White Sands - Hardcover

Gandolfi, Simon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060187204 ISBN 13: 9780060187200

Publisher: Harpercollins, 1995

Synopsis

Former British secret agent Trent comes to the rescue of a young boy in the Bahamas, where the crash of a cocaine smuggler's plane sparks a war between an international drug cartel and the law, and makes the youngster a target for hired killers

About this title

Reviews

This "perceptive and sophisticated" first novel follows a day in the life of an 88-year-old California woman beset by memories and visions.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Cold-blooded Colombian cocaine smugglers, scheming American yuppie slime, a befuddled Bahamian adolescent, and a feisty feminist schoolteacher make work for Patrick Trent, a retired MI5 assassin who's now a full-time Bahamian boat bum. Gandolfi's US hardcover debut is actually the fourth in a series published in Britain about the brooding Trent, who would rather spend his days fishing on his ultimate bachelor pad catamaran, the Golden Girl. A bearded Travis Magee type with killer instincts (and deep guilt about the nasty things he used to do for Queen and country), Trent is persuaded by the tall, skeletal Chief Superintendent of the Royal Bahamian Constabulary, known on the islands by his nickname, Skelley, to offer unofficial assistance in finding the fiend who tortured and murdered an adolescent Bahamian boy. The trail leads to a botched cocaine deal that another boy may have witnessed, a pack of vicious drug smugglers, shady American DEA agents, and an angry but beautiful Bahamian schoolteacher, Charity Johnston, whose hate-at-first-sight relationship with Trent will blossom, as these things must, into a vigorously sexual love. While the formula's familiar, Gandolfi folds in an impressive knowledge of sailing lore, reef fauna, weaponry, and far-from- Margaritavilletypes lurking just outside the islands' carefully maintained tourist compounds. Gandolfi also uses Johnston as a mouthpiece for xenophobic, predominantly anti-American sentiments that, while they seem justified in light of the villainy Gandolfi reports, serve to slow his otherwise breezy, grimly naturalistic narrative. With far too many crooks in the batter, the plot pushes a quietly suffering Trent toward an unconvincing, James Bond-ish climax. A preachy but strongly wrought manhunt with sharply detailed mayhem and a vivid, lengthy catalogue of sweaty bad guys nasty enough to make tourists want to stay in their hotel rooms with the air conditioning turned way up. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gandolfi's first American hardcover release features Jacket Bride, a young Bahamian boy who comes between a group of drug smugglers and a million dollars in cocaine. While fishing one night, Jacket happens upon a crashed plane, a dead pilot, and 20 metal boxes that, unbeknown to him, contain a fortune in drugs. Soon after Jacket buries the boxes on the beach, the men hired to relieve the pilot of his cargo arrive and discover that their plot has been thwarted. What ensues is a three-way chase among Jacket, the smugglers, and Trent, a former British secret service agent trying to get to the boy before it's too late. An entertaining subplot involving the purchase of a brass bed as a birthday gift for Jacket's mother adds to the excitement. Well-developed characters, an appealing setting, and fast-paced action make his book a worthwhile purchase. Recommended for popular fiction collections.?Melissa Kuzma, NYPL
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When two bodies are discovered on a lonely stretch of a Bahamas beach, one person obviously murdered and the other a victim of a private plane crash, Bahamian police chief Skelley faces one of the most unusual cases of his career. Skelley calls on an old friend for assistance, a retired British special agent named Trent, and the duo slowly unravel the mystery of these two deaths while outwitting callous drug smugglers and racing against the clock to save the life of a young local boy who is unwittingly involved. Trent and Skelley encounter international intrigue, drug smuggling, greed, evil, and stunning brutality before the final surprise showdown with the killers. Containing great characterizations, an imaginative plot, and a fast pace, this thriller will be popular with suspense fans. Kathleen Hughes

Edition details

• Publisher: Harpercollins
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060187204
• ISBN 13: 9780060187200
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272