Maelstrom is a story about the sea, love, loss, addiction, recovery, moral quandaries, evil, pursuit and retribution. The story takes place in coastal New England, Bermuda, Miami and Key West.
Ryan Cunningham planned on leaving all his responsibilities behind by sailing his boat South from New England to the Caribbean. Funny how life throws you curve balls. When he leaves the dock his crew has grown to include a beautiful, young, single mother of two in recovery who is trying to put her life back together, her 12 year old daughter Jan, her 5 year old son Willy and a 120 lb Black Labrador named Clifton. On the first leg of their trip to Bermuda they survive a two-day storm of hurricane force winds that nearly kills them all. That's the good news.
In Bermuda they run afoul of an amoral, international drug smuggler and his mega-yacht full of misfits and things go downhill from there. Ryan is normally a "live and let live" kind of a guy but sometimes that just isn't possible. He finds he has to reach deep inside himself to a dark, primitive place in order to survive and save his new family. Wounded prey sometimes turns into the most dangerous kind of prey and when Ryan teems up with a Massachusetts State policeman who lost his wife to drug addiction, the two of them become formidable adversaries to normally "untouchable" kingpins who are so wealthy they consider themselves above the law. Follow them into the seedy underworld of international drug smuggling and watch what happens.
Most novels today are 55,000 - 100.000 words. Maelstrom is 230,000 words. Due to it's size, Maelstrom is being offered in three parts; Part I, Part II, and Part III. The parts will be rolled out approximately a month apart. The Ebook version/s will be free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers, $2.99 for non-subscribers, and $11.99 for print-on-demand book readers.
In Bermuda they run afoul of an amoral, international drug smuggler and his mega-yacht full of misfits and things go downhill from there. Ryan is normally a "live and let live" kind of a guy but sometimes that just isn't possible. He finds he has to reach deep inside himself to a dark, primitive place in order to survive and save his new family. Wounded prey sometimes turns into the most dangerous kind of prey and when Ryan teems up with a Massachusetts State policeman who lost his wife to drug addiction, the two of them become formidable adversaries to normally "untouchable" kingpins who are so wealthy they consider themselves above the law. Follow them into the seedy underworld of international drug smuggling and watch what happens.
Most novels today are 55,000 - 100.000 words. Maelstrom is 230,000 words. Due to it's size, Maelstrom is being offered in three parts; Part I, Part II, and Part III. The parts will be rolled out approximately a month apart. The Ebook version/s will be free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers, $2.99 for non-subscribers, and $11.99 for print-on-demand book readers.
Order Paperback or eBook PART I Click Image Opens at Amazon |
Order Paperback or eBook PART II Click Image Opens at Amazon |
Order Paperback or eBook Part III Click Image Opens at Amazon |
Part I just voted semi-finalist for a Clue Award
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About Rip Converse, the Author
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Rip grew up on the water in Marion, Massachusetts and spent his summers sailing and boating in Buzzards Bay, The Elizabeth Islands, Cape Cod and Nantucket. Later in life he became a licensed Captain, operated the Cuttyhunk ferry, drove 100' high speed crew-boats in the oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, ran large charter catamarans out of Key West for 6 years and a ferry in Boston Harbor. He has also raced in the Marion to Bermuda race several times, made over 20 offshore passages between New England, Bermuda and the Caribbean, cruised the Mediterranean and parts of the South Pacific and spent a year living on a classic wooden sloop in Antigua. He draws on this extensive experience for both inspiration and vivid realism in this, his first novel. Converse currently lives in Sarasota, FL with his wife Louise and their two black labs Emma and Asher. In addition to his writing and boat deliveries he also makes exquisite, custom, sculpted, rocking chairs out of figured hardwoods that sell for $5,000 - $30,000. Forbes FYI magazine said, "The end result is a named, numbered and signed work of very comfortable art." www.parkerconverse.com |