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Post by vaughan on Sept 25, 2009 17:21:45 GMT
I won't wax lyrical about this one, because basically it's a thriller where you know where it's going, but you enjoy the journey anyway.
The basic plot, as one might expect, is a cross between The Most Dangerous Game and the Kidman classic, Dead Calm.
Illicit lovers want some time alone so charter a boat to sail them around the Bahama's. Owners of the boat, a seemingly nice (yup - TOO nice) couple might well have other motives for their little adventure. When we learn the name of the boat is the "Penny Dreadful" then those with a modicum of knowledge can see where this going.
And go it does, out to sea, into storms, around the islands, passed the islands, into the infinite ocean.
The story has 270 pages to draw out the tension, to introduce doubt and suspicion. But as I say, it doesn't really work because by now we're familiar with this plot.
De Felitta gave us Audrey Rose, of course, and he's a good writer. My one and only criticism is that he loves the word "palpable". Everything is either palpable, or not palpable. Well, it seemed that way sometimes to me. ;D
I'm not at all complaining about the book because as I've said, it did exactly what I thought it was going to do. In that context there are no surprises, only details. How exactly will the evil on the boat come out? How precisely will they choose to wrap it up?
And so my own journey with the Penny Dreadful is at an end, and a good time was had by most (not all, BAD THINGS HAPPEN AT TIMES). Nothing shocking, nothing to get your blood racing, just a tale to told, and told well.
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