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Goliath: A Thriller
In the Bering Sea, Bennkah, the largest oil tanker ever built, newly commissioned in Vladivostock, Russia, is on a secret mission. On this maiden voyage, Captain Borodin is at the helm. He is the only one aboard aware of the mission.
Soon an engineer discovers a defect—seemingly minor, but one with disastrous potential. Despite his attempts to correct the problem, a fire erupts, contained at first, then rapidly spreads out of control, consuming the behemoth ship.
A Mayday call alerts Sonny Wade some two hundred miles from the burning ship. This could be the lifeline that Sonny and his rag-tag crew need to save their failing salvage business. But Dan Sharp, Sonny’s nemesis and former employer—the owner of the largest salvage business in northern Alaska—also hears the call. A brutal race is on to claim the burning ship before it sinks or runs aground, contaminating the entire north Pacific Rim—and not only with oil.
Soon an engineer discovers a defect—seemingly minor, but one with disastrous potential. Despite his attempts to correct the problem, a fire erupts, contained at first, then rapidly spreads out of control, consuming the behemoth ship.
A Mayday call alerts Sonny Wade some two hundred miles from the burning ship. This could be the lifeline that Sonny and his rag-tag crew need to save their failing salvage business. But Dan Sharp, Sonny’s nemesis and former employer—the owner of the largest salvage business in northern Alaska—also hears the call. A brutal race is on to claim the burning ship before it sinks or runs aground, contaminating the entire north Pacific Rim—and not only with oil.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2016
3 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Shawn Corridan
4 books15 followersShawn Corridan was raised on Florida's east coast and attended the University of Hawaii on a football scholarship. He also possesses the dubious distinction of being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard...twice! On one of those occasions he was towed into the now notorious Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also known as GITMO. Shawn is also an award-winning screenwriter (Winner, FinalDraft Big Break Screenwriting Contest) and WGA member. He is a long-time resident of Honolulu, Hawaii and Merritt Island, FL.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 4, 2017
When I saw this story had some of my favorite elements- ships, the sea and icy cold weather, I just knew it had to be a good one. Although for some reason, I went into it thinking it also had a supernatural theme to it, and it didn't, but it was damn good without it. It's all about salvaging ships and the race between two competing salvage companies to see who can first lay claim to a massive oil supertanker that's going down in the Bering Sea.
The entire book was a page turner and complete thrill ride. It will have you rooting for the underdog along the way. The ending was also very satisfying. I would love to see this on the big screen; it would make a fantastic movie!
If you have a thing for stories set on the high seas, then you'll definitely want to add this to your to-read shelf!
*I received this ARC from NetGalley & Oceanview Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
The entire book was a page turner and complete thrill ride. It will have you rooting for the underdog along the way. The ending was also very satisfying. I would love to see this on the big screen; it would make a fantastic movie!
If you have a thing for stories set on the high seas, then you'll definitely want to add this to your to-read shelf!
*I received this ARC from NetGalley & Oceanview Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
March 2, 2017
An ecological thriller is not a genre I normally read, but I enjoy a good thriller in general and I liked the idea, besides many reviewers praised this book, so I became curious and decided to give it a try.
Bennkah is kinda Titanic of the 21th century. Only Bennkah is not a passenger ship, but the biggest oil tanker in the world (built in Russia). So, you can imagine the extent of natural disaster if something similar would happen to a full loaded Bennkah. An eco-thriller wouldn't be an eco-thriller if the author didn't consider this turn of events, and he gets right down to business: the fire breaks out and spreads out in seconds fast over the whole ship.
When a Mayday call comes, Sonny Wade, one of the best and probably the most experienced captain in a salvage business, but who is on the brink of financial collapse due to the bankruptcy of his small salvage company, sees it as the last chance to save his small business, his ship, his crew and his home.
He is though not the only one who dreams to be the first to get to Bennkah. His ex-employer and the owner of the largest salvage business in northern Alaska, of course with much better equipment and possibilities, wants to be the first who can claim the burning ship and its load too. A race against time begins.
Though it is not the only problem Sonny and his crew have to face...
In spite of Goliath was not a read in one sitting for me, I found the book entertaining enough to want to finish it. The characters were good developed and interesting, the setting was thrilling and the writing decent, and I can understand and comprehend the rating and many positive reviews.
But I couldn’t give it more than three stars (and I'm VERY generous with my rating here):
***Copy provided by Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
Bennkah is kinda Titanic of the 21th century. Only Bennkah is not a passenger ship, but the biggest oil tanker in the world (built in Russia). So, you can imagine the extent of natural disaster if something similar would happen to a full loaded Bennkah. An eco-thriller wouldn't be an eco-thriller if the author didn't consider this turn of events, and he gets right down to business: the fire breaks out and spreads out in seconds fast over the whole ship.
When a Mayday call comes, Sonny Wade, one of the best and probably the most experienced captain in a salvage business, but who is on the brink of financial collapse due to the bankruptcy of his small salvage company, sees it as the last chance to save his small business, his ship, his crew and his home.
He is though not the only one who dreams to be the first to get to Bennkah. His ex-employer and the owner of the largest salvage business in northern Alaska, of course with much better equipment and possibilities, wants to be the first who can claim the burning ship and its load too. A race against time begins.
Though it is not the only problem Sonny and his crew have to face...
In spite of Goliath was not a read in one sitting for me, I found the book entertaining enough to want to finish it. The characters were good developed and interesting, the setting was thrilling and the writing decent, and I can understand and comprehend the rating and many positive reviews.
But I couldn’t give it more than three stars (and I'm VERY generous with my rating here):
1. The story didn't exactly keep me awake at night.
2. There were many technical details considering salvaging. I’m not an expert in something like this, but still it is difficult to imagine a small crew of 6 people to be able to do all these extensive works, among others pumping the oil from the tanker, extinguishing the fire and many others.
3. There were some serious ISSUES that I COULDN’T ignore:"His name was Rupik and he was a Chechen from one of the Balkan states in the Ukraine.” (quote from the book)
I’d like kindly to advice all authors to make a better and more serious research if you plan to write a book where you - in what ever context - are going to mention a country or people from the country you don't have a personal relation to, or translate something from a language you don't speak (without asking a native speaker of people who speaks the language to prove its correctness).
There are many readers who are not necessary personally related to a country you write about, but who possess a good general knowledge, and a single ridiculous sentence can spoil the whole book, not to mention the fact that you make fools of yourselves.
Maybe for an oversee reader this kind of nonsense goes unnoticeable, but not for an average European reader, not to talk about the readers from one of the countries that had been mentioned in this sentence - some of them can consider it as a personal insult.
4. "BENNKAH - in Russian translates to Goliath".
I’d like to know what dictionary the author used.
=Gigant
=Goliaf
5. The whole book is written from the third person POV. But from time to time worms the first person POV into the story. It appears from nowhere and seems very illogical. Because it doesn’t match with the way it is told. If it is an attempt to show the intern thoughts of a character, then it would be better to do it in italic, and then all intern thoughts should be told from the first person POV and not just some random thoughts. It looks like an editing error.
***Copy provided by Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
February 22, 2018
Captain Nicholas Borodin and his crew embark upon their first voyage at the helm of the new, revolutionary and very massive oil tanker called the Bennkah, which means Goliath. The Russian tanker is a ship to end all ships, the largest one ever built. The Bennkah will hold so much oil that it’s predicted to influence the price of oil around the world. But early into its voyage on the Bering Sea a fire erupts onboard and Captain Borodin is forced to call for help.
Aboard his salvage boat, Captain Sonny Wade hears the Mayday and rallies his crew to head out and save what they can. Sonny is not the only one headed towards the ship. He has some stiff competition from his old boss, the very ambitious Dan Sharpe, who owns the largest and most successful salvage company around. Dan is also the one who fired Sonny after a disastrous incident that left his reputation and marriage in ruins. The race is on to see which salvage team can reach the Bennkah first, but both teams are heading into danger. For as the Bennkah begins to succumb to the fire, the tanker’s captain is the only person aware that there is much more at risk than the oil spilling into the sea.
