Circle of Bones

The Shipwreck Adventures #1

by Christine Kling

Sex and adventure meet history and intrigue in this breathless nautical thriller that spans decades to imagine a fascinating answer to the real-life mystery of the vanished French sub, Surcouf.

When Maggie Riley sets sail for the Caribbean, all she wants is a little R&R before starting a work assignment in Dominica.

The last thing Maggie expects is to rescue Cole Thatcher, a sexy—but possibly nuts—conspiracy-spouting archaeologist found swimming nude off the island of Guadeloupe. It turns out Cole is searching for the wreckage of a vanished World War II submarine, claiming it holds millions in gold coins and classified documents from a powerful inner circle of the secret society Skull and Bones.

Maggie has enough skeletons to deal with. But when she learns her own past may intersect this inner circle of Bonesmen, she realizes Cole might not be so crazy after all—and joining him in the search for the sub may be her only course to uncover a hidden truth.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Adventure, Suspense, Historical Fiction, Romance

526 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 19, 2011

About the author

I have spent more than forty years enjoying “simply messing about with boats”―as Rat said to Mole in The Wind in the Willows. I've been a boat wife, mother and captain of my own boat. I've had articles and stories published in many publications including Cruising World, Sailing!, and The Tiller and the Pen, Gulfstream Magazine and Miami Noir. My first four novels are in a series about Florida female tugboat captain, Seychelle Sullivan.

As a techie person, I am intrigued by the fast changes occurring in the publishing industry and I'm trying my hand at self-publishing. I self-published CIRCLE OF BONES, a big international thriller set in the Caribbean, and SEA BITCH, a small collection of four short stories. Thomas & Mercer then offered me a 3-book contract for a re-issue of BONES, as well as the next two books in that trilogy. The new edition debuted on Feb. 19, 2013. The second book in what I now call the Shipwreck Adventures series is called DRAGON'S TRIANGLE, and the third book in the series, KNIGHT'S CROSS was released in 2015.

Today, my husband Wayne and I, along with Barney, the Yorkshire Terror and Ruby, the Wonder Dog, are living a nomadic life as we design and build our next boat.

Reviews

[Kylie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that sees Riley rescue a naked man off the island of Guadaloupe. What follows is a rollicking tale to find a lost WW2 submarine. It has adventure, conspiracies and baddies. I'll have to read the next one now to find out what happens next...

[James Thane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Circle of Bones is a tense thriller, set mostly in the Caribbean, and featuring Maggie Riley, a woman who is sailing alone, away from a troubled past that includes a treacherous lover, a father who’s gone tragically senile, and a brilliant brother who died way too young. It also involves the search for a French submarine, the Surcouf, that disappeared in the Caribbean during World War II, and an extensive conspiracy stretching from the war down to the present day, involving Yale’s infamous club, Skull and Bones. Rumors abound that the Surcouf was carrying a fortune in gold, and it’s possible that the sub also carried explosive secrets that if revealed, even sixty years after the end of the war, could have devastating consequences.

Enter Cole Thatcher, an attractive fortune hunter who is searching for the sub. Unhappily, he has attracted the attention of a couple of bad guy brothers who intend to let him find the sub, recover the gold, and then steal it from him. Working in the shadows behind the brothers is a genuinely evil man who is intent on recovering the dark secrets that the sub also contains and turning the knowledge to his own advantage.

Cornered by the evil brothers on a deserted island, Thatcher escapes by diving into the sea, nearly naked, and swimming away. He’s rescued by Maggie Riley who is fortunately sailing in the area. Riley doesn’t know what to make of Thatcher and his strange conspiracy theories, but she does notice that Thatcher is one hot guy, and from that moment on she is entangled in the web of troubles he has attracted.

Kling tells the story, alternating between scenes in the modern-day Caribbean with Riley and Thatcher and scenes set on the Surcouf on its last fateful voyage in 1942. She skillfully ratchets up the tension on both fronts, building to a terrific climax. This book should appeal to lots of readers who enjoy thrillers with an historical twist and books set in the paradise that is the Caribbean.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

...another weird but interesting book.

