Sisters of the Sweetwater Fury

Bryan debuts with a superb character-driven adventure following three sisters who are caught up in a historic storm on the Great Lakes in November 1913. The eldest sister, widowed Agnes Inby, cares for her cantankerous mother, who is trying to marry her off to Elzie Duncan, keeper of a life-saving station. Middle sister Sunny Colvin and her husband, Herb, work as cook and steward aboard the freighter Titus Brown on Lake Erie, where Sunny dreams of leaving the sailing life and opening her own restaurant. Youngest sister Cordelia Blythe is taking a honeymoon cruise on The Marguerite on Lake Huron, also known as “The Sweetwater Sea,” with the ship’s captain, whom she’s eloped with and hardly knows. An exceptionally warm November makes the captains of both ships uneasy, as do signs portending danger. As the weather rapidly turns to freezing and a blizzard erupts, a series of destructive swells converge to produce harrowing conditions known among sailors as the “three sisters.” Bryan writes with vigor and verve, whether relaying the characters’ knowledge of sailing or digging into the sisters’ personal dramas. Readers will eagerly follow Bryan through the rough and thrilling waters. (Self-published)