zone. At other times it happened in a peaceful world. These days there are movies that have these plots, but the traditional thriller novel seems to be mostly dead.
Hammond Innes was one of the popular thriller writers during the Cold War era. I've never read any of his books though. There used to be so many thriller writers around that it was hard to read even a sample of them all. I missed out on Hammond Innes. Sometime back one of my friends recommended Hammond Innes' 'The Wreck of the Mary Deare'. It is probably Innes' most famous book. As I always try starting the year with a comfort read, I decided to read this one.
A yacht is sailing in the sea. There are three people in the yacht. One of them suddenly spots a big ship coming out of the fog, heading straight towards them. They swerve and somehow avoid being hit. Later, after a few hours, they see the same ship. This time the ship's engines are off and it is quietly drifting in the water. One of the sailors in the yacht suggests that they board the ship and see whether there is anyone there and if they need help. One of them boards the ship.
How many movies like this have we seen? There is an unknown ship which suddenly appears in the middle of the ocean. People board it and they discover that there is no one inside. Then bad things start happening! So we want to scream when this yacht sailor boards the ship. Our instinct says that it is not going to end well for anyone. So what happens after that? Is there anyone in the ship? Do bad things happen? You have to read the book to find out 😊
I enjoyed reading 'The Wreck of the Mary Deare'. The first part of the story happens in the sea, the second part is a gripping courtroom drama, and the third part happens again in the sea. I read the whole book in one breath. The story was not at all what I expected. If you like ships and sea, this is a great book. This book has also been adapted into a movie. I want to watch that sometime.
I'll leave you with one of my favourite passages from the book.
"It is difficult to be scared of something that is inevitable. You accept it, and that is that. But I remember thinking how ironical it was; the sea was to me a liquid, quiet, unruffled world through which to glide down green corridors to the darker depths, down tall reef walls with the fish, all brilliant colours in the surface dazzle, down to the shadowy shapes of barnacle-crusted wrecks. Now it was a raging fury of a giant, rearing up towards me, clutching at me, foaming and angry."
Have you read 'The Wreck of the Mary Deare'? What do you think about it?
Thrillers were a staple diet of readers during the Cold War era and even till the end of the 20th century. These days thrillers seem to have disappeared quietly (or it is possible that they are still popular but I see them less and less). The definition of the thriller has changed these days and today the word refers mostly to books which are similar in some ways to 'Gone Girl' or 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. But once upon a time, a thriller looked different – there were ships and planes and spies and adventure and action. Sometimes the story happened in the middle of a war zone. At other times it happened in a peaceful world. These days there are movies that have these plots, but the traditional thriller novel seems to be mostly dead.
Hammond Innes was one of the popular thriller writers during the Cold War era. I've never read any of his books though. There used to be so many thriller writers around that it was hard to read even a sample of them all. I missed out on Hammond Innes. Sometime back one of my friends recommended Hammond Innes' 'The Wreck of the Mary Deare'. It is probably Innes' most famous book. As I always try starting the year with a comfort read, I decided to read this one.
A yacht is sailing in the sea. There are three people in the yacht. One of them suddenly spots a big ship coming out of the fog, heading straight towards them. They swerve and somehow avoid being hit. Later, after a few hours, they see the same ship. This time the ship's engines are off and it is quietly drifting in the water. One of the sailors in the yacht suggests that they board the ship and see whether there is anyone there and if they need help. One of them boards the ship.
How many movies like this have we seen? There is an unknown ship which suddenly appears in the middle of the ocean. People board it and they discover that there is no one inside. Then bad things start happening! So we want to scream when this yacht sailor boards the ship. Our instinct says that it is not going to end well for anyone. So what happens after that? Is there anyone in the ship? Do bad things happen? You have to read the book to find out 😊
I enjoyed reading 'The Wreck of the Mary Deare'. The first part of the story happens in the sea, the second part is a gripping courtroom drama, and the third part happens again in the sea. I read the whole book in one breath. The story was not at all what I expected. If you like ships and sea, this is a great book. This book has also been adapted into a movie. I want to watch that sometime.
I'll leave you with one of my favourite passages from the book.
