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Turning the Tide: One Man Against the Medellin Cartel
A suspenseful account of the college professor who brought down a Colombian drug lord reveals how one man armed with a .357 Magnum took a very big bite out of crime. By the author of A Cast of Killers. Original. K.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1991
26 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Sidney D. Kirkpatrick
12 books15 followersBooks and book publishing have long been an important part of life in the Kirkpatrick family. My grandfather and namesake was a senior editor at McGraw-Hill for thirty-five years. My mother, Audrey Kirkpatrick, was a short story writer, and studied under Vladimir Nabokov at Cornell University. Katherine Kirkpatrick, my younger sister, is a former book editor at Macmillan and the author of five historical novels. My older sister, Jennifer Kirkpatrick was a writer and researcher for National Geographic.
I was born in Glen Cove, New York, on October 4, 1955, and grew up in Stony Brook, on the north shore of Long Island. While attending the Kent School, in Kent, Connecticut, I won writing awards for poetry and journalism. Throughout my high-school years, and during college, I wrote several hundred articles for Long Island newspapers and became a stringer for Associated Press.
At Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, I majored in Chinese language and history. After graduation in 1978, I lived in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, where I taught ESL, directed and produced a short television documentary, and acted in two low-budget action films.
I completed my education in 1982 with an MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where I worked on several short films with classmates Spike Lee and Ang Lee, and optioned my first screenplay. While attending NYU, I wrote and directed "My Father The President" which won the 1982 American Film Festival and a CINE Golden Eagle. This film has since become a perennial favorite at over 1000 schools, libraries and museums across the country, and can be seen daily at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace at 28 East 20th Street, in New York City, and a the Sagamore Hill National Historical Site in Oyster Bay, New York.
The success of "My Father The President" caught the attention of film director Harrison Engle, who hired me to associate-produce a two hour television special, "The Indomitable Theodore Roosevelt," which starred George C. Scott. This film premiered on CBS in 1984, won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle, and was nominated for an Emmy.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and continued working with Harrison Engle, with whom I produced several short films for the Television Academy Hall of Fame, which included film biographies of Milton Berle, Norman Lear, Edward R. Murrow, and Lucille Ball.
The inspiration for my first book came in 1983, while I was collecting material at the Directors Guild of America for a film tribute to King Vidor, the legendary director of over seventy-six motion pictures. In the midst of organizing Vidor’s papers, I came across a locked strong-box containing the details of Vidor’s investigation of the 1922 murder of director William Desmond Taylor. Biographers A. Scott Berg and Edmund Morris were instrumental in helping me to obtain a publishing contract with E.P. Dutton. "A Cast of Killers," released in 1986, was on the best-sellers list for sixteen weeks, and was hailed as “mesmerizing” by author Anne Rice in a featured review for the New York Times Book Review.
After writing “A Cast of Killers,” I worked at Paramount Studios with screenwriter Robert Towne. Another screenwriter I worked with was Larry Ferguson, with whom I developed an action and adventure screenplay, “One Deadly Summer.” This film project, based on the true story of marine scientist Richard Novak’s one man war against Medellin drug lord Carlos Lehder, was optioned for actor Harrison Ford by Cinergi Films. Later retitled “Turning The Tide,” and co-written with author Peter Abrahams, it was published by Dutton in 1991 and excerpted by Readers Digest in 1992.
Research on my third book, "Lords of Sipán," was begun in 1991 in a small village on the north coast of Peru where I traced the contents of a looted pre-Inca tomb as it entered the black market in stolen antiquities. From Peru I traced the artifacts to London, New York, Beverly Hills, and
I was born in Glen Cove, New York, on October 4, 1955, and grew up in Stony Brook, on the north shore of Long Island. While attending the Kent School, in Kent, Connecticut, I won writing awards for poetry and journalism. Throughout my high-school years, and during college, I wrote several hundred articles for Long Island newspapers and became a stringer for Associated Press.
At Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, I majored in Chinese language and history. After graduation in 1978, I lived in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, where I taught ESL, directed and produced a short television documentary, and acted in two low-budget action films.
I completed my education in 1982 with an MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where I worked on several short films with classmates Spike Lee and Ang Lee, and optioned my first screenplay. While attending NYU, I wrote and directed "My Father The President" which won the 1982 American Film Festival and a CINE Golden Eagle. This film has since become a perennial favorite at over 1000 schools, libraries and museums across the country, and can be seen daily at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace at 28 East 20th Street, in New York City, and a the Sagamore Hill National Historical Site in Oyster Bay, New York.
The success of "My Father The President" caught the attention of film director Harrison Engle, who hired me to associate-produce a two hour television special, "The Indomitable Theodore Roosevelt," which starred George C. Scott. This film premiered on CBS in 1984, won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle, and was nominated for an Emmy.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and continued working with Harrison Engle, with whom I produced several short films for the Television Academy Hall of Fame, which included film biographies of Milton Berle, Norman Lear, Edward R. Murrow, and Lucille Ball.
The inspiration for my first book came in 1983, while I was collecting material at the Directors Guild of America for a film tribute to King Vidor, the legendary director of over seventy-six motion pictures. In the midst of organizing Vidor’s papers, I came across a locked strong-box containing the details of Vidor’s investigation of the 1922 murder of director William Desmond Taylor. Biographers A. Scott Berg and Edmund Morris were instrumental in helping me to obtain a publishing contract with E.P. Dutton. "A Cast of Killers," released in 1986, was on the best-sellers list for sixteen weeks, and was hailed as “mesmerizing” by author Anne Rice in a featured review for the New York Times Book Review.
After writing “A Cast of Killers,” I worked at Paramount Studios with screenwriter Robert Towne. Another screenwriter I worked with was Larry Ferguson, with whom I developed an action and adventure screenplay, “One Deadly Summer.” This film project, based on the true story of marine scientist Richard Novak’s one man war against Medellin drug lord Carlos Lehder, was optioned for actor Harrison Ford by Cinergi Films. Later retitled “Turning The Tide,” and co-written with author Peter Abrahams, it was published by Dutton in 1991 and excerpted by Readers Digest in 1992.
Research on my third book, "Lords of Sipán," was begun in 1991 in a small village on the north coast of Peru where I traced the contents of a looted pre-Inca tomb as it entered the black market in stolen antiquities. From Peru I traced the artifacts to London, New York, Beverly Hills, and
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 5, 2021
I gave this book such high ratings because it’s not often that I find accounts of shenanigans that happened in The Bahamas.
I’m a Bahamian and always heard rumors about the drug trade in my country and on Norman’s Cay. Therefore, it was fascinating to read about it.
The book was written well with action packed scenes, mind boggling accounts of money matters, luxurious living, and the evil undercurrents of it all.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the island life and hammerhead Sharks facts as the sea life is a fascination of mine.
The characters were brilliant, scary, corrupt, relatable, and I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. Page Turner
I would definitely recommend.
I’m a Bahamian and always heard rumors about the drug trade in my country and on Norman’s Cay. Therefore, it was fascinating to read about it.
The book was written well with action packed scenes, mind boggling accounts of money matters, luxurious living, and the evil undercurrents of it all.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the island life and hammerhead Sharks facts as the sea life is a fascination of mine.
The characters were brilliant, scary, corrupt, relatable, and I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. Page Turner
I would definitely recommend.
October 24, 2019
Super interesting book, a true story, lots of really interesting history. Very well written, and very quick and easy to read. The imagery throughout the book was excellent, I could really picture everything the author was describing, from all of the drug activities, to the beauty of the Bahamian Exuma islands. After reading this book, I want to go take a trip to the Bahamas, and also rewatch Narcos!
October 5, 2017
Picked for our bookclub read and well worth the journey down to the Bahamas and Norman's Cay. Reads like thriller but one that has happened. Excited to land at Norman's Cay and see some of the plane remains that still exist. Great read for anyone looking for something new to get lost in and a quick read.
August 12, 2024
Excellent book.
I gave this book a high rating because I could not stop reading it. The write paints a great picture. Also the book contains real photos which draws you more into the story.
I gave this book a high rating because I could not stop reading it. The write paints a great picture. Also the book contains real photos which draws you more into the story.
January 2, 2019
Amazing true story
January 16, 2021
A pretty interesting account about a man's dream to establish a marine research center on a small island in the Caribbean islands and his running into trouble with major drug dealers. My main issue with Mr. Novak is that he is such a hot head that he ends up butting heads with the wrong people in not very discreet ways, which makes trouble all around his dream. It is amazing that he survived several attempts on his life.
June 20, 2024
Nice read for a narco story lover :D
I found the book lovely to read although it wasn't exactly as I expected: not a mere lecturer and shark lover, not without the detailed account some actual detective risking it all to bring down one of the most daring drug traffickers in history! Events in the book capture a great example of how everyday people can play a pivotal role in helping society overcome detestable evils.
I found the book lovely to read although it wasn't exactly as I expected: not a mere lecturer and shark lover, not without the detailed account some actual detective risking it all to bring down one of the most daring drug traffickers in history! Events in the book capture a great example of how everyday people can play a pivotal role in helping society overcome detestable evils.
December 23, 2021
Excellent story. Amazing dangerous risks taken by this man.
Riveting reading, read till my eyes burned for a few nights in a row. True story that occurred just off the Florida coast.
Riveting reading, read till my eyes burned for a few nights in a row. True story that occurred just off the Florida coast.
November 12, 2021
Fantastic
I read this in one day, on a beach in Miami. Gripping from start to finish. Highly recommended if you're interested in the drug trade.
I read this in one day, on a beach in Miami. Gripping from start to finish. Highly recommended if you're interested in the drug trade.
March 29, 2022
WOW! I couldn't put this book down! Great writing, and a fantastic story! All true, absolutely loved it!
January 6, 2024
Amazing from start to finish, a gripping story of one man’s dream and passion against a narco leader and his drug island.
January 6, 2023
Bahamas - fun story about an informant. Disjointed and not super well-written, but a fun, quick exploration into drug trade in The Bahamas.
March 2, 2014
Seems well researched, although a couple of early passages made me question the whole book:
1. When talking about his .357 magnum, "he didn't explain that he carried the pistol in case of shark emergencies." Think a .357 mag can fire underwater? And sharks only jump out of the water to attack people on boats in movies. So this phrase sounds like it was written by someone who doesn't understand or love sharks; a non-diver. Clearly the protagonist loved sharks. Hammerheads in particular were his life.
2. "He descended to 125 feet, farther than he should have given that he had no extra tank for decompression." Again, it sounds like the authors are not divers. Although slightly deeper than recreational limits, it states he stayed at 125 "only for a few seconds." Clearly, no second tank would ever be needed in this scenario.
In addition to these passages, sometimes the protagonist felt a little rigid, unlikeable, and predictable. Despite these critiques, I enjoyed the book, and wish I would have read it prior to visiting Norman's Cay.
1. When talking about his .357 magnum, "he didn't explain that he carried the pistol in case of shark emergencies." Think a .357 mag can fire underwater? And sharks only jump out of the water to attack people on boats in movies. So this phrase sounds like it was written by someone who doesn't understand or love sharks; a non-diver. Clearly the protagonist loved sharks. Hammerheads in particular were his life.
2. "He descended to 125 feet, farther than he should have given that he had no extra tank for decompression." Again, it sounds like the authors are not divers. Although slightly deeper than recreational limits, it states he stayed at 125 "only for a few seconds." Clearly, no second tank would ever be needed in this scenario.
In addition to these passages, sometimes the protagonist felt a little rigid, unlikeable, and predictable. Despite these critiques, I enjoyed the book, and wish I would have read it prior to visiting Norman's Cay.
October 29, 2016
I couldn't put this book down. I bought it because I will be visiting the Exunas in the Bahamas. I knew a little about the drug running that took place, but this book filled in the gaps. The characters of Dick Novak, a college professor obsessed with hammerhead sharks and justice and Carlos Lehder, the charismatic and brilliant leader of a cocaine dynasty, were fascinating. It is a page turner, full of action, and true. Reading more about what happened after the book was published at the end of the Kindle version was very interesting as well.
September 26, 2007
Interesting true story of the kingpin of the Medellin Cartel, his downward spiral.
September 7, 2014
Lo leí hace mucho tiempo, no recuerdo mayor cosa, pero era suficientemente entretenido para terminarlo.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews