Sail by James Patterson

Synopsis

Since the death of her husband, Dr. Anne Dunne and her three children have struggled in every way. In a last ditch effort to save the family, Anne plans an elaborate sailing vacation to bring everyone together again. After bidding farewell to her new husband, the powerful Manhattan attorney Peter Carlyle, the family sets sail with former brother-in-law Jake Dunne at the helm.

Only an hour out of port, everything goes wrong as the hidden demons of the children come to the surface. From her daughter's suicidal desires to the son's drug abuse and the suppressed intimate desires of Anne's former brother-in-law and captain, the story takes a Stephen King meets Gilligan's Island turn for the worse.

Meanwhile, the rich and powerful attorney is holding court of a very different kind back in New York. Seems he has big plans for his future.

My Two Cents Worth

I enjoyed Sail as a quick and light-hearted summer read. It is certainly not among my favorite Patterson novels, but it does compel the reader to keep the pages turning at an alarming rate. The character development is marginal at best, and the high-adventure plot is comical at times, but it is difficult to not smile and keep reading.

Hard core mystery readers will have a difficult time accepting the fish story in the beginning of the book, but if you can accept the loss of credibility in the opening pages, you will be mildly amused with the book.

Paperback
448 pages
3 1/2 hours.