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Seychelle Sullivan #4
Wreckers' Key
In her Seychelle Sullivan novels, Christine Kling has brilliantly rendered the world of South Florida, as seen from the teeming waters around it. From harbors of Key West to the wilds of Biscayne Bay to the night lights of Miami, Kling’s tough-minded heroine has carved out a life that is uniquely her own. Now, this fiercely independent woman is at a turning point . . . and in a dangerous duel with an unseen enemy.
In the 1800s, Key West was built by wrecking skippers who in feats of derring-do raced to shipping disasters to save valuable cargos from the ocean depths. Today, as too many boats chase too few wrecks, salvage has turned into a cutthroat corporate enterprise. Seychelle Sullivan, who pilots a tug her father built by hand, is unable and unwilling to compete. She is overwhelmed by issues of love, trust, motherhood, career, and family. But when a friend is killed, Seychelle begins to suspect a chilling that modern-day wreckers are causing yachts to crash onto the reefs–and killing off whoever gets in the way.
Nestor Frias was piloting a billionaire’s luxury power yacht on its maiden voyage when it ran aground. A few days later, Frias was dead. His eight-months-pregnant widow is distraught, and a host of questions surround both Frias’s death and the ship’s accident. When another man dies while asking questions, Seychelle navigates the dangerous shoals and channels of the case and her life, unaware that a greater danger is a murderous human storm designed perfectly for her.
With its vivid, colorful characters and rich sense of sea and land, Wreckers’ Key is a brilliant addition to Christine Kling's fascinating, entertaining, and thrilling Florida mystery series.
In the 1800s, Key West was built by wrecking skippers who in feats of derring-do raced to shipping disasters to save valuable cargos from the ocean depths. Today, as too many boats chase too few wrecks, salvage has turned into a cutthroat corporate enterprise. Seychelle Sullivan, who pilots a tug her father built by hand, is unable and unwilling to compete. She is overwhelmed by issues of love, trust, motherhood, career, and family. But when a friend is killed, Seychelle begins to suspect a chilling that modern-day wreckers are causing yachts to crash onto the reefs–and killing off whoever gets in the way.
Nestor Frias was piloting a billionaire’s luxury power yacht on its maiden voyage when it ran aground. A few days later, Frias was dead. His eight-months-pregnant widow is distraught, and a host of questions surround both Frias’s death and the ship’s accident. When another man dies while asking questions, Seychelle navigates the dangerous shoals and channels of the case and her life, unaware that a greater danger is a murderous human storm designed perfectly for her.
With its vivid, colorful characters and rich sense of sea and land, Wreckers’ Key is a brilliant addition to Christine Kling's fascinating, entertaining, and thrilling Florida mystery series.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published February 27, 2007
230 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Christine Kling
29 books221 followersI 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 24, 2017
A most excellent 5 star read! wow, the end is interesting. hoping its not the end of the series though
July 7, 2022
This is part of a series of books. My wife suggested I read it since a lot of the action takes place in Key West. There are a lot of characters that are still around from earlier books, so it takes a while to figure out who everyone is. There are some definite red herrings that are fairly easy to detect. Over all the story isn't too bad.
July 23, 2017
Great plot twist at the end
June 25, 2017
Seychelles Sullivan Series
Loved, loved, loved this series. And I would like to thank the author for her participation in the Kiindle Unlimited program. I think the heroine here is a truly believable person, with problems we all face. Her life in a male dominated business is one we who have dared to do the same can relate to. I cannot wait to start the Shipwreck series and I will hope for a number 5 in this series.
Loved, loved, loved this series. And I would like to thank the author for her participation in the Kiindle Unlimited program. I think the heroine here is a truly believable person, with problems we all face. Her life in a male dominated business is one we who have dared to do the same can relate to. I cannot wait to start the Shipwreck series and I will hope for a number 5 in this series.
July 28, 2018
Top Notch Series
Detailed description and colorful characters make this book a joy to read. I haven't found a bad or slow book in the entire series and can't wait to read the next one.
Detailed description and colorful characters make this book a joy to read. I haven't found a bad or slow book in the entire series and can't wait to read the next one.
January 18, 2020
Well done!
Another excellent chapter in the life and challenges off our heroine. Well thought
through plot surrounded by believable characters. A page turner that passes time in a very enjoyable way.
