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Richard Mariner #1
The Coffin Ship
The reluctant captain of "Prometheus," a supertanker carrying a full load of crude oil, Richard Mariner is unaware that his vessel is the target of an insurance scam that could cost him his life. Reprint.
305 pages, Paperback
First published June 22, 1990
35 people are currently reading
125 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."
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 12, 2019
Charm Is Not The Merchant Marine Ship's Bailiwick
Rich girls don't run around on filthy tankers, not without good reason. The officers are gentlemen barely because of their clean uniforms, but strip them of those and in some cases it is hard to tell the difference between them and the seamen. Greed infects them all.
Rich girls don't run around on filthy tankers, not without good reason. The officers are gentlemen barely because of their clean uniforms, but strip them of those and in some cases it is hard to tell the difference between them and the seamen. Greed infects them all.
January 5, 2013
Tedious and predictable, I found it very hard to engage with the main characters. I could not wait for the end.
January 29, 2021
Realistic story great characters kept me on edge about outcome will find time to read more from this author
June 3, 2020
Supertanker Prometheus anchors in the Persian Gulf, holding 250,000 tons of crude oil. Onboard a crew member determined to stop the ship from reaching its destination in Europe. The ship travels through the Indian Ocean, around South Africa, through the Atlantic, and into the English Channel. Captain Richard Mariner must battle sabotage to get his ship safely to port.
Having been in the Navy, I wanted to renew my memory. It worked.
Rated: R - Curse Words, Sexual Discussion,
Having been in the Navy, I wanted to renew my memory. It worked.
Rated: R - Curse Words, Sexual Discussion,
September 7, 2019
A supertanker of excitement and intrigue
An exciting ride from the oil terminal to Europoort with an almost invisible antagonist. The technical description of the tanker kept simple enough without detracting from the story.
An exciting ride from the oil terminal to Europoort with an almost invisible antagonist. The technical description of the tanker kept simple enough without detracting from the story.
August 12, 2019
Exciting Story
This is an interesting, exciting, thriller. There is so much action, and plot twists, I couldn't put it down. It would make a great movie.
This is an interesting, exciting, thriller. There is so much action, and plot twists, I couldn't put it down. It would make a great movie.
March 15, 2023
Great story, many twists!
March 21, 2024
Good idea. Not much character development beyond two or three characters. Story was suspenseful, Ended a little abruptly. Overall, not a fulfilling literary experience.
Read
September 1, 2024DNF - this book did not grab me.
July 31, 2011
The Coffin Ship by Peter Tonkin starts the Richard Mariner high-seas thriller series. A rollicking adventure that never lets up - plan to stay up late to finish!
Oxford English Dictionary definition of a coffin ship: A ship sent to sea in an unseaworthy condition, destined to sink before the end of its voyage as part of an insurance fraud. (first used 1833)
Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Prometheus is the largest supertanker in the seas, laden with oil and set to begin a voyage through the Gulf, south through the Indian Ocean, around the southernmost tip of Africa, north through the Atlantic, to the English Channel. Greedy and unscrupulous supertanker owner Kostas Demetrios, and several crew members in his pay, know the ship will never make it. The first "accident" (effect of sabotage) occurs before the ship departs, and kills several crew members. Demetrios is forced to hire additional crew members. Crewfinders, a business founded by Richard Mariner, supplies qualified crew members to ship owners at short notice. Richard can fill all but captain for Prometheus from his contacts, and he agrees to captain the Prometheus himself. Fully qualified as a captain, he had retired from seafaring after an onboard explosion that killed his wife.
The owner of the cargo arrives to challenge Richard and insist upon becoming 3rd mate. While qualified for the position, the new third mate opens up painful memories from Richard's past.
Once underway, the voyage constantly faces challenges, from additional sabotage efforts to violent weather hazards. Tremendous bravery and teamwork is required for survival. And always present is the question of what dangers are still set in place to destroy the voyage.
Action scenes predominate the story. This would be an exciting movie. I look forward to many more thrilling escapes - reading Richard Mariner's exploits.
Oxford English Dictionary definition of a coffin ship: A ship sent to sea in an unseaworthy condition, destined to sink before the end of its voyage as part of an insurance fraud. (first used 1833)
Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Prometheus is the largest supertanker in the seas, laden with oil and set to begin a voyage through the Gulf, south through the Indian Ocean, around the southernmost tip of Africa, north through the Atlantic, to the English Channel. Greedy and unscrupulous supertanker owner Kostas Demetrios, and several crew members in his pay, know the ship will never make it. The first "accident" (effect of sabotage) occurs before the ship departs, and kills several crew members. Demetrios is forced to hire additional crew members. Crewfinders, a business founded by Richard Mariner, supplies qualified crew members to ship owners at short notice. Richard can fill all but captain for Prometheus from his contacts, and he agrees to captain the Prometheus himself. Fully qualified as a captain, he had retired from seafaring after an onboard explosion that killed his wife.
The owner of the cargo arrives to challenge Richard and insist upon becoming 3rd mate. While qualified for the position, the new third mate opens up painful memories from Richard's past.
Once underway, the voyage constantly faces challenges, from additional sabotage efforts to violent weather hazards. Tremendous bravery and teamwork is required for survival. And always present is the question of what dangers are still set in place to destroy the voyage.
Action scenes predominate the story. This would be an exciting movie. I look forward to many more thrilling escapes - reading Richard Mariner's exploits.
December 11, 2014
I wanted to enjoy this book, really. I held out as long as I could, knowing--hoping that any moment this could turn around and be a terrific read.
With 4 chapters to go I pressed through believing I would be rewarded...with two chapters remaining I stopped reading. Call it a personal protest in the face of disappointment. I have no desire to know what happened in the last 2 chapters.
This is the first time I've ever not finished a book after getting past the first 5 chapters. Horrible.
With 4 chapters to go I pressed through believing I would be rewarded...with two chapters remaining I stopped reading. Call it a personal protest in the face of disappointment. I have no desire to know what happened in the last 2 chapters.
This is the first time I've ever not finished a book after getting past the first 5 chapters. Horrible.
January 19, 2015
I honestly didn't finish it. It's so rare that I simply can't, but this one I put down halfway through. I had the misfortune of checking out the audiobook from the local library, the narrator's hero was apparently William Shatner. A dull and hard to follow adventure, even made worse by horrible narration.
October 31, 2013
a great maritime wh0-done-it. it was a little technical in spots, but not enough to slow the story. i loved it. a good read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews