Customer Reviews

Hurricane

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bill Broxton, my favorite DEA agent comes back from his debut in "Scorpion." He's back in the Caribbean and he's unattached again. I thought he was going to live happily ever after with the girl from the last book, but it appears, that like James Bond, he's destined to have a different girl in each book.

In this one Broxton wants to know why Hideo Tanaka washed up on a California beach after a sailboat he was on was recovered full of cocaine. Tanaka lived with his American wife Julie on a sailboat in the Yacht Club in Trinidad. When he goes there to confront Tanaka's wife, he finds Julie onboard with her daughter Meiko, who is visiting on break from medical school. The women tell him, and he believes them, that they knew nothing of Tanaka's drug activities. He leaves, but someone takes a couple shots at him before he can leave the Yacht Club. He gives chase, dispatches the bad guy and in no time finds himself wanted for murder in a country that hangs killers. To make matters worse, Julie and Meiko have fled the country on their boat with very bad drug smugglers chasing after them.

Broxton has no choice but to team up with a likable rouge named T-Bone, who is kind of a drug smuggler himself. T-Bone's sailboat is stuffed full of marijuana that he'd planned on taking from Trinidad up island to St. Martin. So now we have Broxton on a drug boat in hot pursuit of the bad guys, who are chasing the damsels in distress, who are sailing toward St. Martin and did I forget to mention that big bad Hurricane Darlene is headed straight for St. Martin as well.

And there you have a very brief synopsis of a super thriller that had me reading my weekend away. "Hurricane" was a fast read about characters I cared about. The dialogue was crisp, the story believable and the action fast and furious. I felt like I was on those sailboats and I really felt like I was caught up in the middle of that Hurricane.

I stumbled upon Jack Stewart, have read several of his books and thoroughly enjoyed them. As I'm reading Hurricane, I keep getting the feeling I've read it before, knowing that I haven't. After a little research, yes I have read it before it was named Diamond Sky - the names have changed (a little) and instead of cocaine it was diamonds, but the plot is exactly the same. Come on Mr. Stewart. . .you can do better than that!

I thought this was a great book, but not a super book. That's why I hesitated and gave it 4 stars. The action and the characters were just great and the story was full of suspense. Of course you have the evil men and the women in trouble and then on top of that you have a very bad hurricane to boot. I read it non-stop and maybe it will keep you up till the weee hours also. It's a great story that you will remember long after you have finished reading the last page.

The story opens in Trinidad in the Southern Caribbean, when Julie Tanaka and her daughter Meiko learn that Julie's husband Hideo has been found dead off the coast in Southern California. The bearer of the news is a DEA agent named Bill Broxton. To make matters worse, it appears Hideo owes a local boatyard more money than the two women can scrape up, so the boatyard wants to confiscate the sailboat that Julie and Hideo had called home.

Living on a sailboat is relatively new for Julie. Meiko had been away in medical school, when Julie and her father bought the boat. They'd been in Trinidad, making repairs and getting the boat ready to sail. The boat's ready now, but Julie barely knows a bowline from foresail -- and Meiko knows even less about things nautical. Nevertheless, the two women decide to sneak the boat out of the country in the middle of the night.

What follows is a non-stop, sailing adventure story. What the women don't know is that some pretty bad guys stuffed their boat full of cocaine. They planned on legally taking over the ship and smuggling their illegal cargo in the United States. Now the women have run off with the booty. This irritates the bad guys to no end and they take off after them. Of course, the DEA agent takes off in hot (well slow, they are sailboats, after all) pursuit.

Mr. Stewart has written a thriller that kept me enthralled through all the pages. I liked the two women, Julie and Meiko, I liked the turn-coat friend Tammy and I really liked the scalawag T-Bone character. I was not however, enamored with DEA agent Broxton, I thought he was a bit slow picking up on what was going on, but he did come through for Julie in the end and that, my friends, is what romantic suspense is all about.

Like my reviews of the other Jack Stewart books, I have to start out by mentioning that the author and I are very good friends, so of course my review of this Caribbean adventure may be biased. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't state that right from the get go, otherwise it would be like cheating, or a blatant, underhanded, sneaky promotional trick. So before I go any farther, let me tell you that I'm giving this book five stars. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful story and I truly believe it merits each and every one of those stars, but can you just imagine my reception the next time I was aboard Jack's boat if I didn't like his book and wrote so here. Why, I bet he'd serve me the cheap rum instead of the good stuff, then he'd probably make me walk the plank. So it's a gosh darned good thing that I loved every page of HURRICANE. Yeah, it's a good thing, really, now on with my report.

Blonde and blue-eyed Julie Tanaka lives on a sailboat called "Fallen Angel," in the Trinidad and Tobago Yacht Club in the West Indies. As the story opens we find her piloting a dinghy through the calm waters off the coast of Trinidad. Her mind somewhere else, when her eighteen-year-old daughter Meiko shouts, "Look out!" Julie sees the log, makes a sharp turn to avoid it and passenger and local singing star Tammy Drake falls overboard. She can't swim, but she manages to make the log. Then she screams, lets go and starts floundering.

Julie gets the dinghy under control, comes around and Meiko pulls Tammy into the rubber boat. "It's a dead man." Tammy says and Julies brings the dinghy over to have a look. Sure enough it's a waterlogged, bloated body. They try to tow it to shore, can't, so they head back to the Yacht Club to call the police only to find them already waiting. They have bad news. Julie's husband, delivery skipper Hideo Tanaka, had been killed when the sailboat boat he was delivering to California blew up. Julie and Meiko are devastaed. The police leave and DEA agent Bill Broxton arrives. It turns out that unknown to Julie, her husband was delivering a boat load of cocaine and the DEA believes that her husband was murdered. Julie gets rid of Broxton, telling him she'll talk tomorrow, then a lawyer shows up with papers to seize the boat. Seems like a local German owned shipyard wants it for monies owed. Julie knows their bills were paid, so she and her daughter sail out of the country without notifiy the authorities.

The German owned shipyard is really a front for delivering cocane to the United States. They fiberglass the drug into the hull, hide more in the mast. Then they let the unsuspecting boat owner take his boat back to the States, where they remove the drugs with nobody the wiser. Sometimes using the same boat over and over again. That was they'd done with the boat Hideo had been delivering to California and that was what they'd done to "Fallen Angel." Julie however doesn't have a clue and she's just sailed off with a boatload of drugs that the German crooks want back. The Germans are ruthless. They've killed before and won't be shy about doing it again.

Broxton knows this, but can he stop the killers before they get to the women. And oh yes, I can't forget to mention that as the women are sailing away with both the German bad guys and Broxton chasing their wake, Hurricane Darlene is bearing down on the Caribbean with a vengence and she doesn't care who's been good, who's been bad, who's been naughty and who's been nice. She is an equal opportunity destroyer.

And there you have a short summation of the first half of the book or so. I loved it, but I'll remind you again, Jack Stewart is a good friend of mine, so take my review with a grain of salt, however if you try this book, I really do believe that you'll like it.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

Jack Stewart is one of Ken Douglas's many pseudonyms. He is also an excellent, though unheralded, author. His books are exciting and intense and each one I have read has held my attention from beginning to end.

Julie Tanaka's husband died in a boat explosion. Julie is in shock when DEA agent Bill Broxton shows up at the dock with questions about her husband and why he was on a boat with known drug traffickers. Julie later learns that the explosion and subsequent sinking of the boat also caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in drugs. Julie's shock increases when a man appears the next day with papers that permit him to take her boat, Fallen Angel. Fortunately, a police officer who happened to be there about a body that Julie and her daughter, Meiko, saw the day before, stops the man from taking her boat. The police officer kindly suggests that she leave immediately if she wants to keep her boat. Thus begins 329 pages of sea chases, interrupted only briefly by shore action.

It makes little sense to Julie as to why so many people want Fallen Angel. It is just a boat. Of course, if there is something valuable on the boat, that could explain all the interest. Then there was the coin that Meiko found on a small island near Trinidad. It seems that the same people interested in Fallen Angel are also interested in the coin. Why would anyone want a coin, though it did have some numbers inscribed on it?

Julie and Meiko have little time to ponder their unanswered questions because they need to run from the numerous people after their boat, and now them. It seems fortuitous that Victor, someone Meiko likes, is willing to help them get their boat away from Trinidad. It seems that someone has sabotaged Fallen Angel and it is only with a little luck and quick thinking that Julie, Meiko and Victor are able to continue. Except, Julie thinks there is something strange about Victor. She is even more convinced when the Fallen Angel's diesel engine starts showing signs of trouble and Victor flies back to Trinidad, supposedly to get a diesel mechanic. A local mechanic solves the problem within a couple of hours and Fallen Angel is nearly as good as new, except for other things that someone might have sabotaged.

Bill Broxton has problems of his own. One minute he is a DEA agent. The next minute, multiple people are trying to kill him and someone is trying to frame him for something. One thing is sure; Bill Broxton is no longer a DEA agent. Instead, he is now a criminal on the run from law enforcement as well as drug lords. Fortunately, many good people in the world have little use for either drug lords or crooked law enforcement and Bill Broxton and Julie Tanaka get help from quite a few of those good people. They will need all the help they can get.

The chase is fast and furious and there are many narrow escapes as Julie and Meiko barely dodge their pursuers time after time. Bill Broxton has similar narrow escapes, but he has a better handle on who is on his side and who is not. Julie, Meiko and Bill will be much better sailors at the end of their journeys, a necessity in view of the prolonged chase.

Lingering in the background is a hurricane with 150 mile per hour winds, a hurricane that could scour islands clean and send boats of all types to the bottom.

Ken Douglas/Jack Stewart grabbed my attention at the very beginning of this book. I originally planned to read the first chapter to get an idea of the plot. When I realized I had reached page 68, I knew I had to stop for a while because I had something else I was supposed to be doing. However, I made time for this book and finished it in two days, which is relatively fast for me considering the length of this book. Every time I put this book down, I wanted to come back to it to see what happened next, particularly to Julie and Meiko.