Another excellent chapter in the life and challenges off our heroine. Well thought
through plot surrounded by believable characters. A page turner that passes time in a very enjoyable way.
August 14, 2022
Mystery at sea!
I enjoy reading stories located in beachside towns or involving the ocean. This is an exciting story laced with mystery and danger from south Florida all the way to Key West. A real page Turner.
I enjoy reading stories located in beachside towns or involving the ocean. This is an exciting story laced with mystery and danger from south Florida all the way to Key West. A real page Turner.
August 14, 2022
The best
Wow! This is the best one in the series, IMHO. So many peoples lives intertwined. I suspected Ben as the villain before the reveal. Catalina dying in childbirth was an unexpected shatter. Christine is an excellent plotter/writer.
Wow! This is the best one in the series, IMHO. So many peoples lives intertwined. I suspected Ben as the villain before the reveal. Catalina dying in childbirth was an unexpected shatter. Christine is an excellent plotter/writer.
November 3, 2023
Always thoughtful and inspiring!
Christine Kling is now one of my favorite authors; she tells a good story and fills it with wonderful characters and an amazing wealth of knowledge about the sea and the small boats that inhabit it!
Christine Kling is now one of my favorite authors; she tells a good story and fills it with wonderful characters and an amazing wealth of knowledge about the sea and the small boats that inhabit it!
January 6, 2026
My Favorite of the Series so Far.
I loved how Seychelle's grandmother quietly helped to heal deep emotional pain and Seychelle was able to move forward. Previous to this book, she seemed to be stuck in a loop.
I loved how Seychelle's grandmother quietly helped to heal deep emotional pain and Seychelle was able to move forward. Previous to this book, she seemed to be stuck in a loop.
November 24, 2018
Very good
Enjoyed reading this story. The tragedy that keeps dogging Seychelles friends and associates is amazing. Cannot wait for the next one.
Enjoyed reading this story. The tragedy that keeps dogging Seychelles friends and associates is amazing. Cannot wait for the next one.
December 20, 2022
Seychelle the One and Only
An amazing whodunit. with multiple twists and turns. How Seychelle comes out on top is worth reading yourself. Her friends are always there for her.
An amazing whodunit. with multiple twists and turns. How Seychelle comes out on top is worth reading yourself. Her friends are always there for her.
March 9, 2023
Excellent. I love all these novels despite knowing nothing about Florida or the salvage business.
March 11, 2023
Very interesting and it is interesting to the last word!!!
August 28, 2023
Wreckers' Key
Another episode in Sey Sullivan's life. It continues to amaze and captivate me. I enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read the next one.
Another episode in Sey Sullivan's life. It continues to amaze and captivate me. I enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read the next one.
March 30, 2008
Travel the waters off Florida’s coasts and visit the streets of Fort Lauderdale and Key West with Seychelle Sullivan, owner and operator of the tugboat, Gorda. Seychelle has taken her tugboat to Key West to bring back a multimillion dollar yacht. Seychelle’s friend Nestor Frias was captain of the yacht Power Play owned by Ted Berger. Nestor’s wife Catalina was a beauty and pregnant with the couple’s first child. Nestor confided in Seychelle that he doubted the wreck of the Power Play was accidental. Soon Nestor met with a tragic accident.
Seychelle has her hands full trying to help Nestor’s wife, get the Power Play towed as agreed, and try to discover if Nestor’s suspicions were correct and if his accident was in reality an accident.
Wreckers’ Key is a book that is full of suspense. Seychelle has a family of interesting friends who all pitch in to help her figure out the mystery of not only the wreck of the Power Play but the many other wrecks that seem to be occurring. Seychelle copes with trying to help Catalina and fight a pending law suit which is the result of one of Gorda’s previous towing jobs.
I enjoyed Wreckers’ Key and would recommend the book. Some references are made to previous Seychelle novels and I think they would be interesting reads. Seychelle takes her dog, Abaco, on the tugboat with her and he seems a very well-trained patient friend to Seychelle.
Seychelle has her hands full trying to help Nestor’s wife, get the Power Play towed as agreed, and try to discover if Nestor’s suspicions were correct and if his accident was in reality an accident.
Wreckers’ Key is a book that is full of suspense. Seychelle has a family of interesting friends who all pitch in to help her figure out the mystery of not only the wreck of the Power Play but the many other wrecks that seem to be occurring. Seychelle copes with trying to help Catalina and fight a pending law suit which is the result of one of Gorda’s previous towing jobs.
I enjoyed Wreckers’ Key and would recommend the book. Some references are made to previous Seychelle novels and I think they would be interesting reads. Seychelle takes her dog, Abaco, on the tugboat with her and he seems a very well-trained patient friend to Seychelle.
December 5, 2016
Wreckers Key may well be the last of Kling's four books series featuring Seychelle Sullivan. It's refreshing when an author realizes that all good things SHOULD come to an end...and doesn't try to wring another novel out of it all!
The reader is provided with some psychological depth to Seychelle, answering some of the questions about what makes her what she is. Ms Kring develops her characters well and presents us with intriguing plots and sub-plots using a murder or two, some love, some pathos, and a dash of mystery.
At one point in this storyline, there's opera playing in an older gentleman's home. He quips to Sey that the singer is Kathleen Battle: "I can't remember the names of the songs she sings but damn, that lady sings like an angel!" That was a treat for me, as Kathleen Battle is a famous soprano opera singer, born and raised in my own home town!
Oh, and to further prove the writer can use a lot of nautical mumbo-jumbo and still hold one's interest, check this sample out: " Needing running room to increase her heel.... I set an anchor off starboard bow parallel with the reef and with that line tied to the main halyard running through a snatch block at the staysail stay, I used the anchor windlass and winched her over to a thirty-five degree heel." Uh, huh?
The reader is provided with some psychological depth to Seychelle, answering some of the questions about what makes her what she is. Ms Kring develops her characters well and presents us with intriguing plots and sub-plots using a murder or two, some love, some pathos, and a dash of mystery.
At one point in this storyline, there's opera playing in an older gentleman's home. He quips to Sey that the singer is Kathleen Battle: "I can't remember the names of the songs she sings but damn, that lady sings like an angel!" That was a treat for me, as Kathleen Battle is a famous soprano opera singer, born and raised in my own home town!
Oh, and to further prove the writer can use a lot of nautical mumbo-jumbo and still hold one's interest, check this sample out: " Needing running room to increase her heel.... I set an anchor off starboard bow parallel with the reef and with that line tied to the main halyard running through a snatch block at the staysail stay, I used the anchor windlass and winched her over to a thirty-five degree heel." Uh, huh?
November 14, 2013
This fourth book in the series is as good as the second and third entries.
Seychelle is drawn into investigating the drowning of a friend who is a world-class windsurfer after the man’s wife insists his death was no accident. She’s also dealing with the reappearance of childhood friend, a fear her lover is a little too interested in best friend, and increasing competition from big companies in the towing business.
Kling tells a straightforward tale with enough twists and misdirection to keep the reader guessing who the guilty party is.
A big event from Seychelle’s past comes out in this book. While it fits well with one of the subplots, it was never hinted at in earlier entries, which made it seem a tad too contrived, as if Kling added it here just to increase the tension.
This novel ended on a note that could signal big changes ahead for Seychelle. I hope Kling brings her back so readers can see if they happen.
Seychelle is drawn into investigating the drowning of a friend who is a world-class windsurfer after the man’s wife insists his death was no accident. She’s also dealing with the reappearance of childhood friend, a fear her lover is a little too interested in best friend, and increasing competition from big companies in the towing business.
Kling tells a straightforward tale with enough twists and misdirection to keep the reader guessing who the guilty party is.
A big event from Seychelle’s past comes out in this book. While it fits well with one of the subplots, it was never hinted at in earlier entries, which made it seem a tad too contrived, as if Kling added it here just to increase the tension.
This novel ended on a note that could signal big changes ahead for Seychelle. I hope Kling brings her back so readers can see if they happen.
February 3, 2011
Wrecker's Key was the fourth book of Christine Kling's I read in quick succession. Once I started with her characters of Seychelle Sullivan, B.J., and Pit I was hooked. Actually, what really got me was the setting. Kling writes about apart of South Florida that comes alive in her description and history. She explores more of Fort Lauderdale and Key West than just the beaches so that the rivers and canals become as much a character as the people in her stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed Wrecker's Key, as much as any other of her books in the series and can not wait to read more.
