BODIES OF WATER

by J.S. Borthwick ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 19, 1990

Another chapter in the life and times of Maine college teacher Sarah Deane and her live-in lover, Dr. Alex McKenzie (Case of the Hook. Billed Kites, etc.). Here, they're guests aboard the brand-new, super-luxurious sailing yacht Pilgrim, owned by rich, Florida-based realtor David Mallory, who also heads a ministry called Church of the Apostles. Mallory plans to use his new toy to deliver church materials to some small congregations along the Maine coast. Sarah's brother Tony, something of a drifter, is one of the crew. Also aboard are Mallory's prissy secretary, Grace Mullen; her twitchy half-brother Billy; gorgeous blond chef Andrea Elder; and Mallory's straight-out-of-Noel-Coward society-friends Elaine and Flip Chandler. There's much talk of drug traffic along the coast, and Mallory's been deputized by the Florida police to keep an eye out for shady-seeming vessels. Meanwhile, Sarah's plagued by the feeling that there's something shady about the Pilgrim, behind the smooth facade. She's proved right when Billy is found ashore, apparently drowned--possibly murdered--an event leading to a series of improbable happenings and the eventual revelation of an imaginative if unlikely seam. Action is slowed to a crawl by an overload of sailing lore and too many dull conversations aspiring to achieve intellectual sparkle. They don't--and neither does Sarah, who appears nervous, intrusive, and indiscreet in an outing that will appeal mostly to sailing buffs.

Pub Date: July 19, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1990

Categories: FICTION