BLOOD FOR SAIL

In this thriller, a pastor hoping to enjoy his retirement years instead walks into hell on Earth.

Pastor James Atterley decides to follow St. Paul’s lead and minister to seafarers. His plan is to apply to become a Protestant chaplain on a cruise line, and then he and his wife, Candace, will head to sea (“My wife and I believed that we might be of some small, divine use on the oceans, and that we might also be able to see the world beyond Glenville, South Carolina, our home”). As the months pass, their hopes fade. Then the call comes from Majestic Waves Cruises, and they jump at the offer despite his misgivings about some strange restrictions. His doubts grow after their ship, the Grand Rapina, launches. James pieces together that the ship is picking up Latin America’s poor, who are exchanging their blood in hopes of a better life in the United States. But instead, the ship’s physician, Dr. Jenny Elihu, is developing a vaccine from their blood that will keep the poor from reproducing in the participating countries. Many of these lab rats don’t even survive the extraction process. Throughout the ordeal, James continues ministering to those who remain. He and Candace even foster his young translator, Emmie. Things go from bad to worse on the Grand Rapina as the workers mutiny against the officers; pirates attack; and, finally, the refugees rise up against their captors. James and Candace get embroiled in the chaos, hoping to somehow escape from captivity on their dream cruise. Miles has created a very sympathetic protagonist in James. Despite his misgivings, the pastor continues with the cruise in hopes of giving Candace the memorable adventure that they had fantasized about throughout his years of service. Then, after determining that they are trapped in a nightmare, he continues to assist his fellow prisoners in an attempt to improve their miserable lives. Candace even gets to enjoy becoming a mother, which she had always dreamed about, if only under the worst of circumstances. The author has populated her book with an extremely vile group of villains involved in this hideous experiment. Miles’ deliberately paced, gripping narrative enables readers to really encounter this gruesome voyage of the damned.

A textured, riveting portrait of a good man caught in a horrifying situation.