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A KEVIN R. TIPPLE BOOK REVIEW: Triangle by Sue Swift
Triangle by Sue Swift Five Star 2006 Hardback 239 Pages
At the behest of the board of directors, Marilen Case has arranged a cruise aboard the yacht Swashbuckler. The purpose is for a number of family members who own the company "Genesplice" to bond together through team building exercises and stop all the feuding. After all, it is hard to run a company when everyone is feuding and the direction of the company is being questioned by a number of family members. Led by the Chief Operating Officer Blair Armstrong the chances of any end to the family and personal squabbling appear dim at best.
That is before they sail out into the Bermuda Triangle their navigation equipment fails and the yacht as well as passengers and crew are hammered by a rogue wave. At least Marilen and Captain Freeman have something to talk about besides their own budding romance and sexual escapades. And then as always happens, the chief --you know what--- gets it and one is left with a boat full of suspects hiding all sorts of secrets.
That is, when the characters aren't hopping from one bed to another. While none of it is overly graphic one quickly gets tired of the various sexual goings on and whether characters are straight, gay, or bisexual. If they aren't actually doing it, they are talking about as sexual innuendos come fast and furious at every possible time regardless of situation or circumstances.
All their mouths should be washed out with soap.
There is a tacky daytime TV feel to the work and that extends to the relationships of the characters. Much like a television show where there is that dreaded pause leading into commercial after the "news" that cousin so and so is actually some other character's mother, daughter, great aunt, whatever, the same is true here. Virtually every twist in the novel is the "shocking" revelation that this character or that one is a blood relation. Or hiding some deep dark secret of something horrible that happened long ago.
The only thing that isn't revealed easily is the killer. The reader has to stagger through more than 200 pages before it becomes clear as to who did the dastardly deed(s) and the motivations. By then, in the book that the reader is supposed to take seriously and would function so much better as a parody, one ceases to care and just wants the cruise from hell to be over.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2007 |