Fire and Ice

This was a really good book and a true adventure story! It was hard to put it down. I didn't find it too technical as some of the previous reviewers mentioned. The only bad thing I could say about this book was that it was so suspenseful and the suspense went on and on for so long, that I got tired of being stressed out about it. It was like the author didn't know when to end the book, but just kept having bad things happen to the family. But overall, it was a great story and I recommend it!

As an avid sailor, I appreciate the accuracy of Garrison's portrayal. However, it certainly appears to me that this book is all but a sequel to Justin Scott's excellent sailing suspense novel The Shipkiller. Same boat (Swan 38), same characters (white Dr. inventor, black Doctor wife) whose background matches those of the characters from The Shipkiller. I think The Shipkiller is one of the best novels I've ever read. Fire and Ice is an excellent follow on. I am just surprised that there is no credit or mention of Shipkiller given. (Since writing this review 8 years ago I have found out that Paul Garrison is a pseudonym. Paul Garrison IS Justin Scott. Thus the excellence of this sequel!)

I LOVED Paul Garrison's "Fire and Ice" as the author swept me away to Asia and the ocean and adventures that seemed so gritty and so real that I was desperate to keep turning pages until the end. It's wonderful to find an author who sounds authoritative about such a remote, adventurous background and his take on the steamy, grimy industrialization of China was amazingly real for me. I found the technical "stuff" never got in the way and added to the verisimilitude of the racing storyline. I'm a "bookaholic" who's read thousands of suspense thrillers of all types and this one is one of the BEST I've ever read.

This story is made for the movies. If Disney doesn't get Harrison Ford for the male lead they're missing the boat. (No pun intended.) I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Read it at one setting, finally putting it down at two in the morning. The next book (previewed at the end) sounds equally good.

For the past decade, Drs. Michael and Sarah Stone, accompanied by their eleven year old daughter, have blissfully sailed the Pacific Ocean. Michael and Sarah enjoy sailing and provide medical assistance to anyone in need. Everything radically changes when Michael is dropped ashore to assist an ailing native while Sarah answers a medical emergency on a nearby ship. To Michael's shock, the gigantic ship sails off into the sunset. His family's boat, with his spouse and child aboard, has been captured by the giant ship's humongous crane. A desperate Michael is stranded on the isolated atoll until he repairs a canoe and paddles to a nearby island. Michael has reasons to avoid the U.S. embassy. Instead, he enlists the help of the underground in an effort to rescue his family from their abductors. FIRE AND ICE is a tremendous thriller that will be enjoyed by fans of Rachel Carson and action packed, non-stopped battles between David and Goliath. The story line is swift and never slows down, while the characters all add to the genuine texture of this brilliant book. Paul Garrison has given readers a novel that will be recognized as one of the top ten thrillers of the year.