One Bad Thing

Rob McKenna--good guy, good husband, good father and good friend--seeks to escape the guilt he feels over his daughter's death in this first-rate nautical mystery from Eidson (Adrenaline, etc.). After selling his business and house and buying a 38-foot sloop, The Wanderer, McKenna sets sail with his wife, Caroline, on a life-altering ocean voyage. When Caroline, unable to cope with their constant arguments, flies home from Tortolla in the Caribbean to Newburyport, Mass., young, blond, blue-eyed Tom Cain offers to be McKenna's mate. But Cain is not the experienced sailor or Harvard graduate he professes to be, and McKenna begins a journey home darker and more dangerous than the treacherous sea they endure en route. McKenna discovers that Cain possesses a fortune in diamonds, which they agree to split after McKenna protects Cain from the Coast Guard officials who search the boat. In a dense fog off the Rhode Island coast, McKenna faces a life-threatening situation leading to murder. Back on land in Newburyport, McKenna has to defend himself, Caroline and their friends from people whom Cain cheated and double-crossed. Criminal, amoral and sometimes psychotic characters immersed in duplicity contrast with McKenna as he deals with his own moral dilemmas. Like the speed of The Wanderer in a gale force wind, Eidson's tale moves to a satisfying conclusion. Sailing enthusiasts will particularly enjoy the authentic and detailed descriptions of McKenna's voyage from Tortolla to Newburyport. (Sept.)