Customer Reviews

Majestic Descending

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Atlanta lawyer Katherine Adams needs some down time so she and her best friend Beth Doliver are going on a cruise aboard the Majestic, a ship that is like a small city with all of the luxuries. Also on board is Dr. Ellis Stephens who is celebrating his scientific breakthrough of growing stem cells in a dish. The rewards from the research means that any organ can be grown form the stem cell. A research company sends a representative to see if Dr. Stephens intends to sell his work, which he is not.

Unknown to the passengers, three terrorists are on the ship and they are planting explosives in strategic locations so that when they detonate it, the Majestic will sink. When the alarm sounds, Katherine sees Ellis' body with bullets in it. When they are rescued, the authorities want to question her but someone tries to kill her. Katherine figures the murder of the scientist and the sinking of the ship is linked but until she discovers how and who is behind the operation, her life remains in danger because she refuses to give up investigating. She is helped by ex-cop turned lawyer John Delaney who are instantly attracted to one another.

Over nine hundred deaths of men, women and children and the sinking of a billion dollar luxury liner paint a scenario of greed run amok. The readers feel they are in the middle of the catastrophe because the detailed action scenes bring the audience into the plot. The heroine is a strong and likable person who is persistent in her inquiries regarding the murder and the sinking of the ship. She doesn't let fear paralyze her which is one of the reasons the audience adores her. Mitchell Graham has written a powerful, enthralling and believable (unfortunately) thriller that should land on the bestseller lists.

Harriet Klausner

I got this book as an early Father's Day gift and finished in in one day. Just a super story! The heroine is as tough as nails and reminds me of Sigorney Weaver's character in Alien. I also liked her counterpart, John Delaney. It's merely speculation on my part but I'd be surprised if these two don't hook up in Graham's next book.

For my money the plot had everything I like in a murder mystery. I can easily give this my higest rating.

This is 1 that I could not put down- it kept me up until almost 3AM but well worth it. If you hold the idea that all cruises are just "lazing around", this will knock that theory out of your head. Might make you think twice. It surprises me that a man wrote about the main character, a woman, and did it so well both sexes can enjoy it. Not too graphic, so it's a good read for everyone who likes a nail-bitting thriller. I'll be looking forward to the author's future books.

"Majestic Descending" is one of those "can't-put-it-down" novels. I found myself staying up late just to see what happens next. It's a fast-paced thriller about a smart Atlanta lawyer, Katherine Adams, who finds herself caught up in a web of murder, intrigue, and betrayal - as well as being a passenger on a sinking cruise ship. "Majestic Descending" has the plot twists and action you'd expect from a novel like this, but it also has intelligent dialogue from adult characters who are believable and well-developed, not just caricatures for the action scenes. I hope Mitchell Graham writes more novels about Katherine.

The book was fun and fast paced. It is somewhat predictable and tends to make some leaps that defy logic in order to move the story along, however it was enjoyable.

I had to check the copyright date to determine this book was written and published currently. The sexist dialogue in this book was almost too blatant to be believed. The tough-as-nails heroine pretends not to know how to gamble to impress a man and then utters "Behind every great man there is a woman." This was just just a few of the chauvinistic attitudes conveyed in this book. I thought I was purchasing thriller, but instead got a romance novel with the little lady being saved by the knight in shining armor. Someone tell this author that women now have the right to vote.

When I first read the description of the book, I wasn't sure what to expect. When the book arrived and I started reading, I wasn't sure how the prologue fit into the story since it was supposed to be about a cruise ship--and the prologue had to do with an abduction, left-for-dead event that happened to the main character some twenty years prior.

As Katherine Adams and her friend, Beth, begin their vacation, I think that nothing exciting is happening. Things tend to pick up after all the foreshadowing and back story get worked out though. There are few typos and detractors throughout the story but nothing compared to some other stories I've read recently.

At first, I thought this to be a Titanic takeoff, large cruise ship sinks in the middle of the ocean, but as the story advances, I found only a few similarities to the sinkings of the ships. Majestic Descending has murder, terrorism and mayhem abounding.

I was very surprised at the mastermind behind all the events that occurred once the vacation began. If you are like me and enjoy endings that catch you off guard, this book is for you.

Armchair Interviews agrees.