7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A man as obsessed as Ahab, July 5, 2000
This review is from: Inner Passages (Michael Tanner Mystery) (Paperback)
Michael Tanner, a modern-day Captain Ahab, spends the entire length of "Inner Passages" hunting down the whale. In this case, however, the whale in question is a large white ship that deliberately ran down his yacht, killing his wife and a friend. With an obsession that rivals that of Melville's hero, Tanner gives up virtually his entire normal life to track down the offending boat, risking life and limb and career to do so.
Tanner finds that few people believe his story of the killer ship, encountered in the fog. He has few clues to go by, other than three letters of the ship's name and the distinctive sound of her engines. His friends and coworkers watch him self-destruct and then undergo a Phoenix-like resurrection as he wanders up and down the west coast, hanging out in waterfront dives, trying to find anyone who has a glimmer of information about his nemesis.
"Inner Passages" is a first novel, and that shows in many ways. While the linear plot is intriguing and engrossing, some of the execution is amateurish. Released by a small Texas publisher, the book would have been served by a firmer editorial hand. Too often, the viewpoint shifts randomly within a given scene. As early as the first pages of the novel, characters "info dump" in long expository passages intended to convey reams of information to the reader. Even though Brookins has other characters make fun of the "dumper," the end result is still the same.
Some of the dialog is stilted and awkward and there several coincidential occurances that are too convenient for fiction. Characters forget important details, only to remember them when they are needed most.
Brookins, however, knows his nautical details. His descriptions of the sounds and straights of the northwest are vivid and alive. Even when the character motivation is a bit muddled as they play a game of cat-and-mouse (and it's not clear who is the cat and who is the mouse from page to page) with the killer ship, the sensory details are strong and realistic. The fog banks are thick and palpable. A scene in which a yacht tips over when it runs aground as the tide goes out is particularly memorable and innovative.
The book is also filled with the intricate details of handling a yacht under a variety of circumstances, some of which is important to the plot and some of which merely helps to fill in the landscape with accurate but not overwhelming color.
So, does Ahab get his whale in the end? That would be telling... It is safe to say, however, that Tanner learns how to live after the loss of his wife and gains a new focus on life and career in the wake of his two-year hunt for the mysterious killer ship that came out of the fog.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Worthy Mystery, October 2, 2000
This review is from: Inner Passages (Michael Tanner Mystery) (Paperback)
Brookins' first book is a success. He follows the mystery genre's rules, and it works for him. There's early murder (Michael Tanner's wife and a friend), a well-defined and likable character in conflict (Tanner), a beautiful setting (the Inner Passage), a premise he can write knowledgeably about (sailing), love interest (Mary Whitney), and a smoothly rendered plot.
The straight forward, no nonsense writing style bends toward literary, with much of the tale spent in evocative exposition on the Northwest's Inner Passage and sailing in general. Some readers might find the suspense a bit bland, as if the plot were developed as an excuse to write about sailing, something Brookins obviously knows a lot about and enjoys.
I liked the story, and think most mystery readers and all lovers of sailing and the sea will too. Watch for more from Carl Brookins.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting sailing thriller, July 28, 2000
This review is from: Inner Passages (Michael Tanner Mystery) (Paperback)
As he made his final preparations on the Queen Anne sloop for their sailing of British Columbia's Inside Passage, successful public relations exec Michael Tanner thought the world is good. Accompanied by his beloved wife Beth and their friend Alice, Michael looks forward to the short trip to Texada Island. An hour later, the fog engulfs the three sailors. However, not too log after that, a big yacht purposely follows and rams the Queen Anne, knocking Michael out.
When Michael reawakens, the Coast Guard informs him that his wife and friend have vanished and are assumed dead. No one believes Michael that the accident was deliberate. Unable to cope with the depression and grief, Michael seeks closure. He obsessively goes after the mysterious yacht that destroyed his life seeking vengeance.
INNER PASSAGES is an absorbing thriller that works because debut author Carl Brookins makes the various water routes seem beautifully alive. The action is non-stop as Michael faces his own inner demons and guilt (he insisted on sailing) to battle an unknown enemy. The climax is powerful and believable although a subplot involving Mary Whitney, a traveling companion during Michael's odyssey, seems stretched. Mr. Brookins deserves a large audience for a fast-paced novel starring a broken hero.
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