Sail [Mass Market Paperback]

James Patterson (Author), Howard Roughan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2009

THE SIZZLING #1 BESTSELLER


#1 New York Times
#1 Chicago Tribune
#1 Washington Post
#1 Wall Street Journal
#1 USA Today
#1 Newsday

America's #1 bestselling thriller writer, James Patterson presents his most suspenseful, explosive tale ever. Only an hour out of port, the Dunne family's summer getaway to paradise is already turning into the trip from hell. The three children are miserable-and not shy about showing it. Katherine Dunne had hoped this vacation would bring back the togetherness they'd lost when her husband died four years earlier. Maybe if her new husband had joined them it would all have been okay.

Suddenly, a disaster hits-and it's perfect. Faced with this real threat, the Dunnes rediscover the meaning of family. But this catastrophe is just a tiny taste of the true danger that lurks ahead-somewhere out there, someone wants to make sure that the Dunne family never leaves paradise alive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Patterson's epic tale of the Dunne family, who find themselves trapped in paradise, fighting for their lives, is a strong commercial novel that demands even stronger performances. Luckily, Dylan Baker and Jennifer Van Dyck are up to the challenge and put forth simply infectious performances that will set listeners' pulses racing. Playing distinct adolescent roles as well as a number of others, the two narrators display their wide ranging abilities and captivate to no end. Listeners will be enthralled from the very beginning; this duo knows exactly when to crank up the tension. A Little, Brown hardcover. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"SAIL runs before the wind as a perfect beach read." (BlogCritics.org)

"I absolutely, fantabulously loved and enjoyed SAIL . . . suspense at its Pattersonish best." (RebeccaReads.com on Sail)

"This headlong thriller will keep readers eyes' glued to its pages . . . the perfect beach read." (BookLoons.com on Sail)

"The man is a master of his genre. We fans all have one wish for him: Write even faster." (USA Today Larry King)

"Patterson knows how to sell thrills and suspense in clear, unwavering prose." (People)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Vision; Reprint edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446536105
• ISBN-13: 978-0446536103
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (260 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It is no surprise that in January, 2010, The New York Times Magazine featured James Patterson on its cover and hailed him as having "transformed book publishing," and that Time magazine hailed him as "The Man Who Can't Miss." Recently, NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams profiled Patterson's prolific career, AARP named him one of the "50 Most Influential People Who Make Our Days a Little Brighter," and Variety featured him in a cover story highlighting his adventures in Hollywood.

In 2011, it was estimated that one-in-four of all hardcover suspense/thriller novels sold was written by James Patterson, he is the first author to achieve five million ebook sales (and is expected to hit ten million in early 2013), and he holds the Guinness record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers of any author. And his success isn't based solely on thrillers like the perennially popular Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club and Michael Bennett series. Patterson is now also the current bestselling author in the young adult and middle grade categories.

He's been called the busiest man in publishing, and that's not just because of his own books. For the past decade, James has been devoting more and more of his time to championing books and reading. From the James Patterson Pageturner Awards, to his website ReadKiddoRead.com, to his College Book Bucks scholarships and his regular donations of hundreds of thousands of books to schools here in the states and troops overseas (see interviews on Fox & Friends, The Dennis Miller Radio Show and CNN.com), Patterson has passed on his passion of books and reading and supported those who do the same. Jim personally funded a major ad campaign re-printing a recent opinion piece on CNN.com about how it is our responsibility to get our kids reading. The ad has run in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and USA Today. Those ads are a call to action to parents to make their kids reading a top priority; and were featured by USA Today here. Patterson believes that we cannot rely on schools, teachers or the government to get our kids reading; only parents can make this crucial change in the reading habits of our kids. Here are links to some interviews on his first-ever dual lay down (two books, one for parents and one for kids, in one day): AOL's You've Got, NBC's "Today Show" with Hoda and Kathie Lee, USA Today and Family Circle, NBC's "Today Show" with Al Roker, as well as an interview with AARP.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#3 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#1 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#2 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#3 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#3 in Books > Literature & Fiction

#1 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#2 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#2 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#3 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#3 in Books > Literature & Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

159 of 168 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Lacking any Real Substance or Charm June 9, 2008

By Jake Chism

Format:Hardcover

Katherine Dunne and her three children are taking a long over-due family vacation. It's been four years since her ex-husband died, and Katherine is afraid she is losing her kids. Desperate for help, she goes to her former brother-in-law, Jake Dunne. He agrees to take the family out for a summer trip on board the family yacht. Jake loves his brother's kids and wants to do whatever he can to reach out to them. He also still has strong feelings for Katherine, whom he has loved for years.

