Wreckers' Key: A Novel of Suspense (Hardcover)

by Christine Kling (Author)
Key Phrases: shady banks, salvage business, Key West, Power Play, Fort Lauderdale (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
At the start of Kling's salty if at times meandering fourth Florida suspense thriller (after Bitter End), tugboat captain Seychelle Sullivan, who inherited her dad's business three years earlier, is still resisting advanced GPS technology. Her more successful competitors, like upstart Neville Pinder, have no compunction about using it, while such unsavory developments as an increase in insurance fraud (an unhappy client is suing her) have her questioning her future. When her friend Nestor Frias runs a millionaire's yacht aground in Key West, Nestor insists the GPS navigation system was somehow compromised. While Seychelle is towing the yacht to Fort Lauderdale, Nestor's killed in a windsurfing accident that his pregnant widow insists was murder. An unexpected reunion with an old childhood friend, Ben Baker, once a nerd, now a hottie, provides some romantic tension. A shocking resolution to this solid tale of nautical adventure will catch most readers by surprise. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
When tugboat captain Seychelle Sullivan agrees to tow a friend's disabled yacht from Key West to Ford Lauderdale, she is confronted with a mystery: Was the yacht deliberately run aground by pirates? Then, when her friend is murdered, Seychelle decides that this might be her final case; the prospect of getting out of the salvage-amateur sleuth business is looking pretty good. But first she has to solve her friend's murder, and that proves to be tougher, and more deadly, than she anticipated. This is the fourth installment in this interesting (if not especially remarkable) series, and although fans will dive right in, newcomers might wonder whether the character warrants an entire series built around her. Recommend this one to fans of the series and perhaps to devoted readers of nautical mysteries. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034547905X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345479051
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #825,628 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MYSTERY, INTRIGUE, & SEYCHELLE SULLIVAN IN "THE FLORIDA KEYS" & BEYOND, March 12, 2007

By	RBSProds "rbsprods" (Deep in the heart of Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Five MESMERIZING Stars! "Wreckers' Key" by Christine Kling is a highly entertaining novel full of mystery, interesting people, and great scenery. Seychelle Sullivan is a tall unmarried tugboat captain with an artistic eye and deep yearnings inside. And she's got her strengths and vulnerabilities: man problems and legal problems, among them. She comes to Key West from Fort Lauderdale to assist a friend and tow a damaged boat back. Such is the background of this standout novel that starts out interestingly and then hits a high gear of intrigue when tragedy strikes and there is a death. And we are inside of Seychelle's interesting mind the entire way, as her past keeps catching up with her, the mystery deepens, and interesting men catch her eye-but what about B. J.? Quite frankly, the high level of Ms Kling's writing artistry was such that I couldn't put the novel down. And truth be told, Seychelle's life seems to enjoyably overpower the storyline at times, although it's subterfuge. But it's fun just to watch Sey 'navigate' through the storyline.

Those familiar with the Key West part of the storyline will recognize places such as Duval Street, Turtle Kraals, Schooner Wharf Bar, the Dry Tortugas, the incredible sunsets from Mallory Pier and will feel right at home as she populates her landscape with interesting and unique characters both there and later in Fort Lauderdale. We are also introduced to a facet of boating that may be new to many of us who have visited there. And that's where the trouble starts and develops, and for Seychelle Sullivan it gets way too personal. The specific writing about the Gorda/Grady-White incident is spellbinding. In "Wreckers' Key", Christine Kling has conjured up a taut, carefully-plotted tale with interesting twists and turns that are the basis of an engrossing page-turner with a surprise resolution. But watch out! You may fall in love with the amazing Seychelle Sullivan. I did!! And the Florida Keys as well. Highly Recommended. Five MYSTERIOUS Stars!!

(Note: this review of "Wreckers' Key" is based on an unabridged digital download in secure eReader format.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Mystery, June 7, 2007

By	G. Harvey (Fl Keys USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an easy summer read. Christine hooked me from the first few pages. i'm a fan now. She knows her boating and the twists & turns in the plot go every which way.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable, April 6, 2008

By	RAD Man (Toluca Lake, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wreckers' Key: A Novel of Suspense (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first book by Christine Kling and I thought it was pretty good. I read the book in 2 days and then read Cross Current. I liked Wrecker's Key better, however a similar story line occured in both books- a person from the past emerges as a "good guy" and turns out to be the villain....