Review: Whiskey Gulf by Dr. Clyde W. Ford

Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Vanguard Press; First American Edition edition (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593155220
• ISBN-13: 978-1593155223

From the inside cover: After a sailboat drifts into a "live fire" naval exercise area known as Whiskey Gulf, it's never heard from again. Maritime private investigator Charlie Noble is asked to discover what happened to the couple aboard. But he's stonewalled by the American and Canadian military. Then he learns that a Middle Eastern agent has been dispatched to find the couple as well-an agent with an old score to settle from his days as a Coast Guard intelligence officer.

Ultimately, Noble and his partner, Native American salvage diver Raven, head north along the Inside Passage where a hidden cove harbors answers about what really happened in Whiskey Gulf. But in order to return with the truth they must first survive a vicious attack and escape the clutches of a deadly whirlpool. Set in the stunning wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, Whiskey Gulf is a story about unlocking secrets from the past that some people would rather keep concealed.

Before I read this book, I had read a review by another blogger who didn't care for the book at all and gave it a 2 star rating. Therefore, I had some reservations about reading this book but my husband had already read it and he thought it was a terrific book. When I started reading, I was drawn in right away by the mystery aspect of the book. Why weren't the two governments making any statements and what could possibly have happened to the couple aboard the sailboat? These questions really kept me interested in the plot.

Now we come to the matter of dialogue- this is where the reviewing blogger had some quibbles and I agree with her. The dialogue between Charlie and his girlfriend, Kate did seem a tad stilted but the dialogue between Charlie and Raven was okay. At the risk of sounding sexist, I think Ford is better at man-to-man dialogue. His man-to-woman banter leaves a lot to be desired.

The many details about the different boats in the story occasionally tended to make my eyes glaze over but it still did not detract from the fine paced plot. My hubby, being an ex-navy man, could not get enough details about the boats. He reached reading nirvana! So again, at the risk of sounding sexist, there are many aspects of this book that I think will appeal more to males.

One aspect of the book that I really appreciated was the descriptions of the landscape. Obviously, the author knows every detail of that area. Another interesting part of the book is the map at the beginning. For someone like myself who has no familiarity with the northwest area, the map was a tremendous help.

All in all, I would rate the book 3 stars as I did enjoy the plot even though I could put it down easily. If you asked my husband, he would rate it 5 stars. He couldn't put it down until it was over. As with any book, it's all a matter of taste. Would I still recommend it? Yes, I would.