The only problem I have with books by Ken Douglas (and his alter-egos Jack Stewart and Jack Priest) is that I am going to run out of adjectives in discussing his books. In the books I have read by Ken Douglas thus far, Douglas has been consistent in writing exciting stories that refuse to permit me to put the book down. I hope that each subsequent book I read is as exciting as those I have read thus far.

Is this book, and Douglas's other books, of a style that some people might consider pulp fiction? I think while the excitement is similar to that of pulp fiction stories, I think the development of Julie's character, especially in her admission of shortcomings and willingness to take help when appropriate, and her vast ability to learn and grow, pushes this book into a different realm from pulp fiction. The story has all the excitement and enthusiasm of pulp fiction mated with a deeper story and a reasonable amount of character development, never allowing the story to bog down.

I remember when I first began to read books by Dean Koontz. His writing and his stories captured me and held my attention for hundreds of pages. I get similar excitement from books written by Ken Douglas/Jack Stewart/Jack Priest. I look forward to reading more by Ken Douglas, whom I have to believe has an exciting career as an author ahead of him.

Enjoy!

My thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy of his book.

Once again the story is based out of Trinidad. Julie Tanaka and her daughter Meiko are on a boat ride when they discover a body floating in the water.They return to the yhact club and are met by authorities.They are informed that Julie's husband Hideo has
been killed in a boat explosion and that it involved drugs.Julie is next
payed a visit by Bill Broxton the hero of our story who is also a DEA
agent.Julie refuses to cooperate so Broxton leaves.A process server next
appears and has papers to seize the Tanaka boat.The owner of the yhact club claims that their bills have not been paid.Julie decides to flee
and save her boat.Her and her daughter Meiko leave during the night.
In the meantime Broxton investigates and finds that cash and cocaine
have been hidden in the hull of Julie's boat.He hooks up with a drug dealer pirate named T-Bone Powers and they follow behind Julie trying to rescue her and her daughter.Also trying to catch Julie are the owner of
the yahct club and his hired guns.Broxton does battle with the thugs all
over the Carribean.Broxton is also wanted for murder in Trinidad.He has
to avoid the authorities at all costs.Also added to the mix is a monster
hurricane named Darlene.There is one plot and conspiracy after another.
Broxton and Julie quickly find that no one can be trusted.
All of these factors turn into a great book with an exciting conclusion.
Be sure to read this book.

I bought Jack Stewart's "Hurricane," because I am fascinated by these unbelievably powerful tropical storms - expressions of nature's fury unleashed. I thought the combination of suspense thriller set against a raging hurricane would make for an ideal read. Also, this novel has received consistent praise from Amazon customers - so what could be bad? Plenty!! The plot is simplistic, almost kitschy at times, especially the conclusion. There is no complex mystery, as a matter of fact, it is fairly clear who the bad guys are from the beginning, as it is what they are after and why. Subplots, chilling twists and turns in the narrative, are virtually nonexistent. The number of convenient coincidences that occur, just as it appears all is lost, render the story incredible. Mr. Stewart's characters are even less complex than the storyline. He does not develop them, and their only motivations seem to be either greed or survival - not exactly a wide range. They express little emotion, whether in fear, grief or even in the throes of passion. In a word, "Hurricane's" characters are flat! Most of all, the description of the storm is weak, to say the least - not at all what I expected. And I am extremely disappointed.

Julie Tanaka, and her daughter Meiko, are living aboard their boat in Trinidad. For those interested in boating, especially sailing, we don't even learn what kind of ship they own - although, I would assume that with a jib, staysail and main mast it is a sloop. Right?? They are abruptly advised by local authorities that their husband, and father, has been blown-up along with the boat he was delivering to California. Drugs are involved. There is barely time for a shocked silence and a tear or two, when a process server comes along to tell them that they have been left with considerable debt, and he will take possession of their boat ASAP - thank you very much. Enter Bill Broxton, DEA agent, to save the day...until he learns he has been slandered, framed and is wanted for murder, among other things. He's in worse shape than Julie and Meiko! Obviously, the two women have to leave the island before they lose their boat. And Braxton better get out of town fast also. All this sounds more exciting in theory than it actually reads in fiction.

I will say that my interest was peaked enough to stick with the story. I do love sailing, boats, the ocean and, as I previously mentioned, violent storms. So, there was, for me, some grist for the mill here. I have been through more than a few hurricanes in my life, but the book didn't add much to my knowledge. The descriptions are fairly basic - and although I didn't expect anything near the level of Sebastian Junger's "The Perfect Storm," I did want more than was delivered. The book is not a total loss, however, and would probably make for some good entertainment on a plane flight, or in a hotel room late at night. However, don't look for a 4 or 5 star read here.
JANA

"Hurricane" is about two daring women who are running from dangerous drug smugglers in the Caribbean. Beth and her step-daughter Noel, who is only a few years younger than Beth, are left with only their sailboat when Beth's husband dies of a heart attack in Trinidad. What the women don't know is that members of the Salizar Drug Cartel have hidden a small fortune's worth of cocaine aboard. The smugglers try to get the boat by legal means, but the women sneak the boat out of the country during the night and the chase is on. This exciting thriller will get your heart a beating to beat the band, that's for sure. I loved it and I think you will too.