A CERTAIN PERSUASION

by Mike Leonard

Caribbean, 1996
Luke Darius, newly recruited doctor for the cruise ship Venus Prince, quickly finds himself immersed in a world so murky it easily trumps his own secret reason for being there. A seedy underworld spanning several continents fuelled by jealousy, bribery and persuasion - and, when it arrives, revenge of a surprisingly appropriate nature.

The far-reaching plot includes a carefully hushed up murder on ship, a close encounter with a disenfranchised Colombian drug lord, and a hijack threatening over 900 lives and the Panama Canal infrastructure itself. For good measure there is also the chance breaking of a truly abhorrent international paedophile network and the intimidation of key witness, Tara Scott, in the upcoming US military Aberdeen hearings - a woman Luke just happens to have fallen headlong in love with. Add to that Tara's single-minded determination to fight back, political shenanigans back home in England involving Luke's narcissistic brother, Martin, and downtrodden reporter, Sarah Wright's continuing quest for that elusive story.

A Certain Persuasion is a tale of love and betrayal and endless adventure on the high seas, with a disparate and intriguing cast of characters. Humour is subtly infused throughout - at times with a distinctly darker edge.

Dr Mike Leonard was the sole ship's surgeon on a cruise ship in the mid-1980s. A Certain Persuasion draws on his experience in British general practice and his time at sea.

535 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2022

Reviews

[Mahinui Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with nearly everything, what one person thinks is unlikely to reflect what the next reader will think.

This is an ambitious rendering of international intrigue. I was expecting more of a tantalizing tale of shipboard shenanigans with a fully rendered backdrop of Caribbean beaches, tropical drinks, and conch prepared by local artisan chefs. I probably finished the book because our internet dropped for the entire day so I could do nothing but read what I had started, garden, play with the dogs, and string beads.

The characters- I couldn’t wish for the success of any of them, only that one or two at least would develop in an interesting direction. That did not happen. The most fully rendered character was the head of the cartel and he was not sophisticated enough to fill the role. The ship doctor shifted from love interest to love interest with all the passion and conviction of a man not yet through puberty.

I hesitate to be so negative but sometimes that can be a good thing. Now I will read the rest of the reviews.

[Oriette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn in this book. I was virtually transported to various locations around the world while different scenarios were played out perfectly. There are some great characters and you can’t help cheering the good ones on whilst hoping the bad ones get their comeuppance - and boy, do they! A great read.

[Maybeth C Zuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meaty read!

Many varied plot lines that all came together at the end. Murder, mayhem, drugs, politics - Mike Leonard touches them all!
Visited different countries by cruise ship or flight.

[Claudine Suor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this novel was fragmented, however overall kept my interest most of the time. I really thought more loose ends would be tied up at the end of the novel.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im gutted i finished this. It was like a Netflix series in my head. The author’s description brought the book alive. Plots and twists and turns 10/10.

[Graham Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced novel

I found the best way to enjoy the book was to keep reading, which I happily did. Lots of interesting characters and sub plots weaved together and contracting covid gave me the perfect excuse to do just that!