What do you think?
Rate this book
Richard Mariner #30
Blind Reef
Richard and Robin Mariner’s quest to rescue a kidnapped girl leads them into the perilous heart of the Sinai desert.
Richard and Robin Mariner, relaxing in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, suddenly find themselves saving the lives of several refugees when their boat flounders on Shaab Ruhr Siyoul, known as the Blind Reef.
One of the survivors, Nahom, is of particular interest to the Mariners. His twin sister, Tsibekti, has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom by smugglers. Shocked by Nahom’s story, Richard and Robin soon become dangerously involved, travelling into the heart of the Sinai in their quest to find the lost girl.
But they will need to tread a perilous path, steering clear of Egyptian police, Bedouin smugglers and militant Islamists to have any hope of rescuing Tsibekti and getting out of the desert alive . . .
Richard and Robin Mariner, relaxing in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, suddenly find themselves saving the lives of several refugees when their boat flounders on Shaab Ruhr Siyoul, known as the Blind Reef.
One of the survivors, Nahom, is of particular interest to the Mariners. His twin sister, Tsibekti, has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom by smugglers. Shocked by Nahom’s story, Richard and Robin soon become dangerously involved, travelling into the heart of the Sinai in their quest to find the lost girl.
But they will need to tread a perilous path, steering clear of Egyptian police, Bedouin smugglers and militant Islamists to have any hope of rescuing Tsibekti and getting out of the desert alive . . .
209 pages, ebook
First published November 1, 2015
19 people want to read
About the author
Peter Tonkin
91 books61 followersPeter Tonkin's first novel, KILLER, was published in 1978. His work has included the acclaimed "Mariner" series that have been critically compared with the best of Alistair MacLean, Desmond Bagley and Hammond Innes.
More recently he has been working on a series of detective thrillers with an Elizabethan background. This series, "The Master of Defense", has been characterised as 'James Bond meets Sherlock Holmes meets William Shakespeare'. Each story is a classic 'whodunit' with all the clues presented to the reader exactly as they are presented to the hero, Tom Musgrave. The Kirkus Review described them as having 'Elizabethan detail, rousing action sequences, sound detection...everything a fan of historical mysteries could hope for."
More recently he has been working on a series of detective thrillers with an Elizabethan background. This series, "The Master of Defense", has been characterised as 'James Bond meets Sherlock Holmes meets William Shakespeare'. Each story is a classic 'whodunit' with all the clues presented to the reader exactly as they are presented to the hero, Tom Musgrave. The Kirkus Review described them as having 'Elizabethan detail, rousing action sequences, sound detection...everything a fan of historical mysteries could hope for."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 31, 2016
This is by far, beyond any doubt, the most outrageously stupid, ignorant, implausible piece of trash I've ever encountered. I read the whole thing out of curiosity and it never improved, hitting more extreme lows in its conclusion.
The author obviously has no knowledge whatsoever of diving, the seas, or boats, nor did he consult with anyone who does, nor did he allow anybody who does to review it and comment on it. Even a 7th grader who watched Shark Week on Discovery Channel would have more credibility than this guy.
For instance, in the early part of the book he has somebody tangled in an anchor line as the anchor drops to 20 meters at night. The guy survives!! He's taken to a dive boat that not only doesn't immediately put him on oxygen, but doesn't even carry oxygen! And is taken to a decompression chamber as are the divers who went no deeper and only briefly!! As are divers who've been at that depth briefly! 20 meters is not deep for scuba and certainly does not require decompression. While in the real world none would need decompression and it's highly unlike the victim could survive the length of time it would take to fall that far, be reached by divers who just happened to be in the area, be cut out of entangling ropes, and brought to the surface - and I'm a qualified Rescue Diver with hundreds of dives. A small book could be written on how badly the author is absurd, not only with diving, but with ships.