The Dunne's hit the high seas and immediately things begin to go wrong. Mark is caught smoking pot. Carrie hurls herself into the ocean in an attempt to end her life. All the while, young Ernie looks on as his family is starting to self destruct before his eyes. Unfortunately for the Dunne's, the trouble is just beginning. Someone wants them all dead and will do anything to make sure their vacation becomes permanent.

James Patterson fans will no doubt eat up his latest summer thrill offering. Sail is a suspense filled story, and one that will have most readers flying through the pages. This is a not a typical Patterson whodunit story keeping readers guessing until the end. The antagonist is revealed early on and the motive is never in doubt. All the tension and suspense are found in the Dunne's fight for survival and the antagonist's race to cover his tracks.

Sail held my attention, but there is nothing new or overly exciting here. This is just one more addition to James Patterson's long line of summer chillers. It's fast paced and fun, lacking any real substance or charm. The one twist we do get at the end is forced and unnecessary. Luckily for him, Patterson has reached that lofty level for bestselling novelists where it really doesn't matter what reviewers say. He will always sell a jillion copies of whatever he writes. This will certainly be no exception.

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good thriller from Patterson, better than I expected June 25, 2008

By Bill Garrison VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

SAIL is the latest thriller to be churned out from the James Patterson book factory. I didn't have high hopes for this one. It seemed like Patterson decided to write a novel about one of his hobbies. I didn't look forward to 300 pages of a family facing troubles on the high seas. However, as the book played out, I found myself drawn into the standard Patterson plot twists and characters and winded up enjoying this novel quite a bit.

Cahterine Dunne 45 year old heart surgeon with three kids. Her cheating first husband died while sailing, and she's determined to go on an extended sailing trip to reunite with her kids, each of whom has their own problems. The novel is standard Patterson, which isn't a criticism. You get standard characterization: one kid smokes pot, one is bulemic, ex-CIA bad guys, determined DEA agent, daibolical, philandering new husband.

Catherine believes a two-month sailing trip will be just the thing to reunite her family. She's lost her kids since the death of their father. Almost immediately, the boat starts having problems. Thankfully, her brother-in-law Jake is there to help them. Peter Carlyle, Catherine's new husband is a rich defense attorney. He urged Catherine to take this trip and was very supportive. But, as soon as she leaves, we find out he isn't all he claims to be.

That's enoug of the plot. This is a good book. It actually throws a lot at you other than sailing, but covers it in Patterson's usual cursury manner. This book isn't as good as THE QUICKIE, but is much better than STEP ON A CRACK, HONEYMOON, or JUDGE AND JURY. You will find absolutely nothing new in this book. Patterson is what he is. This book just happens to be better than his others. Patterson will never recapture the magic of his early Cross books, but that doesn't mean he still can't write good thrillers.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Just a bit overblown July 21, 2008

By Roger Long

Format:Hardcover

I did enjoy this book a little but not, I suspect, for the reasons intended by the authors and publisher. In fact, I laughed aloud at several of the wrong places. Let me explain. A woman heart surgeon sets out on a sailboat with her three children and her deceased husband's brother. Her fancy dancy crimanal defense attorney husband is left in New York. Things start to go wrong right away on this junket.

The teenage boy lights up a joint in the head. The daughter tries to commit suicide. A huge storm almost swamps them. Then there's an explosion, putting them all in the drink, whereupon a shark smells lunch, before they make it to a deserted island and a giant snake attacks. I could see it all coming, like dominoes falling. I could see the writers listing all the hazards that could possibly affect this curious crew. It became downright funny.

Then toss in the fact that someone is trying to kill them--the doctor's second husband, the hotshot villainous lawyer, assisted by an ex-CIA operative. The lawyer is a piece of work, strictly one-dimensional nasty and completely unbelievable. Even his bosomy girlfriend is silly, thrown in just to have a sex scene. In fact, there isn't a character in this book that feels right, to say nothing of the events that are phony.

And I haven't touched upon the errors of fact and logic, but to take those on would be to give away the plot for those who enjoy this sort of thing. One example: the sailboat, which apparently has an inboard engine, sets out from New England and a couple of days later is in sub-tropical waters, in the vicinity of the Bahamas. Some sailboat.

Then there is the writing itself. The authors obviously don't trust their own words very much or their own readers. They use lots of exclamation points, the certain spoor of the bad writer. Then they compound this with italicized sentences and bold sentences on every page. Joseph Conrad and Ernest Hemingway they are not. It reminded me of the movie "Betelgeuse," with all the lights and arrows to show where he was. The movie was intenced to be funny. "Sail" isn't.

Mr. Patterson and his various co-authors just keep turning these out, using the same basic pattern for every book. They would do well to slow down and try something worthwhile. But that would perhaps cut into the income. Silly me.