The characters and storyline are a bit “cookie-cutter” here but if that sounds like a bad thing, it’s not! I like to read these kinds of adventure thrillers as fluff, meaning that I fly through them without a care in the world and I don’t have to think too much. That’s good right? I think so or I wouldn’t continue to read them. I am also rather fond of stories at sea. I can’t think of anything more horrifying than being out there with nowhere to go but down! Always a bit chilling! Kudos to the authors for what struck me as exceptional descriptions throughout the book. Clive Cussler and Lincoln & Child fans come to mind when recommending this book.
I want to thank the publisher (Oceanview Publishing) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
Aboard his salvage boat, Captain Sonny Wade hears the Mayday and rallies his crew to head out and save what they can. Sonny is not the only one headed towards the ship. He has some stiff competition from his old boss, the very ambitious Dan Sharpe, who owns the largest and most successful salvage company around. Dan is also the one who fired Sonny after a disastrous incident that left his reputation and marriage in ruins. The race is on to see which salvage team can reach the Bennkah first, but both teams are heading into danger. For as the Bennkah begins to succumb to the fire, the tanker’s captain is the only person aware that there is much more at risk than the oil spilling into the sea.
The characters and storyline are a bit “cookie-cutter” here but if that sounds like a bad thing, it’s not! I like to read these kinds of adventure thrillers as fluff, meaning that I fly through them without a care in the world and I don’t have to think too much. That’s good right? I think so or I wouldn’t continue to read them. I am also rather fond of stories at sea. I can’t think of anything more horrifying than being out there with nowhere to go but down! Always a bit chilling! Kudos to the authors for what struck me as exceptional descriptions throughout the book. Clive Cussler and Lincoln & Child fans come to mind when recommending this book.
I want to thank the publisher (Oceanview Publishing) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
October 17, 2017
BENNKAH - in Russian translates to Goliath
The BENNKAH is the largest ULCC - Ultra Large Crude Carrier - in the world. Out of Vladivostok, Russia, it is 1,600 feet long and weighs over 700,000 tons empty, which it isn't. It is full of crude oil, storming through the Bering Sea near the Aleutian Islands when the unimaginable happens and it's dead in the water.
Captain Sonny Wade runs Skeleton Salvage out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska and the company is on its last legs. Captain Wade and his small crew go up against a much bigger, more technologically advanced salvage company to try to reach the BENNKAH first and claim salvage rights on the carrier and its cargo.
I loved this story. It was a grand adventure, pitting the underdog against unimaginable odds for success.
The story did throw a lot of "stuff" at me - about the operation of not only the gigantic carrier but also about the maritime salvage business. I learned a lot and had fun doing it.
Characterization was great, especially for Captain Wade, and the backdrop of the cold northern seas was described well. I've been to Alaska in November, when this story is taking place, and the authors did a super job of capturing the cold, grey yet exhilarating experience and brought back a lot of memories to me.
I recommend this book highly to those that love adventure tales and also love the sea.
I received this book from Oceanview Publishing through Net Galley and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.
The BENNKAH is the largest ULCC - Ultra Large Crude Carrier - in the world. Out of Vladivostok, Russia, it is 1,600 feet long and weighs over 700,000 tons empty, which it isn't. It is full of crude oil, storming through the Bering Sea near the Aleutian Islands when the unimaginable happens and it's dead in the water.
Captain Sonny Wade runs Skeleton Salvage out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska and the company is on its last legs. Captain Wade and his small crew go up against a much bigger, more technologically advanced salvage company to try to reach the BENNKAH first and claim salvage rights on the carrier and its cargo.
I loved this story. It was a grand adventure, pitting the underdog against unimaginable odds for success.