Circle of Bones was well.. an interesting book. In it, you will meet Maggie. She's a former marine.. and I honestly have no idea what the hell her job was now.. After a tragic accident, she's decided to sail around the Carribean. Now, that sounds like heaven.. but I wouldn't do that on my own - mostly because I have no idea how to sail.

Well, along the way she runs into a naked man swimming. Again, heaven. Cole, the naked guy living life, is apparently a treasure hunter. He was funny because he sounded so god damn crazy. I honestly have no idea what I would do if I were in her position.. but I probably would've been laughing so hard. You also meet another guy named Diggory, and I was just kind of confused about his whole part. A lot of things confused me in this book.

Now these two had some kind of adventure. It was confusing but highly entertaining at the same time. If it didn't have so many loose ends in it, I probably would've liked it a lot more. The secret society that Dig was in was an interesting twist.. but at the same time, I also didn't really care about it. I have no idea what the next book will bring me, or my buddy, but I hope we like it a bit better than this one!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maggie is a former marine and working through some trauma - she was a survivor of a bombing. Now she sails around the Carribean, alone. I'm not really sure what her job is. As she is sailing between islands, she picks up a naked man swimming. He turns out to be Cole, a treasure hunter looking for a sunken French submarine from WWII. Cole comes across as a bit of a whack job - spouting off conspiracy theories about secret societies controlling the government, etc. Enter into the picture, Diggory. Dig is a spy and also a member of the secret society, Skull and Bones. He was sent to prevent Cole from finding the sub, but also has ties to Maggie and the bombing. However, it takes a while for the plot to flesh out how everything is related.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the treasure hunt aspect. Maggie and Cole have to follow some clues left by Cole's father. That part was fun and interesting. The secret society stuff was a different twist, but it was rather confusing at times and made me lose focus of the other plotlines. Then the author threw in some other things (like Maggie's dead brother's ghost warning her of danger) that just tipped the scales for me and made me feel there was just too much going on. I can't help it, I like my plots a little more simplistic and cleaner. Add too many elements and it starts to detract from the plot. That said, I still enjoyed the book enough to give it an average rating, and I am hoping that now that some of the weirdness is fleshed out that book 2 will have a crisper/cleaner plot. Fingers crossed.

[♡Karlyn P♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good freebie political/suspense thriller with treasure hunting, a secret political club with deep control over world affairs, and layers upon layers of intense plotting. There is no doubt the author has deep knowledge about all things nautical. She did a great job blending facts with fiction, including the historical search for an actual missing WW2 submarine lost over 60-years ago.

If you are a romance fan like me, you should know that is does have a strong romance element but this is not a traditional romance book. The ending leaves us open for a sequel, so we might see more of Cole and Riley. (One mildly steamy romance steam, some great chemistry between two likable characters, the 'L' word is used, and the possibility of an HEA still exists by the end).

Cole and Riley find themselves working together to locate a missing WW2 submarine that was lost over 60-years ago, and which Cole believes holds the secret that got his father killed just three years past. To make it more enticing, he is certain there are gold coins on the submarine as well.

It was a beefy read at over 500 pages. I really enjoyed it, especially given that this isn't my normal type of read. It did have its weak moments at time with the plotting, and I did question some decisions that were made, but mostly it was a tightly woven suspense thriller. There was also quite a bit of 'bad guy info dumping' that I get frustrated with. ((Why is it bad guys always have to give a full confessional before they can kill the hero or heroine, only to be foiled because they spent so much time talking?)) I also had some issue with the ending, and I don't mean the wild coincidences that occur. Toward the end of the story, with a bad guy out to kill them they a) return to the exact spot the bad guys will find them, and then b) they split up instead of staying together. Riley is out of sight, on her own, with only radio contact available. It worked for the high-action ending, but I did not believe for a second these characters were so careless to make this deadly, stupid decision.

Overall, this was a really good political/nautical suspense/thriller read with complex plotting and intrigue. If this is your cuppa, my guess this is one of the better books out there in this genre. If you prefer reading romances, this might be a disappointment but it wont miss the mark completely.

Lastly, I got this one for free at Amazon, so a big thank you to the author for the great opportunity to find it and read it.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured Circle of Bones in one sitting. It is a very good maritime yarn, as good or better than Clive Cussler's on a couple of levels in plotting and writing. Like Cussler, Kling does a great job in weaving several narratives together.

Former U. S. Marines embassy security guard Maggie Riley sails to the Caribbean aboard a forty-foot sailboat to find solace as a solo sailor following a her recovery from a near-fatal embassy bombing and a lover's abandonment.

Near the islands of Dominica and Guadaloupe, Riley rescues a handsome nude swimmer from the sea and finds herself caught up in the 60-year-old mystery of the missing WWII Free French submarine, the Surcouf .

As Riley begins to confront those behind the sub's disappearance, she finds old family mysteries, including her brother's mysterious death, will ultimately be linked to the Surcouf and three mysterious numbers.

Full of deadly villains, conspiracy theories, ciphers, and puzzling secrets, Circle of Bones is a great page turner. I did find the R-rated adult nature of some of the content to be a little bit too much for me, but I easily skipped over those parts and continued with the story.

The story ends, I think, with the possibility of more Riley stories. If not, I hope Kling will continue to write many more excellent sea yarns.

[Michelle Kitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this title when it was free for Kindle. It isn't typical of my reading choices but I thought I'd give it a go for something different. I'm glad that I did. I enjoyed the strong female presence of Maggie Riley. She's intelligent, strong, and sexy but not infallible. I enjoyed the male protagonists as well. Cole and Theo are a great compliment to Maggie's personality. The danger and conflicts throughout the book kept my attention to the end.

The main villain is satisfyingly diabolical and remorseless. I'll leave out any detail to avoid giving anything away. I didn't particularly care for the secondary villains. Personally, I didn't feel they were as well written. Their dialogue just didn't feel natural to me. Their actions and motivations were understandable though and I think my dislike is more personal than anything.

A fair portion of the story takes place on boats. It may have been easier to follow some of the action if I had a working knowledge of boats and nautical terminology. Overall, I really enjoyed the story. There was a good amount of suspense, just enough romance, and plenty of conflict.

[Carl Brookins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for sea stories, and for thrillers of all kinds. I've read Kling's other books and enjoyed them immensely. The parallel plot development in this novel is very well designed. With one exception, the characters are intriguing, usually act appropriately and are worth following. The settings, the rhythms of the action,and in most cases the reactions of the characters work to maintain or raise the tension. But the novel is way too long. Again and again the tension builds to a climax only to be deflated by unnecessary detail about a piece of equipment or a view out the window. One character suddenly projects a long rant about weaknesses in American culture at an inappropriate time, after a narrow escape. There are confusing shifts of points of view. In most cases, the action can carry the reader through these problems, but I was disappointed because I know this author is capable of much better writing.

[Book Him Danno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Circle of Bones is mainly set in the Caribbean and bounces between current day and 1942. is filled with non stop adventure with a conspiracy stretching World War 2 to the current day.
There are tons of characters that some reader like me find themselves re readers parts of the book to figure out who is who.
Romance, Adventure suspense and amazing end to the book will keep readers wanting more from this author.
ARC from Netgalley

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice change of pace from the UF & PNR which has made up the majority of my reading material over the past year.

Maggie Riley was a strong female protagonist with just enough issues and character flaws that she was realistically human and never became a Mary Sue.

I liked Cole and Theo and I thought that their personalities complimented each other's and Maggie's as well. The adventure was interesting and full of action.

What I could have done without was the whole secret society/cabal aspect of the plot. I think the book would have been entertaining enough if it had just been alternating between the present day search for the missing submarine and the events leading up to its disappearance during WWII. If that had been the case, there would have been more time for the parts that I enjoyed most which were the actual at-sea scenes, the deep-sea diving scenes, and deciphering the clues leading to the sub's whereabouts.

The villain in this story was a bonafide sociopath whose hatred for the blue-blooded better than thou members of the secret society was understandable, but I just didn't really enjoy reading his scenes all that much. Of course if he'd only wanted to take them down, as opposed to taking them down and then taking over, killing the main characters and everyone in his path in the process, he would have ceased to be the villain.

All said, I enjoyed this enough to read the next book in the series, despite the fact that it seems like the cabal business is far from over.

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: war, death of a sibling (in the past), murder, slut shaming, racial slurs, ableist slurs, rape threats, death of a parent, explosions, presumed death of a love interest

The submarine plot and the code breaking stuff was compelling. The rest of this was kind of a shitshow. So here's the thing: the idea of this was pretty great. I was hoping for a Clive Cussler type deal with more romance. Uuuuuuuuuunfortunately, while I enjoyed the parts set in the 1940s, the rest of it was just...bleh.

There was a truly unnecessary amount of racism and misogyny, including this gem of a quote about an African-American character: "Even at such a distance, he could see her animal sexuality. It was common in her kind."

Add in the fact that the main character hooks up with the love interest for the first time literally hours after witnessing her father's murder, discovering that her ex is a murderer, AND discovering that her father was responsible for her brother's death a decade earlier and I spent a lot of time making grossed out faces while reading this.

[ceeeeg · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a decent read, but a lil overlong and dragged in place for me, especially with the villain and his hammy and less than believable henchmen and overall plotline...

in fact, all the characters were kinda cliche and that is probably the major downside of this novel...the general premise is interesting reading, given it is based on real events and i mostly liked the suppositions proffered in explaining them...

if i could, i would have given it a 3 and a half star rating...decently written and an engaging enough read that it held me til the end, despite the lags along the way

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie is sailing on her sail boat around the Caribbean after heartbreak and dealing with her father's dementia and the death of her brother. She's just looking for some peace. While anchored near an island, a naked man appears on her boat. He doesn't tell her that he's being chased by some bad guys, just gets her to give him refuge. After she gets him back to his boat, he tells her a story about buried treasure in a submarine that was sunk in 1942. She becomes engrossed in helping to find the sub.

This was a very fast paced exciting story, one that I hated to put down. The characters were all well defined and the search for the sub was riveting. Alternating chapters of what happened aboard the sub in 1942 were interesting as well. I look forward to reading more in this series.

[David Freas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked all of Kling’s Seychelle Sullivan novels. I hoped this first entry in her ‘Shipwreck Adventure’ series would be as good.

And for the most part, she delivered. The general premise was a good one: A treasure hunter searching for a missing French WWII sub rumored to be carrying a fortune in gold and secret documents. Pirates tail him, hoping to steal any gold he salvages, and another man intends to make sure the secret documents never come to light. After rescuing the nude treasure hunter from the bad guys, a woman becomes caught up in his quest.

Kling tells a great story laced with lots of action and tension and a touch of romance while avoiding swamping us with a deluge of sailing trivia, the way some authors do. Where she goes off track is making the man after the secret documents a troubleshooter sent by Yale’s Skull & Bones Society.

Conspiracy theorists claim the Skull & Bones Society is a cabal of rich, powerful men who secretly control everything from behind the scenes. Books that have the actions of groups like that leave me cold. They smack of the author trying to shore up a lame plot or, as in this book, add another element to a plot that doesn’t need it, and this plot didn’t need it. So this element didn’t add to the plot, only detracted from it, and cost this book 1 star.

Then there’s the semi-cliffhanger ending. That cost this book another ½ star, so what could have been a 4 star book gets 3 stars because I can’t give it 2½.

I might read the next book in this series if it comes my way, but if it is more of the same, I won't be back for the third.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a live Cussler book, in the style of that is. There hero is a sailor and a Marine -- there are no "ex" Marines, even though she is separated from the service. I did not finish it because it was stuck in the same place and did not move fast enough in the Clive crashing headlong way that is fun to read. There was too much background "feelings" and slow bits where she was talking to friends and remembering the past. Others may like it better for that, but for a swashbucking mystery it did not quite make it for me.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a very enjoyable book. I'll say that the plot is a little weary at this point...evil secret society composed of rich, white guys (political affiliation not discussed, but take a guess) wants to continue profiting off of endless wars. You can see the same story played out nightly on CNN, MSNBC etc.

That said, the book is well written, the details the author shares about sailing and the Caribbean provide a wonderful backdrop for the story. The characters are pretty well developed and mostly believable, if a bit stereotypical. Island kid turns out to be a genius at science/computers/electronics, conspiracy theorist professor, tough as nails, but oh so sensitive former Marine, and the obligatory evil, rich, white guy as a villain.

The conspiracy theorist main character, Cole Thatcher, has a couple of unintentionally hilarious moments. For one, his proof that the evil secret society wants to perpetuate war for profit is that we are able to find Saddam Hussein hiding in a hole but can't find Osama bin Landen.

Ooopsie...reality caught up with you on that.

Complaints aside I do recommend the book, it's very enjoyable.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

book synopsis

Former marine Maggie Riley has just set sail for the Caribbean, ready for a little R&R on her forty-foot boat before starting a work assignment in Dominica.

Then Cole Thatcher appears.

Sexy, naked—and possibly nuts—Cole turns out to be an archaeologist searching for the wreckage from a World War II submarine that may hold millions in gold coins and classified documents from a powerful inner circle of the secret society Skull and Bones. Maggie has enough skeletons to deal with, but when she learns her own past may intersect the Bonesmen’s, joining Cole in the hunt for the sub may be the only course to uncover a hidden truth

my rating :five stars
no challenge
just reviewed for NetGalley

what did I think of it:
Frist off I want to say thinks to Netgalley, as well as to the Publishers and the other for giving me a change to read and review Circle of Bones, this it the first book that I've picked up by Christine Kling and I loved it , couldn't stop read it once I started it, loved the main characters , loved every thing about it can't wait to pick up book 2 when I can get to it.

[Agnieszka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't know how to review "Circle of Bones". There wasn't a thing about this book that I shouldn't be able to like - from the moment I read it was set in the Caribbean where a female sailor and an ex-marine helps a treasure hunter find a treasure I was completely love-struck. Everything was going great until I realized how much the plot dragged... Don't get me wrong, I appreciate good story build-up and characterization - of which there was plenty here - but I also want me some tension. Every time the trail got hot, the story slowed to show us how boring in his caricatural evilness was the main antagonist. Or his two unnecessary sidekicks. I could read about Riley, Cole and Theo treasure hunting all night long - but these three were a serious pain. Also, I'm kind of sorry to say that the romance aspect of the story turned out to be quite plain (don't what to say "unbelievable", but here it goes). All in all, I think I wanted this book to be better that it was, thus I did enjoy it for the most part, but I'm not sure when I'll be picking up its sequel.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had its moments.

At its best, it's a pretty good thriller with a strong sailing/boating element. The plotline that kicks off all the action is of course ludicrous, but that's normal in this genre. It's hard to send people careening around the planet in search of a better pie recipe, so we always end up with the Earthshattering MacGuffin.

My issue with this book is with the secondary characters. The main characters are basically fine. The secondary characters are poor. There's the Magic Sidekick Minority, who seems to have no motivation of his own other than to be the Big Guy's helper. Oh, and then he occasionally has the exact right bit of trivia at the exact right moment.

The sidekick villains are the stereotypical Ugly Stupid Sidekicks, where physical defects stand in for actual character development.

Bleargh.

If you try to ignore that and focus on the main character (a woman for a change, yay!) and the boating knowledge, it could be a fun read.

[Kathryn Flatt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I only got one quarter of the way into the book, Chapter 23, and gave it up. No clue what everyone's after. Little or no idea of who these people are or what motivates them. I kept slogging along, hoping for something to snare my interest, but alas. I don't even know if I particularly like any of the characters. The flashbacks to a key historical event progress too slowly and don't really add much. Too much detail about the mechanics of sailing. Maybe someday I'll go back and try to finish this, but for the time being, seems like more of a chore than the pleasure it should be.

[AF · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really could have been an incredible book. Instead it was pretty damn cheesy, predictable, and utterly disappointing with how the villain was handled in the end. Worst conclusion ever. If you're a sailor or enjoy boating, are a fan of archaeology but you're not a PhD, and you're looking for an easy read that finally gets interesting 70% of the way through, then this is your book. I've read worse, and it wasn't totally awful, but I don't recommend spending money on this book. For a Caribbean "Thriller", it does not live up to its title.

[Paullei Mumme · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book with enough action and suspense to keep me interested but the book as a whole fell short of what it could have been.

The characters never fully captured my heart. There were several areas that didn't hold my attention and I skimmed over it. I wanted to love the book but I instead I just enjoyed it.

I've noticed with this author that she is creative and does a decent job of weaving characters and plot but I always feel cheated for either lack of character development and rushed story lines.

[Sally Malkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Great writing technique - a blend of education, humor, suspense, Cariabean travel history, search for missing "treasure" - all linked with likeable and believeable characters. The ending leads one to believe there could be a sequel. My only suggestion would be to put the Surcouf's history before the start of the story as it would have had more of an impact on me personally. Rated 1 to 5, with 5 the highest, I would give this a 4 & 7/8 taking off ONLY for the few grammatical issues.

[J. Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing read

Lots of plot twists and historical references that make this an intriguing read. Adding in the overall conspiracy, though, was a bit of a cliche. I liked the romance element, but the characters were too aloof and disengaged to be really in love. But still a good read that I would recommend.

[Donna Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really kept my attention, I enjoyed the story very much. For someone who enjoys a good mystery thriller suspense novel this hits the mark. In fact I would like to read some more from this writer.

[RBSProds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four MYSTERIOUS Stars! "Circle of Bones" is the latest Christine Kling mystery novel. As with the "Seychelle Sullivan" novels, the main protagonist, Maggie Riley, is a very independent, tough but attractive solo boat sailor sent by her company to design a security system for a business on the island of Dominica. Enroute on her boat, "Bonefish", Riley, still haunted by her brother's death, rescues a mysterious naked swimmer, Cole Thatcher, far from the nearest island and he begins spinning tales of conspiracy theories, but that is the least of their problems. Cole is being tracked by a sinister group trying to verify his theories and perhaps one very important secret he's rumored to be after, which might have significant public impact. Riley is pulled into this fantastic web of intrigue and greed, involving a vicious killer, two shady brothers, and some very close Riley associates. The novel also traces the parallel tale of a French submarine on a mission in the Caribbean in World War II, and author Kling gradually brings multiple threads together, across time and space, in a story full of 'cliff hanger' surprises with many twists and turns, secret societies, and secrets of a more personal nature, but it is somewhat coincidence-driven and may push credulity for some readers. Nevertheless, "Circle of Bones" is a very entertaining novel in the Seychelle Sullivan tradition, with lots of sailing, action, and tourism beyond the Caribbean, and it is Very Definitely Recommended. I see on Kling's author page that Maggie Riley will reappear in an upcoming 2014 Christine Kling Shipwreck novel. Four ACTION-PACKED Stars! (Kindle, 526 pages, reviewed in Kindle text and text-to-speech formats.)

[Desiree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great elements for a good book but...
I really am struggling between giving this 2 and 3 stars (after writing this review I realized how annoyed I was and decided on two)
I love a good read about treasure hunting and I love a good thriller. This book was about treasure hunting and not so thrilling.
I was annoyed about halfway through this 500+ page book when there was still very little going on.
And spoiler alert - we still don't know if the damn treasure was ever discovered. Urghh. But I know more about boats than I did before...???
Also, I am uncomfortable with how freely and often the author uses racial slurs and how stereotypical she made certain characters.
Lastly, the narrator was awful, I ended up just turning the audio off and reading it the good old fashioned way.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plausible conspiracy theory combined with a strong heroine

I read these books out of order to my chagrin, and am reviewing them from that point of view.

The best part of this book is the effective development of a truly evil self-serving nemesis for Riley.

It does make me question the sanity of anyone willing to solo sailing the high seas.

The chapter by chapter context switching between the primary story and the underlying historical events of World War II can make things a bit challenging. You must pay attention to the sub chapter headings!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I was ready for a change of pace. A friend recommended this to me so I moved it to the top of my pile. It took a little bit to understand the flow of the story but it was a good mystery. I liked the flashbacks to WWII. I enjoyed the Skull and Bones tie in. All in all a good story that stands on its own and yet sets the scene for the next book. Not really a cliff hanger just loose ends that you already knew would take a second book to tie up if you were interested. I'm looking forward to the next shipwreck adventure. I may just have found a new author I will follow.

[John Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dithered between giving this a 3 or a 4, and eventually decided to go with a 3. The plot itself is very well conceived and intriguing. However, parts of the book dragged for me and conversely the finish seemed a little rushed. Ultimately, I did enjoy reading it, and will very likely read the next book in the series at some point, but unlike other series I've read, this one didn't capture my attention to the point that I will immediately go on to the next book.