Title: Stranded
Author: Don & Stephanie Prichard
Pages: 401
Year: 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Jake Chalmers and his wife, Ginny, have boarded a cruise
ship on their second honeymoon. The year
is 1981 and they are sailing for the Philippines. It is a very small ship with only a skeleton
crew, which strikes one passenger as odd.
Jake’s wife has recently been diagnosed with cancer and has only six
months to live, so he has planned out many of her favorite things to do to show
his love to her. Ginny is a people
person and soon has taken a great-aunt, Betty, traveling with her 11-year-old
niece, Crystal, under her wing.
Eve Eriksson is a federal prosecutor with a big case coming
up against Danny Romero, a criminal who deals in the sex trade among other
things. Eve needs proof to use against
Danny and she thinks she will find it on this ship that she believes has been
used to transfer women illegally to be sold into sexual slavery. She believes the captain to be involved as he
is the half-brother of Danny Romero, but she must get proof. This is a big case for her with a lot riding
on it. She is on the ship undercover as
Eva Gray. She gets the proof she needs,
but before the ship lands in Manila the order to abandon ship is given. What happens next is a gritty and harrowing
tale of survival.
With such vivid descriptions, I feel like I need a drink of
water in the shade! I was on the
deserted island with our four main characters, trying to avoid insects, snakes,
crocodiles and tarantulas. I could feel
the heat, smell the sweat and hear the waves of the ocean against the
shore. What one saw as God’s provision
another saw as a negative and held it against God. The growth in the characters as they are away
from civilization was such a delight to read.
What they discovered about themselves as it came to light was a
revelation to them as well as to readers and created tension, drama and love. This is a story that will keep you on the
edge of your seat, flipping pages rapidly to find out what happens next in this
thrilling tale! I look forward to
reading Forgotten, a sequel to this
story. I can’t wait to see what happens
next! Great job to this pair of authors
on an outstanding story!