Even allowing for the gross absurdity of the book, it was a tedious read through much of it where the author apparently took a map and filled many pages with descriptions of driving through the desert. The author seems to have gotten a list of weapons and proudly repeats detailed names of weapons, unsuccessfully trying to establish some credibility as a weapons expert. There is no redeeming feature of this horrible book, not plot, not suspense, and certainly not a hint of plausibility in any aspect whatsoever.
The author obviously has no knowledge whatsoever of diving, the seas, or boats, nor did he consult with anyone who does, nor did he allow anybody who does to review it and comment on it. Even a 7th grader who watched Shark Week on Discovery Channel would have more credibility than this guy.
For instance, in the early part of the book he has somebody tangled in an anchor line as the anchor drops to 20 meters at night. The guy survives!! He's taken to a dive boat that not only doesn't immediately put him on oxygen, but doesn't even carry oxygen! And is taken to a decompression chamber as are the divers who went no deeper and only briefly!! As are divers who've been at that depth briefly! 20 meters is not deep for scuba and certainly does not require decompression. While in the real world none would need decompression and it's highly unlike the victim could survive the length of time it would take to fall that far, be reached by divers who just happened to be in the area, be cut out of entangling ropes, and brought to the surface - and I'm a qualified Rescue Diver with hundreds of dives. A small book could be written on how badly the author is absurd, not only with diving, but with ships.
Even allowing for the gross absurdity of the book, it was a tedious read through much of it where the author apparently took a map and filled many pages with descriptions of driving through the desert. The author seems to have gotten a list of weapons and proudly repeats detailed names of weapons, unsuccessfully trying to establish some credibility as a weapons expert. There is no redeeming feature of this horrible book, not plot, not suspense, and certainly not a hint of plausibility in any aspect whatsoever.
November 2, 2015
Blind Reef by Peter Tonkin
4 out of 5 stars
People-trafficking in the heart of Sharm El Sheikh
Whilst night-time diving at Blind Reef, off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh, husband and wife Richard and Robin Mariner are on hand to rescue most of the crew and passengers of a boat that crashes and sinks on the reef. When one of the rescued, an African lad called Nahom, persuades Richard to look after what looks like a money belt, things begin to look decidedly fishy.
It would appear that the Mariners have become involved in people-trafficking, and that Nahom, originally suspected of being a trafficker, has a twin sister who is in the hands of traffickers.
At a time when people trafficking is at a shocking level and many lives are being lost at sea, this is a very topical novel. It has some beautiful descriptive work, including underwater at Blind Reef, and in the market at Sharm itself. The descriptive work is such that you can almost smell the herbs and spices. We are also treated to a potted history of the area, which for me, was fascinating.
Recommended.
Smeagol
Breakaway Reviewers received an advanced copy of the book to review
4 out of 5 stars
People-trafficking in the heart of Sharm El Sheikh
Whilst night-time diving at Blind Reef, off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh, husband and wife Richard and Robin Mariner are on hand to rescue most of the crew and passengers of a boat that crashes and sinks on the reef. When one of the rescued, an African lad called Nahom, persuades Richard to look after what looks like a money belt, things begin to look decidedly fishy.
It would appear that the Mariners have become involved in people-trafficking, and that Nahom, originally suspected of being a trafficker, has a twin sister who is in the hands of traffickers.
At a time when people trafficking is at a shocking level and many lives are being lost at sea, this is a very topical novel. It has some beautiful descriptive work, including underwater at Blind Reef, and in the market at Sharm itself. The descriptive work is such that you can almost smell the herbs and spices. We are also treated to a potted history of the area, which for me, was fascinating.
Recommended.
Smeagol
Breakaway Reviewers received an advanced copy of the book to review
July 23, 2015
A real 'boy's own' adventure complete with dashing heroes, beautiful heroines, evil villains, a vast array of weaponry and a whole boatload of clichés which add up to a very fine, extremely current adventure under the burning Egyptian sun.
March 30, 2016
Fast-paced, action-filled, with lots of timely topics that are raised. References to past topics makes me want to read other selections by this author.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews