Wolf Rock

Richard Mariner #14

by Peter Tonkin

Richard Mariner - Book 11 "A master of sea-going adventure. Enough taut suspense to satisfy any reader." Clive Cussler In the middle of a terrible storm in the English Channel, the Lionheart turns around to rescue those aboard the sinking Goodman Richard. Abandoned by the captain and most officers on the only seaworthy lifeboat, a hundred distressed cadets escape the threatening waters of Wolf Rock thanks to the skills of Richard Mariner and his crew. However, instead of being heralded as a hero, Mariner is painted as a villain. He is accused, by a corrupt board of inquiry, of being complicit in the knowledge that the ship wasn't originally seaworthy. Mariner is held responsible for the officers lost at sea, declared dead by misadventure - and arrested for Corporate Killing as part of the test case for a new law. Mariner must suddenly salvage his reputation, his business and uncover the truth. Praise for Peter "A clever setup, loaded fore and aft with rousing action scenes." Kirkus Reviews “The Ides is a testosterone-fuelled battle roar in a world of double-dealing and betrayal, where wits must be sharp and recovery time between violent encounters is brief. Peter Tonkin has infused a familiar narrative with excitement, energy and a delicious twist right at the very end.” Mystery People ”Riveting tale full of fast action.” Publishers Weekly ”Good technical detail, plus an exciting climax, makes this entertaining reading.” Publishing News “A welcome aura of old-fashioned expertise.” Publishers Weekly “A good thriller, recommended.” Library Journal “Tonkin is a superb storyteller who creates big, brash, swashbuckling adventures with taut suspense, fast-paced action and tough, resourceful characters.” Booklist ”Equals the best of James Clavell.” Daily Telegraph ”Edge-of-the-seat terror on the high seas.” Daily Post Peter Tonkin was born in 1950 in Ulster, Northern Ireland and was raised in the UK, Holland, Germany, and the Persian Gulf. The son of an RAF officer, Tonkin spent much of his youth travelling the world from one posting to another. He is also the author of the >Richard Mariner thrillers and the Tom Musgrave Elizabethan crime series.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Peter Tonkin's first novel, KILLER, was published in 1978. His work has included the acclaimed "Mariner" series that have been critically compared with the best of Alistair MacLean, Desmond Bagley and Hammond Innes.

More recently he has been working on a series of detective thrillers with an Elizabethan background. This series, "The Master of Defense", has been characterised as 'James Bond meets Sherlock Holmes meets William Shakespeare'. Each story is a classic 'whodunit' with all the clues presented to the reader exactly as they are presented to the hero, Tom Musgrave. The Kirkus Review described them as having 'Elizabethan detail, rousing action sequences, sound detection...everything a fan of historical mysteries could hope for."

Reviews

[Alex Cantone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The winds whirling around it gathered power and speed. Storm force became near-hurricane in an instant. And it all pounced eastward past the Fastnet Rock with most unnerving speed, coming in across the Western Approaches as though set on destroying them all at once…

After a hesitant start and in no certain order, I am working my way through the long-running series of maritime thrillers by Peter Tonkin – featuring husband-and-wife sea captains Richard and Robin Mariner. Wolf Rock is my 7th and has the added bonus for this armchair “yachtie” to showcase Aussie skipper Doc Weary – veteran of several Sydney-Hobarts and Fastnet races – though yet to win either.

“Doc” is in Southampton for the latest challenge when, while crewing aboard the Mariners’ supercat car ferry “Lionhart” during its sea trials, the ship intercepts a mayday call from a 4-masted training vessel floundering in heavy seas off Wolf Rock, in the channel betwixt the English Coast and the Scillies, a storm surging through the Western Approaches of the Atlantic.

From the dramatic edge-of-your-seat rescue, Richard is embroiled in another roller-coaster – this at the Old Bailey. (Pause here: I am not enamoured of courtroom dramas and slippery prosecution lawyers, so I let a lot of this drift over me – aside from the odd murder and arson attack behind the scenes to catch my interest).

As a nominated board member of the charity owning the training ship, Richard is charged with negligence in safety, causing the deaths of several of the ship’s officers, missing presumed dead – set to destroy his reputation and ruin the family. And who benefits from that?

Which brings us to vested interests and back to the Fastnet Race. Here Richard is pitted against an old adversary. In stormy seas, a gamble with the highest stakes and coolest nerve, sees tactics which (when I lived in New Zealand) was termed “underarm yachting”. Loved it.