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Fire and Ice

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A debut thriller sends a humanitarian doctor working on the coast of Southeast Asia on a treacherous odyssey to rescue members of his family, who are kidnapped on the high seas by a group of cold-blooded assassins hired by a twisted millionaire.

389 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

11 people are currently reading
102 people want to read

About the author

Paul Garrison

51 books34 followers
Justin Scott
J.S. Blazer
Alexander Cole

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5 stars
32 (16%)
4 stars
62 (32%)
3 stars
66 (34%)
2 stars
22 (11%)
1 star
10 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Kristin Lundgren.
305 reviews16 followers
August 20, 2012
A solid thriller about a man and his doctor wife who sailed the south China seas on their small yacht with their daughter, stopping at al the local islands and attending to people in distress. In reality they were running away from a past that had happened to them, not because of anything they had done. One day they get a distress call from a supertanker - someone needs help. But at the same time, on the atoll where they are to be picked up, is a man dying of gunshot wounds. The father, Michael, decides to stay and help the old Polynesian sailor, while his wife and daughter board the super tanker and help the passenger there. Before he know what is happening, their boat is picked up, swung aboard and the tanker leaves him stranded on the tiny atoll, while his wife and daughter are aboard the supertanker. Having no idea of who or why, Michael sets out on a journey across the China seas, looking for help along the way. In his search he goes to Palau, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and eventually Tokyo as he tries to unravel the mystery of his wife's disappearance and apparent kidnapping, while he is being followed by thugs out to kill him. In between his adventures are the ones of his wife and daughter on board the tanker as they themselves try and figure out where they are, and how they can get safely back. Full of sailing terms and nautical stuff, it's still a good yarn. You don't have to know how to reef a sail to appreciate the majesty and terror of the high seas. Unique and powerful.
3 reviews
June 6, 2019
If you eliminated all the overly-detailed sailing talk, this book would only be about 100 pages long. Being unfamiliar with sailing, I had a hard time struggling with all the sailing and shipping terms and the lengthy descriptions of them raising and lowering their sails, changing sails, maneuvering the boat this way and that, and so on. The storyline was interesting and somewhat gripping, but it was too often buried in the sailing details.
Profile Image for Carol Aselton.
222 reviews
May 21, 2021
Really good book......fascinating story, fascinating characters, yes I could go on and on. Fire and Ice is my first Paul Garrison book. Apparently the first one he wrote also. He is an excellent writer....apparently quite familiar with the sea and boating through his grandfather, I think. I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone for adventure, mystery and scenery. Will be looking for more Paul Garrison books.
Profile Image for Donna.
140 reviews
February 15, 2022
Very interesting book, packed with details on sailing, storms, weather patterns, rivers, ships, China, etc. For me it was not a fast read, sometimes I even skimmed over paragraphs just to keep going. Yet it was filled with suspense and adventure, and I really liked the main characters Sarah, Ronnie, and Stone, so I needed to finish the book to see how it all turned out. Lots of excitement. Anyone who sails will have a greater appreciation of this book.
1 review
February 24, 2022
I have been sailing all my l life. I am now 74 years old. One thing I can say about this book is that it is the most unadulterated rubbish I have ever had the misfortune to have to read.
The story is completely unrealistic, the characters are at times ridculous. How anybody can read this trash and like it, is beyond me. Possibly ok for a very gullible 9 year old.
Profile Image for Jane Greene.
172 reviews17 followers
February 27, 2009
Sarah and Michael are doctors on a small yacht. Together, with their daughter Ronnie, they sail to small remote islands offering medical services to those in need. Their compassion for others soon results in trouble when Sarah and Ronnie board a large vessel to attend to an injured Captain while Michael is left on an island to aid an injured native. It's not long before Michael realizes his wife is not coming back for him and is in some sort of trouble. Michael desperately searches for a way to leave the island and reunite with his family. His struggle leads to a high speed chase (via ships) to save his wife and daughter from a terrorist. The author is an experienced sailor and uses his extensive knowledge of sailing to make the chase at sea very believable and exciting. A nice roller coaster ride with a somewhat plausible plot. The strength of this story lies mainly in the sea chase and character development. An overall entertaining read that kept me turning the pages.
Profile Image for Brian.
82 reviews
October 25, 2014
I really wanted to like this. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or perhaps I've been in an overly critical mood lately (which is entirely possible!), but I was never really able to get pulled in. The premise was solid enough, and for a time I was intrigued by what was coming, but I never really felt like the characters were whole or engaging. The whole thing just never really connected for me. That said, it was not unenjoyable, and there were some great moments. I'd recommend it for a beach or airplane read.
Profile Image for Judy.
1,104 reviews61 followers
November 30, 2023
This author certainly knows a lot about ships and sailing. I enjoyed much of it, but at times I was able to skim entire paragraphs. Character development was good, I cared about the characters. This small family sailing in southeast Asia was tightly knit and appealling. Both parents were doctors, tending to people on the various islands in the area. They have some secrets that haunt them, but mostly life is idyllic out on the ocean. Until, in a quick turn of events, something dark and criminal comes their way. Suspenseful and more than a bit farfetched, but I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Evelyn.
1,753 reviews
April 24, 2008
Drs. Michael and Sarah Stone sail the South Pacific providing medical assistance to anyone in need until Sarah and their daughter are kidnapped and Michael is left stranded on a small island.

Fast-paced. A David vs. Goliath theme. Movie rights were sold to Disney.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
13 reviews
July 3, 2025
Fast-paced and suspensful from beginning to end. Should read "The Shipkiller" by Justin Scott before reading this book. Paul Garrison is a pen name for Justin Scott, and "Fire and Ice" was originally to be a sequel to "The Shipkiller." Both are quick, entertaining reads.
1,911 reviews8 followers
February 22, 2014
first novel, very fast paced.
Man, wife and child sail around Asia and help injured and ill. They are doctors. Wife and daughter are kidnapped by crazy guy who plans to blow up Tokyo.
Good.
Recommended by Shirley.
1,477 reviews24 followers
August 13, 2015
Fire and ice. Paul garrison

Hold onto something when the action starts!!! An utterly fantastic read to the very end!! Full of nautical terms, but don't worry! You don't have to be a sailor to enjoy this book!!! Hope there is a sequel!#!!
Profile Image for Jim.
495 reviews20 followers
September 5, 2016
A nautical thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, though it did seem a bit far-fetched at times.(The villain of this story reminded me of a seafaring version of Ian Fleming's Dr. No) On the plus side, I enjoyed learning lots of interesting tidbits about sailing and navigation.
26 reviews
December 24, 2012
Good novel. Set in the south-pacific. Lots of suspence. Original. You might have a desire to take an astronomy course after you read it.
Profile Image for Sheldon Lehman.
338 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2013
Beginning was a bang, ending was great, the middle slogged down a little. Overall, one can see why Cussler picked him to cowrite books. The style and storytelling are similar.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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