GALE FORCE
On Sale: May 8, 2018
In the high-stakes world of deep-sea salvage, an ocean disaster can mean a huge payoff--if you can survive the chase.
McKenna Rhodes has never been able to get the sight of her father's death out of her mind. A freak maritime accident has made her the captain of the salvage boat Gale Force, but it's also made her cautious, sticking closer to the Alaska coastline. She and her crew are just scraping by, when the freighter Pacific Lion, out of Yokohama, founders two hundred miles out in a storm.
This job is their last chance--but there is even more at stake than they know. Unlisted on any manifest, the Lion's crew includes a man on the run carrying fifty million dollars in stolen Yakuza bearer bonds. The Japanese gangsters want the money. The thief's associates want the money. Another salvage ship, far bigger and more powerful than Gale Force, is racing to the rendezvous as well. And the storm rages on. If McKenna can't find a way to prevail, everything she loves--the ship, her way of life, maybe even her life itself--will be lost.
Filled with bravery, betrayal, sudden twists, and pure excitement, Gale Force is a spectacular new adventure from the fast-rising suspense star.
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Reviews
“Action-loving readers will be thrilled with this one. Laukkanen is a damn fine storyteller.”
“One of the outstanding adventures of the year — a big sea story with a brilliant and beautiful woman as the tough captain of a salvage boat.”
Clive Cussler
“Probably Laukkanen’s best yet – which means it’s as good as thrillers get.
Lee Child
“An extraordinary tale that harkens back to the centuries-old fiction of the sea, while retaining the knife-edge tension of the modern thriller. A phenomenal read.”
John Sandford
“An unstoppable read and a return to true high-stakes adventure on the high seas. Laukkanen brings the action full throttle with a gutsy heroine at the helm of a winner-take-all race for treasure soon to be lost.”
Ace Atkins
Owen Laukkanen's maritime thriller GALE FORCE hijacked my life from the exciting first scene to the stunning conclusion. Even then, I didn't want it to end. This high seas adventure is not to be missed!
Linda Castillo
“An absolute blast of a nautical thriller, as good a tale of mayhem and adventure on the high seas as I’ve read in years.”
John Lescroart
“A pulse-pounding race against bad guys, the competition, Mother Nature, and our heroine’s own shadowy instincts. It’s high-seas excitement, melded with old-fashioned adventure, cleverly imagined.”
Steve Berry
“I absolutely love a thriller that expertly opens a window to a dangerous profession I never knew about – in this case the world of maritime salvage operations. Owen Laukkanen must have seawater in his veins and he’s struck gold with Gale Force. It’s a propulsive and entirely engaging modern-day sea adventure.”
C.J. Box
“An adventure tour-de-force as taut as a wire rope dragging a ship through the high seas. Imagine it: biting winds, rogue waves, and a young female captain to be reckoned with. Intriguingly face-paced, the suspense never lets up. You don’t want to miss this thrilling tale.”
Gayle Lynds
“A fantastic thriller! Owen Laukkanen has created a modern high-seas adventure with such realism that you’ll swear you can taste the salt air and feel the crashing waves as you race through the lightning-paced story. With distinctive characters, tense action, and a twisty plot, Gale Force is a novel you won’t want to put down until the very last page.”
Boyd Morrison
“A fresh and sweeping thriller – Owen Laukkanen brings the high-stakes, life-and-death arena of shipwreck salvage vividly to life. McKenna Rhodes is a terrific heroine – gutsy, smart, and full of heart.”
Meg Gardiner
“Gale Force draws you in from the very beginning, then leaves you breathless as you race to the finish. Owen Laukkanen’s intimate knowledge of the sea and ocean-faring vessels is apparent from the first page – but it’s his skill in writing suspense that grabs you like a riptide, not letting go until the very last page. Quite simply one of the best books I’ve read all year.”
Robin Burcell
“Sailors always start great sea stories with, ‘This really happened!’ That’s how Owen Laukkanen deserves to introduce Gale Force. When you read this thrilling tale of salvage at sea, you will never doubt his brave woman captain’s fight to save her father’s salvage ship from greed, evil, and a horrific storm.”