Majestic Descending [Hardcover]

Mitchell Graham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2007

Soon to be a major motion picture

 

It was supposed to be a vacation…
 
Katherine Adams is taking a cruise on the fabulous Ocean Majestic, the largest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world. This is exactly the break Katherine needs from her demanding Atlanta legal practice…and it's also a chance to forget the demons that still haunt her, to forget the madman who abducted and tortured her twenty years ago.
 
On board the Majestic, Katherine meets John Delaney, a streetwise ex-NYPD detective who is now a lawyer. Romance is certainly in the air, but all is not quite right aboard the Majestic. Events soon turn Katherine's romantic dream into another grisly nightmare.
 
Katherine witnesses a violent argument between two men. Then one of them turns up dead. After Katherine and Delany narrowly escape from a disaster of terrifying proportions, she must quickly learn how to survive in the dark and dangerous world of international conspiracy and terrorism. From the blood-smeared decks of the Majestic to the achingly beautiful--and dangerous--countryside of Italy, to the streets of New York City, Katherine finds herself in a desperate race against a ruthless hit man. And, unless she and Delany can unmask the sinister cabal behind the killing, she will certainly become his next victim.
 
Majestic Descending delivers suspense, captivating characters, romance, and humor--it will haunt you long after you've turned the last page.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After three fantasies (The Fifth Ring, etc.), Graham ventures into thriller waters with mixed results. Katherine Adams, an Atlanta lawyer dealing in domestic cases, sees herself as "damaged goods" because as a teenager she was abducted by a madman who mounted his female victims' heads on his "trophy room" wall. Now she's off on a cruise to Europe with her best pal and old college roommate, Beth Doliver. They board the Ocean Majestic in Miami along with biogenetics professor Ellis Stephens, who's just made a discovery that promises major medical miracles and vast personal wealth. Belowdecks, a couple of Arab terrorists skulk about setting explosives. At times, the language appears aimed at a romance audience: "The amused look that usually played at the corners of his mouth dropped away, leaving only a gentle caring man in its place." On the plus side, Graham writes a good courtroom scene and the sinking of the Majestic is exciting. Hopefully, he'll rely less on genre clichés in his next outing. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When attorney Katherine Adams takes a much-needed and oft-delayed ocean cruise, she gets a bit more than the rest and relaxation she counted on. She's a witness to an argument between two men, one of whom is later found dead. Suddenly finding herself square in the sights of a ruthless assassin, she has only one hope for survival: find out who is behind the hit and expose them. Graham's first novel—readers will hope there are more to follow—is crisply written, with suspense so thick it's like a fog that covers everything. Adams is a strong protagonist, a tough-as-nails lawyer faced with a situation she's not sure she can handle. The author relies on strong characterizations rather than shopworn plot devices to propel the story, and he uses compelling dialogue, rather than clotted passages of exposition, to reveal important information to the reader. A most successful debut. Pitt, David
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765318121
• ISBN-13: 978-0765318121
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,188,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mature Heroine (For Once!), June 28, 2007

By 

Tom S. "filmfan3" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Majestic Descending (Hardcover)

It's a real pleasure to read a thriller like MAJESTIC DESCENDING, the exciting new novel by Mitchell Graham. This is a tightly-written suspense story that starts with a bang and just keeps going to the startling conclusion. Graham mixes familiar plot elements with unusual touches to keep you reading, and my favorite unusual touch is the principal cast.

Katherine Adams is an attorney with three kids, an ex-husband, and a violent tragedy in her past (as a teen, she was the only survivor of a serial killer). Now, her vacation cruise with her closest friend turns deadly when their ship, the Ocean Majestic, is targeted by terrorists. But even after the sinking, it soon becomes clear that someone (the terrorists?) is still after her. A hunky ex-cop she met on board comes to her aid, and there's an international chase and a surprising final confrontation. What makes Katherine, her friend, and the hunky ex-cop unusual is the fact that they are all in their mid-to-late 40s. It's refreshing to read a big suspense novel with mature adult characters, rather than the standard-issue 24-year-olds who normally populate these stories.

Katherine is an appealing heroine, and the action-packed plot really flies. I read MAJESTIC DESCENDING in two sittings, and I look forward to more by Mitchell Graham. Highly Recommended.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I read the same edition as "louies mom", July 20, 2007

By 

S. Foss (Liberty Lake, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Majestic Descending (Hardcover)

I agree with the reviewer who believed she read a different book from the majority of reviewers thus far. This book is almost good, but it's not quite there.

It would be a decent book to take on a plane trip or a visit to the doctor's visit, when you don't need a lot of concentration. It's fast paced, but the pacing comes at the expense of a solid story. Without giving too much away here, I wish that, rather than spending so much time on a hokey romance with hokey dialog, Mr. Graham had spent more time developing his villians, fleshing out why and how the different strands of villians came together and how the bad deeds were concocted and carried out. That would have been far more interesting to me than a story of love on the high seas.

One other thing for you English majors out there. The editing of this book left much to be desired. Words were repeated or missing, modifiers dangled, plural pronouns were used in place of singular nouns, and some stuff was just plain goofy. A flight from Europe to the US benefited from a 400 m.p.h. tailwind?!? Yikes! That sounds like the makings of a new disaster story.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced, solid, legal thriller by new writer, July 1, 2007

By 

Bill L (Sun Valley, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Majestic Descending (Hardcover)

The mystery manager at my local bookstore put this one in my hands when I asked for a recommendation. Over the years I've learned to trust her judgment and I wasn't wrong this time. The characters were intriguing, including the female protagonist, Katherine Adams, an Atlanta attorney, who is as tough as they come. I found the story extremely well written and fast moving. Mitchell Graham shows great ability with contemporary dialogue. The story flowed naturally and was largely responsible for keeping me turning pages. A very solid book. I'm definitely a fan.