This is a great series for anyone interested in delving a little farther into Florida's colorful characters and past, while at the same time enjoying a well-written mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed Wrecker's Key, as much as any other of her books in the series and can not wait to read more.
This is a great series for anyone interested in delving a little farther into Florida's colorful characters and past, while at the same time enjoying a well-written mystery.
April 7, 2013
A touch of the old days of piracy in this thrilling tale. It reminded me so much of the stories of the wreckers on the rugged coast of Cornwall, though set in a far different climate and a region where our earliest reading about pirates took place. Seychelle seems to be 'punching above her weight' in this thriller, a situation where she really needs to watch her back. Again, Christine Kling takes us on an adventure that has danger lurking always, has the reader almost paranoid themselve as they wonder who can be trusted. I'm so looking
forward to more.
forward to more.
October 25, 2013
From the first page to the last, it's everything I've come to expect from a Christine Kling novel, and I loved every bit of it. In Wrecker's Key, protagonist Seychelle Sullivan has to face some serious personal issues about how she treated a friend when they were both kids in the neighborhood. Add to that, some serious challenges in the economy of her boat salvage industry, and challenges in her relationship with her Samoan hunk, BJ. Hang on to your life preserver because Seychelle has her hands full all the way to the end.
December 21, 2013
Christine Kling is quickly becoming one of my favorite new writers. Wrecker's Key is another great mystery/adventure in a series of novels. Kling's writing is vivid and expressive, and brings a nearly theatrical vision of the action to the reader's mind. Her main characters are dynamic, and her secondary characters are drawn well enough to provide excellent misdirection throughout the plot. And on top of that, the stories are just plain GOOD! I rated the book 3 stars only because I'm very stingy with my 4s. But I don't think you could go wrong choosing any of Kling's books.
February 24, 2015
#4 in the Seychelle Sullivan series. Seychelle is the operator of a marine towing business co-owned by her likewise island-named siblings. The business is not very lucrative but Seychelle is attracted to it.
Seychelle Sullivan is in Key West to tow a yacht grounded by an old friend. The friend claims his GPS malfunctioned and he suspected sabotage. The friend dies under mysterious circumstances leaving a very pregnant wife. The yacht owner is a letch, the salvor may be a pirate, and it seems that there are more unexplained accidents, Sey is tempted to sell out of her towing business.
Seychelle Sullivan is in Key West to tow a yacht grounded by an old friend. The friend claims his GPS malfunctioned and he suspected sabotage. The friend dies under mysterious circumstances leaving a very pregnant wife. The yacht owner is a letch, the salvor may be a pirate, and it seems that there are more unexplained accidents, Sey is tempted to sell out of her towing business.
March 10, 2013
I enjoyed this book, as I did the last one I read by this author. The setting is great and you get a sense of the area and the characters who inhabit these places. The author is obviously knowledgeable about the sea, boats and circumstances that can happen out on the water. The story line keeps you engaged until you have to keep reading to see how it all wraps up. Now, I'll have to read some of her other books!
Betty Karl
author of Island Fever
Betty Karl
author of Island Fever
May 28, 2013
Christine Kling knows how to bring her characters to life. I feel their hurt, their emotions, their needs as if they were living breathing people. In fact, I think I have a small crush on Saychelle, but I probably already mentioned that in an earlier episode of this series. Great work Christine, I look forward to reading everything you write, and I don't say that about too many authors. Keep up the good work.
January 16, 2013
Seychelle inherits her father's boat salvage business in Key West. She soon becomes involved in solving the murder of her friend who had confided in her that wreckers might be causing yachts to crash onto the reefs. A nautical story with colorful characters, many twists and surprises and a vibrant, authentic location.
March 6, 2013
I confess that much of what I like about this book is the setting in Key West and Fort Lauderdale. And I share the protagonist's love of life on the water. It's a good thriller with sympathetic characters.
October 26, 2013
I stumbled across this writer on BookBub, and have now read 4 or five of her Seychelle Sullivan series. Crisp dialogue, good story lines, I'd recommend these to everyone who likes mysteries and boats.
June 10, 2009
would definatly read more of her books... going to look for them.. almost kinsey milhone, some steph plum thrown in... i'm glad i found seychelle sullivan!
April 25, 2012
Good. Read on my Kindle.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews