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Riptide
For generations, treasure hunters have tried to unlock the deadly puzzle known as the Water Pit: a labyrinth of shafts and tunnels that honeycombs the heart of a small island off the coast of Maine. Reputed to be the hiding place of pirate treasure, the Water Pit possesses an inexplicable ability to kill those who venture into it, from professionals to innocent explorers. ...more
Mass Market Paperback, 465 pages
Published
July 1st 1999
by Warner Books
(first published 1998)
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When I was a kid, I was always really interested in ghost stories and strange tales. Like the Mary Celeste that was found drifting completely empty; no signs of struggle, food left on the plates, no survivors ever found. Or the story of the Japanese soldier who refused to believe WWII had ended and spent 20+ years living in the jungle until his original commanding officer personally came to tell him to come home. This book takes from another famous story I read about when I was young; the water ...more
Avant toute chose, il faut savoir que je ne lis pour ainsi dire jamais de thriller et ce pour des raisons que l'on retrouve notamment dans ce roman.
La première raison, c'est le vocabulaire souvent trop spécifique. Il faut laisser ça au style, mais j'ai vraiment du mal avec les sujets qui traitent de... "choses" dont je ne connais pas les noms.
Ensuite, la spécifité du style fait que quand on ne s'y connait pas dans le sujet, qui est souvent la science ou l'informatique - les p...more
La première raison, c'est le vocabulaire souvent trop spécifique. Il faut laisser ça au style, mais j'ai vraiment du mal avec les sujets qui traitent de... "choses" dont je ne connais pas les noms.
Ensuite, la spécifité du style fait que quand on ne s'y connait pas dans le sujet, qui est souvent la science ou l'informatique - les p...more
This book had so much potential! The storyline had really compelling personal stories, opportunities for suspense and intrigue, and creativity along the lines of Michael Crieghton or Dan Brown. And the authors completely botched it!! In the first place, the title is entirely irrelevant to the book. They had multitudinous opportunities to make the reader connect with the characters and they completely neglected this vital point. The complex characters became completely cliched. What could h...more
Ever hear of the Oak Island mystery? If you haven't, you should look it up. It's a fascinating (and TRUE!) story of buried treasure…or at least a buried SOMETHING, on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia. As I have many times, Preston and Child have taken a more-or-less historic event and built a tale around it, and a fascinating one at that. In fact, outside of the Pendergast books, this is probably my favorite book by P & C. It's gripping right clear through and holds up through repeated rea...more
Ein typischer Preston/Child: Es geht los mit einem grausigen Todesfall, der Fragen offen lässt. Dann folgt die Einführung der Hauptpersonen, ein geduldiger Aufbau der Geschichte und der Spannung, gesprenkelt mit Wissenschaft und hier und da ein paar weiteren, grausigen Segmenten - bis das Ganze dann in einem fulminaten, actionreichen Finale kulminiert.
Das ist eine Formel, die sich bewährt hat, und die auch hier ganz gut funktioniert, allerdings für eine gewisse Vorhersagbarkeit sorgt. ...more
Das ist eine Formel, die sich bewährt hat, und die auch hier ganz gut funktioniert, allerdings für eine gewisse Vorhersagbarkeit sorgt. ...more
Fans of the pirate genre will find much to like in Preston & Childs' "Riptide." This is a story about buried treasure and pirate curses, all brought into modern times.
The protagonist, physician Malin Hatch, knows that three generations of his family have been bankrupted or killed as they seek "Red Ned" Ockham's treasure on Ragged Island -- including his 12-year-old brother, but he agrees to serve as staff physician and partner with Thalassa Explorations when they...more
The protagonist, physician Malin Hatch, knows that three generations of his family have been bankrupted or killed as they seek "Red Ned" Ockham's treasure on Ragged Island -- including his 12-year-old brother, but he agrees to serve as staff physician and partner with Thalassa Explorations when they...more
I hope the writing gets better, I hae a lot more from these authors in my boxes of books. It's one of those deals where it starts off like it might be good, then a whole lot of boring stuff and speeds up at the end. Also the authors tend to telegraph what is going to happen further along in the plot. For instance in the beginning when some tools brought ot a work sight are being examined they spend a page and a haof on one nail gun. Gee, I wonder why they spent to much time talking about how fas...more
I was pretty sure I had this book's number from about Page 18. Turns out, though, it threw me for a slight loop - I was right about what was going on, but wrong about the specific mechanism (although I did figure that out around page 250 or so...).
Still, I didn't care. Preston/Child are at their best when they're creating a rip-roaring pseudoscientific adventure, and they definitely did that here. Their research was, as always, impeccable, but presented in an entertaining manner, and f...more
Still, I didn't care. Preston/Child are at their best when they're creating a rip-roaring pseudoscientific adventure, and they definitely did that here. Their research was, as always, impeccable, but presented in an entertaining manner, and f...more
This book begs to be made into a special effects-laden film by either Michael Bay or Steven Spielberg. Preston and Child writing together are unbeatable. Their fourth novel opens with a childhood tragedy and ends with a life-or-death struggle for buried treasure on a mysterious island. Their research is top-notch and their characterizations are very true to life. I'm impressed by their ability to write relatable, real female characters who aren't just 'somebody's girlfriend' or the token female ...more
Tale focuses on a group of treasure hunters who are trying to find the buried treasure of a nefarious pirate. It was likely inspired by the Oak Island Money Pit up near Nova Scotia where Captain Kidd or perhaps Blackbeard buried their treasure hoard. Anyway, this treasure hoard is estimated at 2 billion dollars in the late 1990s and the choice item is St. Michael's Sword which is said to kill any mortal who looks upon it. Nobody really knows what St. Michael's Sword is when the novel begins. To ...more
This is the second non-Pendergast Preston and Child book that I have read and like the first one, Thunderhead, it is an adventure yarn which provides large doses of action and suspense. The main character is exceptionally interesting in this one and his background story is critical. I had no trouble suspending disbelief in this story as the authors did an exceptional job of keeping the story eerie, yet realistic throughout. Given their history of tapping into the supernatural whenever appropr...more
Cursed Pirate Treasure, computer glitches, suspicious illnesses,and a cavern full of traps all combine in an exciting yarn carefully plotted and skillfully crafted to keep the reader turning page after page.
I find Preston and Child to be the type of team who write books that seem to tip their hats to some of Michael Critchton's best novels. Clever ideas for frightening plots with clever scientific foundation.
Interesting characters with an interesting background, a very ...more
I find Preston and Child to be the type of team who write books that seem to tip their hats to some of Michael Critchton's best novels. Clever ideas for frightening plots with clever scientific foundation.
Interesting characters with an interesting background, a very ...more
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This book starts with the long history of a seemingly cursed pirate treasure buried on a small island off the coast of Maine, then moves to the 1970s where two small boys, whose father has inherited the island, go in search of adventure on the island. Problems ensue, and flash forward to today where a new team of treasure hunters with high-tech equipment sets out to solve the mystery of the cursed treasure. One of the boys from earlier in the book is now a Harvard educated doctor and has final...more
"My Favorite" Adventure Read---
Preston and Child tell another incredibly good story! I loved reading this book and kept thinking that if Hollywood could tell stories like this again then more people would be buying DVD's. A pirate's treasure is buried in a nefarious pit on a deserted island off the coast of Maine. Modern-day treasure hunters approach the island's owner hoping to be the last (and successful) team to try to uncover the lost Spanish treasure. But the island doesn't give up it's secrets without a fight. The love ...more
This was the first book I read by either Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It was loaned to me by a friend who loves this writing team. I literally couldn't put this book down. What made it fit so well, was that I was on a boating vacation, and the theme of this book is centered around a mystery island and boating. So while I was bobbing up and down on our boat, the boats were bobbing up and down on my pages. After reading this book, I was hooked on this team of authors and will read all the re...more
Dr. Malin Hatch is a medical researcher, MD from Harvard, yada yada yada. When he was a young boy, he and his brother took a trip to a piece of property belonging to his family called Ragged Island, off the Maine coast. The boys were investigating the site of a pirate treasure burial...a spot called the water pit, where Old Ned Ockham buried a fortune in pirate loot. The treasure site had been worked at fastidiously over a hundred years, with each expedition ending in bankruptcy or death. When...more
Nice historical-to-present mystery story, with pirates and secret codes and a treasure island, oh my! Not a bad story, though with a few implausible turns. The Deadly Secret is not very hard to figure out from the clues, well before it's revealed explicitly. Still a pretty good read.
Preston adds much depth of characterization that isn't found in Child's solo work. It's much easier to care about the characters in this book than in, for example, Deep Storm.
Preston adds much depth of characterization that isn't found in Child's solo work. It's much easier to care about the characters in this book than in, for example, Deep Storm.
I listened to this book.
Riptide's tale begins in the 17th century, when the notorious pirate Red Ned Ockham kidnapped the brilliant, multifaceted McCallan (not sure of the spelling) to design and build an impregnable hiding place for his treasures. Ragged Island was the site chosen, and the Water Pit, the fruit of McCallan's labor, kept the treasures safe long after Red Ned's death.
In the present day, Dr. Malin Hatch is the reluctant owner of Ragged Island: the island claime...more
Riptide's tale begins in the 17th century, when the notorious pirate Red Ned Ockham kidnapped the brilliant, multifaceted McCallan (not sure of the spelling) to design and build an impregnable hiding place for his treasures. Ragged Island was the site chosen, and the Water Pit, the fruit of McCallan's labor, kept the treasures safe long after Red Ned's death.
In the present day, Dr. Malin Hatch is the reluctant owner of Ragged Island: the island claime...more
A thrilling, old-fashioned mystery with suitable assortment of characters (troubled & emotionally scarred heroes, female figures hovering on the borders of love-interest and important characters, treasure, history & legends, a momomaniac villain, others esp. from the heroe's past), interesting themes (a rather pseudo-scientific mystery at the core, and several major & minor adventures), and an open ending! Recommended for a fresh reading.
I started the Pendergast books in the middle of the series, so I look to start at the beginning ... sometime!
This book stands alone, though winding in Pendergast's character, reading the other Preston/Child books is irrelevent. It's a grown-up *Goonies* for those of us who secretly still hope that One Eyed Willie is out there, and that his booby traps can still claim the lives of the untrue to the pirate oath.
This book stands alone, though winding in Pendergast's character, reading the other Preston/Child books is irrelevent. It's a grown-up *Goonies* for those of us who secretly still hope that One Eyed Willie is out there, and that his booby traps can still claim the lives of the untrue to the pirate oath.
I loved the historical and technical details added into this book hat gave it a richness. I've seen some editorial reviews of Preston and Child's books that call their fiction "cerebral thrillers" - that's a good description. I like that their not purely plot-driven or too far-fetched; there's a realistically-possible core in all their novels, and they create characters that readers can get invested in.
I had a tough time finishing this book. As much as I enjoy books about the sea there were some parts of this one that bordered on science fiction and required a suspension of disbelief that I just don't possess.
I was also bugged by the frequent references to kelp in the water. There is no kelp on the east coast.
Maybe I'll try another one by these authors either together or separately, but I just couldn't get into this one.
I was also bugged by the frequent references to kelp in the water. There is no kelp on the east coast.
Maybe I'll try another one by these authors either together or separately, but I just couldn't get into this one.
Just because it got a 3 doesnt mean it is not good. I am a fair "grader". 1 being the absolute worst and a waste of you life you will never get back. 5 being a timeless classic, one that will be read by my chilrens, childrens, childrens childern! Understood? So 3 is actually a rip roaring good read!! Not unlike any other DP/LC novel, this one will keep you flipping pages to see what happens next. I must say that these 2 are by far my favorite authors and I no doubt will read any book t...more
I think one of the better Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child tales. A more believable story than many of their other works. Interesting if you enjoy a bit of piracy.
(I do not write much in my reviews because I rarely read the entire blurb on the flap of a book's dust cover. Only the first several lines. I want to be surprised.)
(I do not write much in my reviews because I rarely read the entire blurb on the flap of a book's dust cover. Only the first several lines. I want to be surprised.)
Preston & Child's only standalone novel (that is, not tied in to "The Relic" and the Pendergast books) is not bad, but is far from their best. In fact, despite some of the usual clever plotting and a magnificent central conceit (the "Water Pit" trap), it actually drags quite a bit in the middle. The ending of the action also underwhelms, in comparison to their usual work, and the characters suffer to some extent by comparison with their "regulars" who have the benef...more
This is the first book I've read from Preston and Child without Pendergast in it but the tandem authors' writing style is still prevalent and after a couple of chapters I was soon swept up into pirate lore, medieval architecture and treasure hunting. I wouldn't say that the storytelling is fast-paced but it has enough going on to keep you reading chapter after chapter.
Entertaining enough, but with some serious flaws in the scientific approaches and supposed knowledge of the characters (one of the most pathetic archaeologist in fiction, and a doctor with unrealistic gaps and additions to his knowledge). Predictable, but enough action and pirate intrigue to keep the pages turning.
Either this or Reliquary is my favorite by these authors. It's a standalone, with no ties to the other books. It is loosely based on Oak Island in Nova Scotia. My favorite thrillers are all about pace and this one is perfect. I don't want to say to much and spoil it, but the book is unique and highly worth reading
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Douglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two fr...more
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