Buried at Sea [Mass Market Paperback]

Paul Garrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2002

Hired on as a deckhand and personal trainer to a wealthy investment banker, Jim Leighton's dream of adventure came true when he set sail for Rio de Janeiro onboard the luxury yacht Hustle. But in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Jim's enigmatic employer, Will Spark, makes a startling announcement: they are being pursued by someone who wants them dead. With no previous sailing experience -- far from the sanctuaryof land in the company of a stranger who is possibly delusional and certainly dangerous -- Jim is suddenly trapped in a harrowing race for survival across the vast waters of the globe. And his options are rapidly being reduced to two: sail or die.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The salt spray flies in this ocean-soaked adventure thriller by a writer (Red Sky at Morning) who really knows the sea. Physical training expert Jim Leighton knows nothing about sailing boats, but signs on for what should be a pleasant and profitable body-conditioning six-week ocean voyage to Rio as the personal trainer of an elderly and eccentric capitalist, Will Spark. They will sail alone on Spark's new diesel-powered sailboat, the Hustle. But Jim soon finds himself on a wilder ride than he had expected, forced to crisscross the Atlantic to escape Will's implacable enemies. Garrison paints a somber picture of rampaging capitalism, with financial predators stopping at nothing to acquire power. In Nigeria, one of Will's former lovers is hired to murder Will; he kills her, but is seriously hurt. With Will sidelined, Jim learns much about sailing as they recross the Atlantic to Brazil. Meanwhile, Jim keeps getting e-mail updates from Shannon Riley, the woman he loves back in Connecticut, who researches the checkered past of his likable but devious employer. A man of many aliases, Spark is being pursued by the ruthless and powerful McVay Humane Foundation, whose directors want the microprocessors he has invented, which may be inserted into the bloodstream to detect and counteract a number of physical problems, so are worth a fortune. There are surprising revelations as the trip gets deadlier and the harried sailors flee to the Falklands and skirt Antarctica. Garrison ratchets up the suspense in deft segments, and his portrait of an angry sea is fully alive, from nights of star-filled beauty to tornadolike waterspouts and hazardous ice floes.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Paul Garrison, author of the critically acclaimed thriller Fire and Ice, works with boats, tugs, and ships. Like his grandfather who wandered the South Seas in the last of the square-rigged copra-trading vessels, he travels where business takes him, and spends as much time as he can at sea. He is fascinated by the Far Pacific's violent past and volatile future, and the region's warrior men and women.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061031038
• ISBN-13: 978-0061031038
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PAUL GARRISON was born in New York and currently lives in Connecticut. He has spent a lot of time on boats, and has published five thrillers, mostly sea-oriented: Fire And Ice; Red Sky At Morning; Buried At Sea; Sea Hunter; and The Ripple Effect. He is at work on a series of novels based on Robert Ludlum's The Janson Directive.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great adventure!, February 16, 2002

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buried at Sea: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

Paul Garrison just seems to get better and better with each novel. With his knowledge of the sea and his vivid writing style he's sure to please a wide range of readers looking for a great adventure.

Jim Leighton is a spin/aerobics instructor at a fitness center that is owned by his girlfriend's father. He is asked to be a personal trainer and deckhand for a man named Will Clark, a rich venture capitalist that is planning a trip to South America. Jim accepts the job because his girlfriend would like him to get out and have a little adventure before they get married. He got more than he asked for. It turns out that a very powerful group is after Clark and a secret he holds, and will stop at nothing to capture him. The wild ride begins.

I am very impressed with this newest Garrison novel. A nonstop adventure around the world including stops in Nigeria, Buenos Aires, and the Falklands. Abundant in action, drama, suspense, high-tech gadgetry, and even a little humor. A very satisfying and well-rounded story as well. Keep up the good work Paul.

Highly recommended

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant Diversion, August 1, 2005

By 

Gerald Taylor "Gerald" (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buried at Sea (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a pretty good book. I'm not normally into nautical books, but this one was well worth the time. I was bothered initially by the fact that the main character, Jim Leighton, was hired to be a personal fitness trainer for the owner of a boat. I just didn't think that would realistically happen. However, Paul Garrison has a good explanation for it, but you have to wait until the end of the book. What I like is the development of Jim from someone who knows nothing about boats to an experienced sea hand. I'd be willing to read another sea novel by Mr. Garrison.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An adventuresome bore?, January 10, 2004

By 

Betti Trapp - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buried at Sea (Mass Market Paperback)

It's hard to describe a book as both full of adventure and boring at the same time, but that is how I found this book to be. The story is about a man with several aliases, owner of a fifty foot sailboat who hires a personal trainer to come on board and keep him "in shape." Little does Jim Leighton, who has little to speak of except nice abs, know that "Will Sparks", the sailboat owner is on the run. From Russian spies to nuclear anythings to satellites in space, someone wants Will Sparks, and wants him badly. Someone with the money, time, and superior intelligence it is going to take to try to keep up with Jim and Will as they sail the ocean all over the world just trying to escape. It seems no port is safe. If you like sailing, you will give this book a five star rating for not only it's adventure content, but the seemingly endless drone of "how to" sail a boat. A very Tom Clancy like story in that the inner and outer and sideways workings of a sailboat compare to his stories of submarines et al. This is where I found it boring, as I know next to nothing about sailboats and am not interested in learning. However, I did find the adventure content excellent, and each time I was sure I'd fall asleep, author Paul Garrison brought it back again. So try it if you like adventure and can handle mechanics, otherwise, leave it for a rainier day.