Katherine Dunne and her three children are taking a long over-due family vacation. It’s been four years since her ex-husband died, and Katherine is afraid she is losing her kids. Desperate for help, she goes to her former brother-in-law, Jake Dunne. He agrees to take the family out for a summer trip on board the family yacht. Jake loves his brother’s kids and wants to do whatever he can to reach out to them. He also still has strong feelings for Katherine, whom he has loved for years.
The Dunne’s hit the high seas and immediately things begin to go wrong. Mark is caught smoking pot. Carrie hurls herself into the ocean in an attempt to end her life. All the while, young Ernie looks on as his family is starting to self destruct before his eyes. Unfortunately for the Dunne’s, the trouble is just beginning. Someone wants them all dead and will do anything to make sure their vacation becomes permanent.
James Patterson fans will no doubt eat up his latest summer thrill offering. Sail is a suspense filled story, and one that will have most readers flying through the pages. This is a not a typical Patterson whodunit story keeping readers guessing until the end. The antagonist is revealed early on and the motive is never in doubt. All the tension and suspense are found in the Dunne’s fight for survival and the antagonist’s race to cover his tracks.
Sail held my attention, but there is nothing new or overly exciting here. This is just one more addition to James Patterson’s long line of summer chillers. It’s fast paced and fun, lacking any real substance or charm. The one twist we do get at the end is forced and unnecessary. Luckily for him, Patterson has reached that lofty level for bestselling novelists where it really doesn’t matter what reviewers say. He will always sell a jillion copies of whatever he writes. This will certainly be no exception.