"It is difficult to be scared of something that is inevitable. You accept it, and that is that. But I remember thinking how ironical it was; the sea was to me a liquid, quiet, unruffled world through which to glide down green corridors to the darker depths, down tall reef walls with the fish, all brilliant colours in the surface dazzle, down to the shadowy shapes of barnacle-crusted wrecks. Now it was a raging fury of a giant, rearing up towards me, clutching at me, foaming and angry."
Have you read 'The Wreck of the Mary Deare'? What do you think about it?
October 1, 2025
Strong 3 pushing 3.5
April 10, 2022
Re-read, May 2019. Liked this even better the second time around. The nautical scenes are so well-written and properly thrilling; and John Sands is a somehow more vulnerable and appealing "everyman" narrator than Heston's rather tougher, Americanized movie rendition—a decent, honest, ordinary guy who can take pretty good care of himself, but isn't ashamed to own up that he's scared in a terrifying situation.
.....
I read this having already seen the movie version with Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston, which was essentially a faithful adaptation, but a streamlined one—the book has some additional characters and additional wrinkles to the plot (plus the age/appearance and personality of several key characters are quite different), and a little more conflict and detail. The best and most unique thing about it is, although there are human antagonists, the number one adversary is really the ocean itself; the best scenes of thrill and danger are those of the storms at sea.
There's a moderate amount of language; not the type of four-letter words you'd find in contemporary books, but various forms of taking God's name in vain.
.....
I read this having already seen the movie version with Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston, which was essentially a faithful adaptation, but a streamlined one—the book has some additional characters and additional wrinkles to the plot (plus the age/appearance and personality of several key characters are quite different), and a little more conflict and detail. The best and most unique thing about it is, although there are human antagonists, the number one adversary is really the ocean itself; the best scenes of thrill and danger are those of the storms at sea.
There's a moderate amount of language; not the type of four-letter words you'd find in contemporary books, but various forms of taking God's name in vain.
Read
October 7, 2019Sea adventure which works very well on the big screen.
October 31, 2018
The Wreck of the Mary Deare, written in 1956 by Hammond Innes, belongs to the genre of adventure and drama tales that crosses the gap between great literature and pure entertainment. For a land-lubber who’s only sea-faring experience is a few long off-shore jaunts on deep-sea fishing boats, a couple of yacht trips, and the growl of coastal ferries, its difficult to grasp all the sea-farer lingo. I had to look up salty terms like “fo’c’sl” and “binnacle,” and find out what it meant to “lay to” in a coal-fired steamer. I had to search out some place-names, learn some geography, look at the Minkies on a map of the English channel to discover they were nearly to France. Its standard fare for a good book set in reality at sea. It was like reading Erskine Childers' Riddle of the Sands all over again, keeping a dictionary at hand and my map app open.
But this was just the part of reading that draws me in and saturates me in expertise. I find it tiring and dull to read authors with little experience in their subject matter, be that the sea-tides, or a life filled with love and pain. People who have never ridden out a channel gale or put a three-island steamer aground in a swell can’t write about such things in a way that brings a novice like me along in a convincing manner. I love books in which the author’s real-world clout can be felt as clearly as the tooth of the paper of the old pulpy page. Books written from simple second-hand hearsay, from a lack of real-life experience, or from imaginations of how things ought to be usually gleaned from other books, usually fall short. They strike me as watered-down soup and are thin as the paper of the page. Innes does not disappoint, he writes what he knows. The reader can feel the experience of a man who’s loved, lived, won, lost, risked, wrangled, and even lived through a few gales.
But it is the author's insight into the drive of a man’s inward desperation that elevates the tale from mere sea-bravado to a story of making-right at all cost. Gideon S. Patch, captain of the ill-fated cargo steamer Mary Deare, becomes the driving force of the book. Told and played out against the cautiously-adventurous narrator, salvage man John Sands, the tale puts these two strangers together and ties them up in a mysterious relationship through which Patch seeks his personal redemption. Patch has a patchy past, and it is dredged up with every turn of the tide (see what I did there?). Caught up in a mystery that gradually exposes a conspiracy, we must unravel the web along with our two seamen.
The story takes us in three acts from the sea, to the court room, to the sea again. In each chapter we gain entry into the mind of man pushed to the limit of mental and physical endurance, laid along side the mind of another man driven by compassion and the obligation to do right. Those men, set against the odds, overcome the evil intentions of some very bad souls, the cold self-interests of insurance brokers, the preconceptions of a court and watching public, and the impersonal harshness of nature. It is a stirring drama that delivers rich people who are deeply personal. It is not a flat tale of bearded men in cableknit sweaters shaking fists at the mean old sea.
Innes avoids that cheap crutch of lesser writers by keeping the language free from crass obscenities. Though perhaps a product of his time, this is a refreshing restrain common to the era when cussing was still considered the character flaw that it is. Where the grit of foul-minded men must come to the forefront of the tale, it is skillfully handled without dipping into the easy fallback of mindless profanity. The very few uses of swearing and oaths then come with much greater value and a powerful punch. I truly appreciate this restraint. I am of the strong opinion, despite what the post-post-modern notions say, that it does not make a story “more real” or more authentic simply because it includes the lowest kind of crass language. If such characters cannot be separated from such unintelligent blather, they aren’t compelling characters at all. Profanity-laden characters generally turn out to be caricatures of the common masses of common people who follow each other in common pursuit of common cultural foibles, all the while thinking they are ‘more real’ because they pepper their speech with the witless profane. And that’s all too common.
The book is very British in its tone. It captures the mid-twentieth century mentality of manner and form, though not the stuffy kind. It reminded me of my British family, my mother and her half of my family tree being post-war transplants to the states. Lowbrow dialect, straight from the Southampton wharf, is used when thuggish brutes make their threats and imposing intentions known, and it provides the spice where the profane would undermine reality and flatten the villain. We also get a glimpse of such setting-rich details like the proper-like, gentlemanly, slightly-disinterested, thumbs-in-vest-pockets air of a court staff getting on with the day’s business of ruining a man's life. It was crafted with an old-world richness, but just enough to season the tale, not enough to be forced and clunky.
The story was richly rewarding. I did not expect to be so moved by the quick wrap up at the end, for the hopelessness of the inhuman plight carried on until the unread pages were becoming alarmingly few. But, delightfully, as the narrative closed out from dozens of grueling pages of deathly tension and perseverance through the most awful despair, the resolution of the drama was gratifying, right and good. I almost wanted to cheer.
If you are looking for a good tale of intrigue, mystery and adventure that does not lay on the backs of flat characters, this tale will satisfy. I read a crusty old Permabook paperback edition published in 1957, the fourth version of the year-old book. It held up, and I chose it for the illustration on the cover. Don't let the poorly rendered covers of various editions sway your opinion, nor the cheesy photos lifted from the film-adaptation, which feature Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston in the lead roles. The book was popular, and for good reason. Popular books too often get wrapped in lousy, eye-catching covers of graphic gore and visual hype, but this book out-performs the 50's commercial artists, thankfully. It is a great read.
But this was just the part of reading that draws me in and saturates me in expertise. I find it tiring and dull to read authors with little experience in their subject matter, be that the sea-tides, or a life filled with love and pain. People who have never ridden out a channel gale or put a three-island steamer aground in a swell can’t write about such things in a way that brings a novice like me along in a convincing manner. I love books in which the author’s real-world clout can be felt as clearly as the tooth of the paper of the old pulpy page. Books written from simple second-hand hearsay, from a lack of real-life experience, or from imaginations of how things ought to be usually gleaned from other books, usually fall short. They strike me as watered-down soup and are thin as the paper of the page. Innes does not disappoint, he writes what he knows. The reader can feel the experience of a man who’s loved, lived, won, lost, risked, wrangled, and even lived through a few gales.
But it is the author's insight into the drive of a man’s inward desperation that elevates the tale from mere sea-bravado to a story of making-right at all cost. Gideon S. Patch, captain of the ill-fated cargo steamer Mary Deare, becomes the driving force of the book. Told and played out against the cautiously-adventurous narrator, salvage man John Sands, the tale puts these two strangers together and ties them up in a mysterious relationship through which Patch seeks his personal redemption. Patch has a patchy past, and it is dredged up with every turn of the tide (see what I did there?). Caught up in a mystery that gradually exposes a conspiracy, we must unravel the web along with our two seamen.
The story takes us in three acts from the sea, to the court room, to the sea again. In each chapter we gain entry into the mind of man pushed to the limit of mental and physical endurance, laid along side the mind of another man driven by compassion and the obligation to do right. Those men, set against the odds, overcome the evil intentions of some very bad souls, the cold self-interests of insurance brokers, the preconceptions of a court and watching public, and the impersonal harshness of nature. It is a stirring drama that delivers rich people who are deeply personal. It is not a flat tale of bearded men in cableknit sweaters shaking fists at the mean old sea.
Innes avoids that cheap crutch of lesser writers by keeping the language free from crass obscenities. Though perhaps a product of his time, this is a refreshing restrain common to the era when cussing was still considered the character flaw that it is. Where the grit of foul-minded men must come to the forefront of the tale, it is skillfully handled without dipping into the easy fallback of mindless profanity. The very few uses of swearing and oaths then come with much greater value and a powerful punch. I truly appreciate this restraint. I am of the strong opinion, despite what the post-post-modern notions say, that it does not make a story “more real” or more authentic simply because it includes the lowest kind of crass language. If such characters cannot be separated from such unintelligent blather, they aren’t compelling characters at all. Profanity-laden characters generally turn out to be caricatures of the common masses of common people who follow each other in common pursuit of common cultural foibles, all the while thinking they are ‘more real’ because they pepper their speech with the witless profane. And that’s all too common.
The book is very British in its tone. It captures the mid-twentieth century mentality of manner and form, though not the stuffy kind. It reminded me of my British family, my mother and her half of my family tree being post-war transplants to the states. Lowbrow dialect, straight from the Southampton wharf, is used when thuggish brutes make their threats and imposing intentions known, and it provides the spice where the profane would undermine reality and flatten the villain. We also get a glimpse of such setting-rich details like the proper-like, gentlemanly, slightly-disinterested, thumbs-in-vest-pockets air of a court staff getting on with the day’s business of ruining a man's life. It was crafted with an old-world richness, but just enough to season the tale, not enough to be forced and clunky.
The story was richly rewarding. I did not expect to be so moved by the quick wrap up at the end, for the hopelessness of the inhuman plight carried on until the unread pages were becoming alarmingly few. But, delightfully, as the narrative closed out from dozens of grueling pages of deathly tension and perseverance through the most awful despair, the resolution of the drama was gratifying, right and good. I almost wanted to cheer.
If you are looking for a good tale of intrigue, mystery and adventure that does not lay on the backs of flat characters, this tale will satisfy. I read a crusty old Permabook paperback edition published in 1957, the fourth version of the year-old book. It held up, and I chose it for the illustration on the cover. Don't let the poorly rendered covers of various editions sway your opinion, nor the cheesy photos lifted from the film-adaptation, which feature Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston in the lead roles. The book was popular, and for good reason. Popular books too often get wrapped in lousy, eye-catching covers of graphic gore and visual hype, but this book out-performs the 50's commercial artists, thankfully. It is a great read.
November 4, 2022
This book was 75% nautical action adventure, 25% courtroom drama. For some reason I thought it was a fictionalized account of an actual shipwreck. It wasn't, but the authenticity of the writing made it very realistic. A reader's knowledge of sailing, tides, old 6k ton iron freighters, and the language of vessels and the sea would be helpful to understanding the action. If you can decipher this excerpt, the book is for you!:
But a little later I saw it again, a flash of light about two points off the starboard bow.
By the end of my watch it was possible to identify it as group-flashing two. The chart showed the south-west Minkies buoy as Gp.fl.(2). "About what we expected," Patch said when he relieved me. His voice showed no lift of interest, it was flat and slurred with weariness, his face gaunt in the light of the binnacle.
But a little later I saw it again, a flash of light about two points off the starboard bow.
By the end of my watch it was possible to identify it as group-flashing two. The chart showed the south-west Minkies buoy as Gp.fl.(2). "About what we expected," Patch said when he relieved me. His voice showed no lift of interest, it was flat and slurred with weariness, his face gaunt in the light of the binnacle.
April 4, 2017
Hammond Innes, along with Alistair Maclean, was one of the early action adventure writers from the 80's and 90's. Way back then I read several of his novels and always enjoyed them.
Returning to one of his books was like a trip down memory lane. Like all shorter books of the period this one got straight into the action, had a bit of a lull in the middle and then an exciting ending. Also in keeping with this period, it's not part of a series or anything. Just a stand alone of around 200 pages.
If you like sea going adventures then this one is worth the read. If you discount the fact that nobody has cell phones, then it doesn't seem that dated. (I guess coal burning ships are a thing of the past too.)
Returning to one of his books was like a trip down memory lane. Like all shorter books of the period this one got straight into the action, had a bit of a lull in the middle and then an exciting ending. Also in keeping with this period, it's not part of a series or anything. Just a stand alone of around 200 pages.
If you like sea going adventures then this one is worth the read. If you discount the fact that nobody has cell phones, then it doesn't seem that dated. (I guess coal burning ships are a thing of the past too.)
March 3, 2023
not a bad book. lots of boats
Read
April 22, 2025Too close in structure and scenario to Atlantic Fury, which I liked better.
July 13, 2021
Must be Hammonds best book by far. Worth reading if you are not bored by sea adventures.
Very dramatic and Hammond succeds in creating tense and intense atmosphere.
Very dramatic and Hammond succeds in creating tense and intense atmosphere.
October 14, 2024
A gripping tale of the titular sinking ship, the efforts to keep her afloat and the subsequent inquiry. One of the few authentic-feeling marine stories that I've read which features a brilliant, tense "chase scene" over the sea. Deserving of a fair screen adaptation.
July 15, 2024
Originally published on my blog here in October 2000.
An early Hammond Innes - maybe even his first - thriller, The Wreck of the Mary Deare is evocative of the seafaring life which is central to so many of his novels. It begins in the small boat Sea Witch, crossing the Channel to be refitted as a salvage vessel. Suddenly, out of the dark, stormy sea, they are almost run down by a far larger, apparently abandoned, ship, the Mary Deare. Meeting up with it again later (surely an unlikely coincidence), the co-owner of the Sea Witch and narrator of the novel boards her, and finds only one man aboard, its captain, who insists that they run the ship aground on rocks to the south of the Channel Islands. The reason for this becomes clear in the second part of the novel, at an enquiry into the ship's fate in which it begins to look as though the Mary Deare was intended to sink supposedly carrying a valuable cargo that had been transferred elsewhere, for the purposes of a fraudulent insurance claim by the ship's owners.
This middle section is distinctly unconvincing, the court simply swallowing the flimsy statements of the shipping company's lawyers. The final section amounts to a race to return to the ship, to either reveal or destroy the evidence of the fraud, and this too is rather unlikely - would it really be permitted for the interested parties in the case to reboard the ship with no other witnesses?
Occasionally chillingly atmospheric - the Marie Celeste-like first appearance of the Mary Deare is the best scene in the novel by far - The Wreck of the Mary Deare is generally slackly put together. The plot is stretched to far to allow Innes to fit in more action scenes; these may be exciting, but are not good enough to excuse or hide the novel's problems.
In 2010, I added the following comment: Re-working this review for the blog, I checked on Fantastic Fiction. Far from being Innes' first thriller, it is his twentieth, published twenty years after the first, Air Disaster.
An early Hammond Innes - maybe even his first - thriller, The Wreck of the Mary Deare is evocative of the seafaring life which is central to so many of his novels. It begins in the small boat Sea Witch, crossing the Channel to be refitted as a salvage vessel. Suddenly, out of the dark, stormy sea, they are almost run down by a far larger, apparently abandoned, ship, the Mary Deare. Meeting up with it again later (surely an unlikely coincidence), the co-owner of the Sea Witch and narrator of the novel boards her, and finds only one man aboard, its captain, who insists that they run the ship aground on rocks to the south of the Channel Islands. The reason for this becomes clear in the second part of the novel, at an enquiry into the ship's fate in which it begins to look as though the Mary Deare was intended to sink supposedly carrying a valuable cargo that had been transferred elsewhere, for the purposes of a fraudulent insurance claim by the ship's owners.
This middle section is distinctly unconvincing, the court simply swallowing the flimsy statements of the shipping company's lawyers. The final section amounts to a race to return to the ship, to either reveal or destroy the evidence of the fraud, and this too is rather unlikely - would it really be permitted for the interested parties in the case to reboard the ship with no other witnesses?
Occasionally chillingly atmospheric - the Marie Celeste-like first appearance of the Mary Deare is the best scene in the novel by far - The Wreck of the Mary Deare is generally slackly put together. The plot is stretched to far to allow Innes to fit in more action scenes; these may be exciting, but are not good enough to excuse or hide the novel's problems.
In 2010, I added the following comment: Re-working this review for the blog, I checked on Fantastic Fiction. Far from being Innes' first thriller, it is his twentieth, published twenty years after the first, Air Disaster.
June 16, 2022
Hammond Innes' The Wreck of the Mary Deare was published in 1956 and launched the author into the realm of a best selling novelist which his previous novels had not achieved. In fact, the success of the novel triggered a movie three years later starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston.
Generally, the novel is organized into three main sections which I won't detail in fear of giving away the thrilling and very memorable final chapter, which is about 30 percent of the book ( a very long chapter). Admittedly, if it wasn't for the last chapter, I most certainly would not have given this novel a five star rating, but the final part of the novel, for me, eliminated some of the foibles and frustrations of the remainder of the book. Some of those shortcomings, for me, included repetitiveness (how many times do we need to describe that someone's face is white, pale, haggard, etc.?), the frustration of characters refusing to disclose pertinent information for no apparent reason (a typical component of a thriller blueprint, I suppose), and the, sometimes, awkward word usage and sentence structure. All of these weaknesses, however, simply seem to disappear when the writer penetrates his obvious familiar environment, and then he soars.
In any case, I am not sure if I will read any more of Innes' work, since, from what I have read, this novel was his crescendo. But I most certainly do not regret reading this great novel. After arriving at the last third of the book, the excitement, the awe, and the stunning description allowed me to enjoy every moment.
Generally, the novel is organized into three main sections which I won't detail in fear of giving away the thrilling and very memorable final chapter, which is about 30 percent of the book ( a very long chapter). Admittedly, if it wasn't for the last chapter, I most certainly would not have given this novel a five star rating, but the final part of the novel, for me, eliminated some of the foibles and frustrations of the remainder of the book. Some of those shortcomings, for me, included repetitiveness (how many times do we need to describe that someone's face is white, pale, haggard, etc.?), the frustration of characters refusing to disclose pertinent information for no apparent reason (a typical component of a thriller blueprint, I suppose), and the, sometimes, awkward word usage and sentence structure. All of these weaknesses, however, simply seem to disappear when the writer penetrates his obvious familiar environment, and then he soars.
In any case, I am not sure if I will read any more of Innes' work, since, from what I have read, this novel was his crescendo. But I most certainly do not regret reading this great novel. After arriving at the last third of the book, the excitement, the awe, and the stunning description allowed me to enjoy every moment.
May 21, 2017
When John Sands, captain of the Seawitch and part-owner of a salvage company, sees the wreck of a large freighter that almost ran them down, he takes the opportunity to investigate: a ship abandoned with engines going full ahead and no radio plea for help is far from usual. He gets far more than he bargained for. What happened to the Mary Deare? And what's the truth of the matter? The first officer's story is unbelievable, but the alternative is horrific.
In this enthralling maritime adventure, Innes captures your imagination with his incredibly vivid descriptions, and the ruthless desperation of the men involved. It's obvious Innes was an experienced sailor, and had a great love for the sea. His passion is reflected in every page, and does more for the characters than his technical skill.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In this enthralling maritime adventure, Innes captures your imagination with his incredibly vivid descriptions, and the ruthless desperation of the men involved. It's obvious Innes was an experienced sailor, and had a great love for the sea. His passion is reflected in every page, and does more for the characters than his technical skill.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 12, 2012
Riveting tale of a rusty old ship, captained by a man unwilling to let his command be spoiled by abandonment of his crew during a suspicious fire. A salvage captain of another ship comes on board the Mary Deare to see why this seemingly unmanned ship nearly rammed his ship the night before. The two ship's captains begin a friendship that starts with saving the ship they are now trapped on together. Finally off the ship, now they are in a courtroom to determine the causes of all the disasters and deaths on board this jinxed (?) ship.
August 31, 2011
I pretty much enjoy any story that mixes up hard times with a steam engine with a pressure gauge pushing into the red. The dark, creepy environment of a deserted cargo ship is all there with every creak of the old wooden hull adding to the tension. There's also some more dull sections touching on English maritime law and the like but it's nice to have a break from the cold water of the ocean now and again. As thrillers go I'd say this is one of the best I've read.
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