Riptide (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), Lincoln Child (Author) "Malin Hatch was bored with summer..." (more)
Key Phrases: flood tunnels, original pit, Water Pit, Ragged Island, Plain Jane (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The authors' first and bestselling thriller, The Relic, hit the lists in part for its clever exploitation of an extraordinary settingAthe American Museum of Natural History. Just so, their fourth novel (after Reliquary) makes sprightly use of Nova Scotia's Oak Island and its notorious Money PitAhere transplanted to offshore Maine as the Water Pit on Ragged Island. The novel opens with a brisk recap of often fatal efforts over the past 200 years to recover a fabled treasureAnow worth $2 billion and including a mysterious relic, St. Michael's SwordAhidden by English pirate Edward Ockham in the Water Pit. The difficulty is that the Pit, nearly 200 feet deep, was designed to flood and to kill through booby traps anyone trying to broach the treasure. Into this nifty setup steps Martin Hatch, returning to Ragged Island 25 years after his brother and father died in the Pit. Hatch is back as part of a massive expedition attempting a high-tech assault on the Pit. Brash melodrama ensues as expedition members suffer various gory accidents and as Hatch realizes that the Sword possesses a quality that may kill the entire expedition. The novel suffers from a diffusion of villainsAthe authors variously demonize the Pit, the Pit's designer, the crazed expedition leader and the SwordAand from workaday prose and assembly-line characters (a computer nerd, a sexy French archeologist, a righteous minister). Machine-gun pacing, startling plot twists and smart use of legend, scientific lore (including cyptanalysis) and the evocative setting carry the day, however, resulting in an exciting boys' adventure tale for adults that's bound to be one of most popular of the summer reads. Film rights optioned by Arnold Kopelson; foreign rights sold in eight countries; simultaneous Time Warner audio. (July) FYI: The mystery of Oak Island and its Money Pit has been detailed in several books (e.g., D'arcy O'Conner's The Money Pit, 1978). The Pit, target over the past two centuries of numerous failed expeditions costing millions of dollars and six lives, is variously rumored to contain Captain Kidd's treasure, Incan gold and even the Holy Grail.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Yo ho ho?get ready for a ripping good yarn! Dr. Malin Hatch is at first reluctant to let the Thalassa Group plunder his Ragged Island, off the coast of Maine, in yet another attempt to reclaim pirate Red Ned Ockham's 17th-century treasure. But its leaders assure him that they have the technology and skill to breach the deadly Water Pit that has claimed the lives of countless treasure hunters. They also have the encrypted diary of the Pit's designer, which, they claim, holds the key to the treasure's reclamation. But does it? This nonstop action adventure has all the elements of a perfect summertime thriller?pirate treasure of unimaginable worth, 300-year-old cryptograms written in invisible ink, a legendary curse, and a driven captain who will stop at nothing to reach his goal. The red-hot authors of Reliquary (LJ 5/1/97) score another big winner. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.
-?Rebecca House Stankowski, Purdue Univ. Lib., Hammond, IN
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446607177
• ISBN-13: 978-0446607179
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (196 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 100% Fun!, February 4, 2003

By	Robin Currier - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read other books by Child/Preston (Relic and Reliquary) and found them fun but the writing just a little rough.

But Riptide, now--Wow! They have really hit their stride on this one. The pacing is great and the thought they put into how to approach the diabolically clever puzzle of the treasure pit is impressive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book right to the end, even sneaking out to sit in my car at work to finish it!

In the first few pages of the book, we are introduced to the main character, Malin Hatch, as a boy, and see the gruesome tragedy that shadows the rest of his life, but that will not be fully explained until the end of the book. Then we skip forward 30 years. Ladies and gentlemen, THAT's what I call a "hook!" I was certainly hooked until the very end.

I'm certain you will enjoy this roller coaster ride of a book.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great adventure, January 11, 2001

By	J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Once again, Preston and Child have not only proven that they write a great story, but that they write truly original ones.

Riptide succeeds on many levels, but the character development is particularly strong. Preston and Child lead you throught a maze of pertsonalities, cross-purpose and deceit without ever missing a beat. There is no true "bad guy" in this novel, bu there are many people who fall victim to some of the less savory aspects of human nature. That's really what makes "Riptide" so enjoyable, it has an end, but it's not as neat and tidy as many might hope.

As in many of Preston/Child's books, the nemisis isn't a who, but a what. In this case it's the most diabolical treasure trove since Oak Island, which contains an artifact with a sinister, irresistable allure.

I enjoyed this book immensely, it's only downside is that you can't read it on a week night because you'll never sleep.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and wild ride!, December 9, 1999

By	Adam Degnan (Annapolis, Maryland) - See all my reviews

I'm usually bored with formula novels and I expected to be disappointed by this one as well. The buried pirate's treasure angle has been done numerous times since "Treasure Island", but never quite as well as the original. This novel, however, gave the story a unique twist that was entirely exhilarating and fresh.

The story follows the latest (of many) attempts to retrieve the unheard of treasure of the pirate "Red Ned" Ockham. The book begins by giving a 200-year history of the fates of treasure-seekers and explains why they have all failed. The reason is the devious "Water-Pit" trap, designed by the architect Macallan, a man known for his church steeples and not for his booby-trapping ability.

The story is believable and fun. The main character, Malin Hatch, is a lovable little schlep who occasionally grows cajones when they're needed. Unfortunately, his run-ins with Streeter and his bizarre love-life are laughable at best. His first-love, Claire, is a one-dimensional character easily forgotten. The exotic Isobel Bonterre is also easily forgettable, though much more interesting than the aforementioned Claire. The town preacher, Woody Clay, is as dynamic a character as Captain Niedelman, the leader of the treasure hunt. Both of them keep you guessing, which is odd, because zealots are usually uninteresting to read about.

I don't want to spoil the book or the eventual movie for the reader. Just read it and tell your friends about it. This was my first Preston and Childs book and I'm sure it won't be my last. I enjoyed the mix of history, archaelogy, geology, computer science, medicine, cryptography, and architecture. This book made me feel much more well-rounded intellectually. Read it!