Book Review: Riptide

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Riptide     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Douglas Preston , Lincoln Child
Class/Genre:   Mystery

The legend of Ragged Island off the coast of Maine started due to the discovery of a "water pit" over two centuries ago that have stymied engineers
ever since. The legend that has evolved around the "water pit" is that a notorious but successful pirate buried his treasure (estimated to be worth
over $2 billion in present money) underneath the island, but set it up so that the maze of tunnels would constantly flood. Various efforts to extract
the treasure have failed, leading to the deaths of several individuals.

Dr. Malin Hatch, whose brother died thirty years ago in an attempt to excavate the treasure, leads a high-tech team in the latest effort to find the pirate's treasure. This time around, with computers, infra-red photography, an experienced treasury recovery team, and stronger metals like titanium available, success seems inevitable. However, human greed leading to treachery may prove more perilous to Hatch than the pit. There is also the realization that if by some miracle they can reach the treasure, what awaits them may turn out to be more hazardous to Malin and his accomplices than the pit could ever be.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, writers of THE RELIC, have scribed a fast-paced, action-packed adventure story loosely based on the infamous Oak Island pit. The characters, including the villainous "Water Pit", are more stereotypes than authentic people, but surprisingly that seems to add to the overall suspense. The crisp story line of RIPTIDE will be devoured by fans of the action novel, who will ultimately want to see the movie version too.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner