Dark Tide: A Novel of Suspense

This newest work from the author of Toy Soldiers and Rules of Encounter bears obvious plot similarities to Vincent Bugliosi's true-crime opus And the Sea Will Tell. Unambitious grade-school teacher Bill and his hyper-organized wife, Jeanne, join their friends Howard, a macho businessman, and his understanding spouse, Marilyn, to charter a yacht for a Caribbean cruise. The charter captain is a young guy named Steve; his girlfriend is Cindy, a pretty courier of mysterious packages. When Cindy's latest job goes bad, she runs to Steve with a fortune in uncut diamonds and bonds. Steve takes his paying crew hostage, and, fueled by strong winds and greed, the sextet sets sail. A few more deaths, at sea and on land, is as much plot as Kennedy provides--the rest is psychological filler. Kennedy squanders a remarkable amount of narrative space on repetitive speculations on the moral implications of keeping ill-gotten loot and on the insidious effect its possession might have on those who keep it. The nautical detail is fine, and the premise, while slight, would suffice for a shorter story. Most of this one, however, rides dead in the water: a lot of psychobabble from an author who has previously offered better. (Feb.)