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Deadly Cargo
James Patterson’s BookShots. Short, fast-paced, high-impact entertainment.
We have to go out, but we don’t have to come back.
When a distress call is received at the Casco Cove Coast Guard Station in Alaska, Rick O’Neill readies his team for a rescue mission. In the storm-tossed freezing waters they find the foundering Russian cargo ship, but when they try to make contact they receive no response. Boarding what appears to be a deserted vessel, O’Neill begins to realise that nothing on this ship is as it seems, and he may have just led his team into a trap.
We have to go out, but we don’t have to come back.
When a distress call is received at the Casco Cove Coast Guard Station in Alaska, Rick O’Neill readies his team for a rescue mission. In the storm-tossed freezing waters they find the foundering Russian cargo ship, but when they try to make contact they receive no response. Boarding what appears to be a deserted vessel, O’Neill begins to realise that nothing on this ship is as it seems, and he may have just led his team into a trap.
Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 2017
41 people are currently reading
1323 people want to read
About the author
James Patterson
955 books355k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 9, 2018
Adventure comes in many forms, which is one of the underlying premises of the BookShot collection. There is no ‘cookie cutter’ means of writing one of these short pieces, but it seems important that the action be quick and the adventure climb to warp-speed. When James Patterson teamed up with Will Jordan, they had these two ingredients in mind for a fast-paced tale on the high seas. When a distress call reaches the Casco Cove Coast Guard Station in Alaska, Lieutenant Rick O’Neill and his crew prepare to respond. As they locate the M.V. Ossora in the Bering Sea, O’Neill is slightly baffled. The Ossora, which has seen better days and was likely battling breakers during the Cold War, appears abandoned, her crew nowhere to be found. Still, the US Coast Guard is bound to answer all calls and try to help. It is only when O’Neill leads his crew aboard that things take a definite turn for the worse. This may be a trap, one that the original crew could not have known existed. Now, O’Neill is forced to turn heroic as he discovers the plan these hijackers are trying to enact, hoping that he’s not led the Casco Cove arm of the Coast Guard to their slaughter. With nothing left inside him, O’Neill must muster all his strength to bring his crew home, or die trying. Patterson and Jordan know how to keep the reader enthralled and leave nothing out in this 21st century Cold War showdown. Perfect for BookShot fans who need a little adventure to chill them to the core.
For those who have been following my BookShot month, you’ll know that these are never guaranteed successes. However, everyone once in a while I find myself in the middle of a story that has my attention and will not give up. I am happy to admit that this was one such piece. Rick O’Neill is that perfect struggling protagonist, washed-up and wanting out, only to find his skills needed one final time. Trouble is, with a man this stubborn, he does not know when ‘self’ should come before ‘country’, which leaves the crew in a precarious position. The banter between the Coast Guard and these select hijackers provides the reader with some interesting secondary characters, as well as some essential intensity in the narrative. The story is nothing unique or off the wall, but its delivery is nothing short of stellar, as it paces the release of information against a varied length of chapters. The reader will find themselves in the middle and not wanting to let go, or or relax until the final page has been turned. This is a refreshing read for me, after a few duds left me wondering how I would stomach thirty-one days of this. Thankfully, Will Jordan’s here to keep Patterson on a steady course and I look forward to another collaborative effort.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Jordan, for keeping a battle on the high seas from getting too melodramatic. I am eager to see what else I can find in the BookShot grove to whet my appetite.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
For those who have been following my BookShot month, you’ll know that these are never guaranteed successes. However, everyone once in a while I find myself in the middle of a story that has my attention and will not give up. I am happy to admit that this was one such piece. Rick O’Neill is that perfect struggling protagonist, washed-up and wanting out, only to find his skills needed one final time. Trouble is, with a man this stubborn, he does not know when ‘self’ should come before ‘country’, which leaves the crew in a precarious position. The banter between the Coast Guard and these select hijackers provides the reader with some interesting secondary characters, as well as some essential intensity in the narrative. The story is nothing unique or off the wall, but its delivery is nothing short of stellar, as it paces the release of information against a varied length of chapters. The reader will find themselves in the middle and not wanting to let go, or or relax until the final page has been turned. This is a refreshing read for me, after a few duds left me wondering how I would stomach thirty-one days of this. Thankfully, Will Jordan’s here to keep Patterson on a steady course and I look forward to another collaborative effort.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Jordan, for keeping a battle on the high seas from getting too melodramatic. I am eager to see what else I can find in the BookShot grove to whet my appetite.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
September 17, 2017
Page turner, 2 hour sitting and finished it. Loved the story line, found it extremely exciting, and good balance of characters. Very current story line as well. This could be developed into a series quite easily with the main characters. Well done, Mr Patterson, on another brilliant Bookshots. Thank you.
February 11, 2019
So full of hilarious cliches.
June 25, 2021
A short and simple book.
I enjoyed it 😊
I enjoyed it 😊
July 9, 2024
In ‘Deadly cargo’ by James Patterson and Will Jordan, a dejected Coast Guard captain, Rick O’Neill, is about to submit his resignation when a distress call from a Russian cargo ship comes in. Then all communications go dark.
Putting aside his personal issues, not to mention the simmering hostility from several of his team, O’Neill and crew set off from their Alaskan base and into the Bering Strait in order to find the foundering ship.
The team eventually find the vessel, with nothing but the most basic emergency power on and no members of its crew in sight. Sensing something strange must have happened, in the dim eerie glow of emergency lighting, they search around, eventually finding the engine room crew trapped down below. But as they wonder just what happened there, and whether they could get the power back on, O’Neill realises he has made a mistake.
Now, this setup is quite interesting and at 122 pages long, I knew that even if it wasn’t great, I could get through it quickly. Now the low page count is because it is part of Patterson’s BookShots series, which, having read a handful of previously, I have found lacking. Yet, I still return.
Anyway, as with the other books in the series that I have read, it utilises more of an omniscient approach, allowing for head hopping and wider description. And while this works well here, it is not my favourite technique. This series also calls for a higher proportion of ‘telling’ that I often find in the books I read, and that sometimes has the effect of being almost condescending but in fairness to Will Jordan (who I presume wrote it), he gets the balance right and produce the best BookShots book that I’ve read.
I found that ‘Deadly cargo’ was a genuine page turner with wonderfully executed chapter breaks and expertly applied tension. The story itself, as with all modern Patterson books that I’ve read, is solid even if it comes across as a TV movie, but one in which you will happily become absorbed into even if its depths, unlike the sea, are superficial.
The characters, excluding O’Neill who is racked with guilt and suffering from indecision with deadly consequences, serve the plot rather than being people to invest time in, but this is hardly surprising given the length of the book.
Ultimately, ‘Deadly cargo’ knows that it is a quick throwaway read, and it delivers what it needs to in order to keep you reading and entertain and that is what this series should have been about.
Despite my apprehension going into this, its use of action, authentic language and terms (at least to my knowledge) and tension made this one hell of an enjoyable read.
Putting aside his personal issues, not to mention the simmering hostility from several of his team, O’Neill and crew set off from their Alaskan base and into the Bering Strait in order to find the foundering ship.
The team eventually find the vessel, with nothing but the most basic emergency power on and no members of its crew in sight. Sensing something strange must have happened, in the dim eerie glow of emergency lighting, they search around, eventually finding the engine room crew trapped down below. But as they wonder just what happened there, and whether they could get the power back on, O’Neill realises he has made a mistake.
Now, this setup is quite interesting and at 122 pages long, I knew that even if it wasn’t great, I could get through it quickly. Now the low page count is because it is part of Patterson’s BookShots series, which, having read a handful of previously, I have found lacking. Yet, I still return.
Anyway, as with the other books in the series that I have read, it utilises more of an omniscient approach, allowing for head hopping and wider description. And while this works well here, it is not my favourite technique. This series also calls for a higher proportion of ‘telling’ that I often find in the books I read, and that sometimes has the effect of being almost condescending but in fairness to Will Jordan (who I presume wrote it), he gets the balance right and produce the best BookShots book that I’ve read.
I found that ‘Deadly cargo’ was a genuine page turner with wonderfully executed chapter breaks and expertly applied tension. The story itself, as with all modern Patterson books that I’ve read, is solid even if it comes across as a TV movie, but one in which you will happily become absorbed into even if its depths, unlike the sea, are superficial.
The characters, excluding O’Neill who is racked with guilt and suffering from indecision with deadly consequences, serve the plot rather than being people to invest time in, but this is hardly surprising given the length of the book.
Ultimately, ‘Deadly cargo’ knows that it is a quick throwaway read, and it delivers what it needs to in order to keep you reading and entertain and that is what this series should have been about.
Despite my apprehension going into this, its use of action, authentic language and terms (at least to my knowledge) and tension made this one hell of an enjoyable read.
April 27, 2019
Short and simple, this Patterson thriller is a nice little action thriller as a team from the Coast Guard attempt the rescue of a container ship. This could have easily have been fleshed out more to make a full novel and I would like to see more of the characters.
September 7, 2024
Such an easy read! Face paced and short😁
February 1, 2025
Brilliant quick story read in one day...
December 30, 2023
Quite enjoyed this and as with all the other quick reads, it doesn’t take very long to reach the end.
April 8, 2022
A quick book to read with a reasonably straightforward plot, no stings in the tale to speak of.
Having said that, it was all action and a good quick and easy book to read that was quite enjoyable.
A piece of literary masterpiece it was not, but that did not detract from the readability of the book.
The storyline centres on Rick O'Neill from the Coast Guard who embarks on a rescue mission with his crew to a Russian cargo ship and that is where things go awry.
If you want to read a book that you can almost read in one session, this is for you.
Having said that, it was all action and a good quick and easy book to read that was quite enjoyable.
A piece of literary masterpiece it was not, but that did not detract from the readability of the book.
The storyline centres on Rick O'Neill from the Coast Guard who embarks on a rescue mission with his crew to a Russian cargo ship and that is where things go awry.
If you want to read a book that you can almost read in one session, this is for you.
October 5, 2021
Quick read- lots of action- interesting characters-great book
December 31, 2019
This 2017 novella by authors James Patterson and Will Jordan is action packed. Lt. Rick O'Neill leads his small Coast Guard crew through the storm tossed waters of the Bering Sea in support of a Russian freighter which has sent out a distress signal and then gone quiet and adrift. More character and plot development than in most novellas. This was an enjoyable read.
When a distress call is received at the Casco Cove Coast Guard Station in Alaska, Rick O'Neill readies his team for a rescue mission. In the storm-tossed freezing waters they find the foundering Russian cargo ship, but when they try to make contact they receive no response. Boarding what appears to be a deserted vessel, O'Neill begins to realise that nothing on this ship is as it seems, and he may have just led his team into a trap.
When a distress call is received at the Casco Cove Coast Guard Station in Alaska, Rick O'Neill readies his team for a rescue mission. In the storm-tossed freezing waters they find the foundering Russian cargo ship, but when they try to make contact they receive no response. Boarding what appears to be a deserted vessel, O'Neill begins to realise that nothing on this ship is as it seems, and he may have just led his team into a trap.
September 14, 2020
This should've been a quick read, but that is a story for another time, and another day. The book dragged a little to me. What should've been an 80 page read, somehow ended up being a 120 something page read, because the author dragged it. Overall, it is a good read and I don't regret reading it, I just wished it could've been 40 pages shorter. Due to the book being so short, I won't leave a detailed review.
July 24, 2017
Another good quick read in the Bookshots format by James Patterson.
This one tells the story of a US Coastguard crew at a remote station in Alaska, having to deal with a distress call from a Russian freighter and finding that all is not what it seems once they reach the vessel.
Good moments of suspense and action in a plot which is over all too soon.
On the whole, a good short thriller
This one tells the story of a US Coastguard crew at a remote station in Alaska, having to deal with a distress call from a Russian freighter and finding that all is not what it seems once they reach the vessel.
Good moments of suspense and action in a plot which is over all too soon.
On the whole, a good short thriller
May 14, 2020
This is your typical “book shot” lots of action and straight into the strong with very little padding out. Certainly a page turner and plenty of action, what let’s down this book is the easy to guess plot and twists. I guessed the main twists hence the lower score but stills good read.
Never read a James Patterson book before so I might read a full 1 in the future.
Never read a James Patterson book before so I might read a full 1 in the future.
January 6, 2024
Starting with 5 stars...
-1 star for blatant anti-Russian propaganda
(Were James Patterson / Will Jordan tasked with writing this book, or were they just unabashed opportunists?)
-1 star
* poorly written ending
* sensationalist title
+1 star because I'm a sucker for books set on a ship / the ocean
-1 star for blatant anti-Russian propaganda
(Were James Patterson / Will Jordan tasked with writing this book, or were they just unabashed opportunists?)
-1 star
* poorly written ending
* sensationalist title
+1 star because I'm a sucker for books set on a ship / the ocean
November 19, 2025
A very thrilling exciting story. I really enjoy these short stories by James Patterson. One complaint is the lack of reality, as really wild things happen asking you to suspend your beliefs.
But they are entertaining. That's good enough for me. Lot's of action and thrills. Not much on story though and you pretty much know how these will end. But those are minor quirks.
But they are entertaining. That's good enough for me. Lot's of action and thrills. Not much on story though and you pretty much know how these will end. But those are minor quirks.
December 17, 2017
Love the book. It make me feel shout until to the end.
Deadly cargo is based on a true story
The story is about human trafficking and stopping it.
The characters are very good and the content of the story itself. It made me feel chills when i was reading it.
Deadly cargo is based on a true story
The story is about human trafficking and stopping it.
The characters are very good and the content of the story itself. It made me feel chills when i was reading it.
February 22, 2023
It does what it says on the tin. A bookshot which kept me company on the train. It was a good read, zipped along and the action set aboard a cargo ship was good combined with the storm conditions. So overall a decent tale to while away 90 minutes.
September 24, 2017
Great short read, love reading book shots, this was a short fast paced thriller, worth a read
October 28, 2017
I really enjoy these short action books.
April 16, 2019
This was a really good face-passed thriller with great characters. I hope they explore this group even further with a full novel. Highly recommended.
April 24, 2019
Not a bad brief read in between other books, enjoyed this one & I would definitely read a series of these stories if JP would release them.
May 10, 2019
A nice quick Bookshot read.
May 15, 2019
an ok Bookshots...read it..done
May 20, 2019
I enjoyed it, action from the start
July 21, 2019
Slightly slow start but kicked in quite quickly. Enjoyed the fast paced storyline. Strong characters. Good twist but can't say entirely unexpected. Overall a good read =)
November 3, 2019
Okay book
September 16, 2020
Fast paced good easy light read
April 23, 2021
Bruh! What a journey! 👌
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews