Riptide Mass Market Paperback – July 1, 1999

Admittedly I am a Preston and Child fan, mostly Lincoln Child, but that's another review. I have read most of Preston and Child books, and considering their other highly sci-fi thrillers, such as relic and reliquary, I can't even begin to understand why they would climax this book the way they did. Yes, this is a fast and easy read, with good characters, excellent setting, and even a good constructed plot, I was sorely disappointed with the boring, ho-hum, ending. There was no intense mystery or imagination given to this end. Maybe because, I am a writer, I could forsee the ending of this book as having an incredible unearthly conclusion. Apparently, I was under the delusion, of their other highly fantasized books, which I enjoyed immensely. I bought the book. Probably will read it again sometime, but I was definitely disappointed with the ending. It could have been so much more satisfying.

This is the type of book that was made for summer!!! The dreaded infamous Water-Pit which is pretty much taken right from the classic Water-Trap that we all remember either from the nostalgic In Search Of episode or that dreadful "reality" show that my wife watches is front and center the star of this novel. Along with the pirate Red Ned Ockham. The book begins with a brief history lesson on the Water-Trap, and then flashes forward to the hero of the book as a young boy playing with his brother on Ragged Island dreaming summertime dreams that all boys have about finding pirate gold, and what to do with the mountains of gold that is sure to be found if only they can discover the right tunnel. Accidents happen and that brings us to the present where our hero, Malin Hatch swears never to step on Ragged Island again until approached by the shadowy figures that inhabit all of these books. They come with smiles, high technology, and promising the riches that would make any man or woman think twice. The novel centers around the coastline of Maine, and is filled with rich, interesting characters. The history I learned along the way about the pit, the pirates involved and a few other characters lost to history was intriguing, and really kept me involved with the book. The quest for the treasure of Red Ned will you keep you on the edge of your beach, or patio chair. The final act seems just a bit rushed but that might be typical of Preston, and Child's work, I can't say for sure. In my opinion I wish that they would have slowed down the action just a bit to savor the climax a bit more, but that's incidental and doesn't detract from what I felt was a quick, fun read. The quest for riches could prove to be Malin's undoing.

"Riptide" is a standalone adventure novel by Doug Preston and Lincoln Childs, authors of the hugely successful "Agent Pendergast" series. As a long-time fan of Agent Pendergast and other Doug Preston novels such as "Blasphemy" and "Impact", I took a shot and downloaded Riptide for my Kindle when I was trolling for books this week. It was an excellent idea.Riptide is a modern treasure hunt, literally. Mal Hatch and his older 12 year old brother Johnny set sail one day while their parent are away for a nearby island off the coast of Maine, owned by the family, that is reputed to hold a fantastic pirate treasure. Only Mal makes it back. Flash forward 25 years and the adventure begins. Preston and Child's fourth novel, published in 1999, after "Relic" and "Reliquary" but before Aloysius Pendergast became the star of his own series, has every bit of the tight plotting, fast and addictive pacing, and scientific accuracy that characterizes the succeeding decade of Pendergast titles. The main characters are nicely drawn, and the hero is charismatic enough to maintain one's interest during the plot-driven narrative. "Riptide" clearly foreshadows how successful and fun P&C's collaborative efforts were going to be over the next 10+ years, and it is a great download, well worth the $7.00 price.HIghly recommended.JMT

Basic plot deals with the attempt to recover an enormous pirate treasure left buried under a New England island.About a dozen major attempts at its recovery have been made in the centuries it has been there. All have faileddue to the clever design of a warren of tunnels & booby traps that were part of its construction. This is the storyof an attempt using 21st century technology coupled with an almost limitless budget. Tons of gold & silver, alongwith sacks of jewels aren't the only wealth hidden there. The fabled Sword of Saint Michael is also part of thishorde. It's history shows that it is cursed and that all who have had contact with it over its centuries longhistory have perished. As the diggers get closer to it, they too begin to experience strange health problems andother inexplicable misfortunes.Of course, character development, personal quirks, and both good and evil sides of human nature affects the totalpresentation as the story unfolds. Human greed, naturally, but obsession with success begins to build too as thegoal begins to look near & attainable.Writing style is very easy. 'Fast read' without complex sentence structure AND good story development makes thisa 'page turner' in the best sense of the word. Should be a movie. Riptide

This is the book that got me interested in the authors Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. I read this a long time ago and decided to read it again. It was just as good the second time. I think I have read most every book by these authors. They are fantastic. I recommend this book and any other by these great writers.

First novel by these two authors. I liked the pace and development of the storyline. Will be reading more by both Preston & Child and their individual novels. This treasure hunting story in particular felt similar to the Curse of Oak Island. Since I watch the show, I was familiar with terminology and techniques the characters used in the book which was pretty neat. Overall, enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend.