The Deepest Waters

Walsh, a pastor turned full-time writer, surprises with a swashbuckling tale of a sunken pre–Civil War era steamship and its cargo of gold—and a newlywed couple who must make a harrowing decision. When a steamship heads directly into a hurricane on the Atlantic coast, John and Laura Foster must choose to stay together or be separated when women and children are evacuated to another ship. What makes the story more than romantic fluff is its basis in a true event, the sinking of the SS Central America and its payload of gold, and a dramatic subplot of Micah, a slave who longs to be free along with his family. Some flashbacks that provide backstory are awkwardly obvious, and characters seem to be more obsessed with sunsets than one might expect desperate survivors to be, but the story has penetrating moments. With this novel Walsh establishes himself as a Christian historical fiction writer who crafts credible character-driven stories. (Apr.)