The story did throw a lot of "stuff" at me - about the operation of not only the gigantic carrier but also about the maritime salvage business. I learned a lot and had fun doing it.
Characterization was great, especially for Captain Wade, and the backdrop of the cold northern seas was described well. I've been to Alaska in November, when this story is taking place, and the authors did a super job of capturing the cold, grey yet exhilarating experience and brought back a lot of memories to me.
I recommend this book highly to those that love adventure tales and also love the sea.
I received this book from Oceanview Publishing through Net Galley and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.
January 4, 2017
Surprised by this one. What a great read.
February 28, 2017
If your up for a fantastic Thiller this books for you! Fantastic read
November 8, 2016
A brilliant, tense novel.
A nail biting account of what actually happens during a salvage operation where extraordinary men have to battle tonnes of steel and unpredictable Mother Nature.
Goliath is a 700 00 tonne, newly commissioned Russian super tanker, the ‘Bennkah’, the largest tanker ever built, filled with crude oil. She runs aground somewhere north of the Aleutians and it is a race between rival salvage companies as to who will reach her first and get the prize.
Sonny Wade and his misfit crew have been through some hard times and what is waiting for them will test them to their limit.
The characters in the book are all larger than life and after reading the book I would love to meet them! The narrative had me on the edge of my seat and I experienced all the drama, calamities, experiences and even the heat deep inside the grounded tanker. I take my hat off to the real-life people who do salvage operations, salvage is not for the faint hearted.
There was just one thing that bothered me and that’s because I am a science teacher. There is no such thing as CO2, the correct chemical formula for the gas is CO2. That means that 2 oxygen atoms are bonded to one carbon atom to make this molecule.
Reading this book was like riding a roller coaster, the thrill was as intense. The authors really know their stuff!
Saphira
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
A nail biting account of what actually happens during a salvage operation where extraordinary men have to battle tonnes of steel and unpredictable Mother Nature.
Goliath is a 700 00 tonne, newly commissioned Russian super tanker, the ‘Bennkah’, the largest tanker ever built, filled with crude oil. She runs aground somewhere north of the Aleutians and it is a race between rival salvage companies as to who will reach her first and get the prize.
Sonny Wade and his misfit crew have been through some hard times and what is waiting for them will test them to their limit.
The characters in the book are all larger than life and after reading the book I would love to meet them! The narrative had me on the edge of my seat and I experienced all the drama, calamities, experiences and even the heat deep inside the grounded tanker. I take my hat off to the real-life people who do salvage operations, salvage is not for the faint hearted.
There was just one thing that bothered me and that’s because I am a science teacher. There is no such thing as CO2, the correct chemical formula for the gas is CO2. That means that 2 oxygen atoms are bonded to one carbon atom to make this molecule.
Reading this book was like riding a roller coaster, the thrill was as intense. The authors really know their stuff!
Saphira
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
January 28, 2017
I picked this up and hoped it was a 'creature feature' book, I started to read it and even though it didn't turn out that way I just couldn't put it down, it gripped me from the beginning to the very last page and even now, as I type this, I still get the same feelings I had when I read it.
The biggest oil tanker in the world is built in Russia, it's called Bennkah and it's on it's maiden voyage filled with oil, something goes wrong in the engine room and before you know it there are fires and explosions all over the ship, the tanker tips and is grounded. Sonny and his salvage crew race to the site to be the ones who can claim it as theirs while Sonnys nemesis Dans team races to get there before him.
All is not as it seems with the Bennkah though and it holds secrets as does Sonny.
What are they I hear you cry but that, my friends, is for me to know and YOU to find out. READ IT!!!
*Huge thanks to Shawn Corridan, Gary Waid, Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*
The biggest oil tanker in the world is built in Russia, it's called Bennkah and it's on it's maiden voyage filled with oil, something goes wrong in the engine room and before you know it there are fires and explosions all over the ship, the tanker tips and is grounded. Sonny and his salvage crew race to the site to be the ones who can claim it as theirs while Sonnys nemesis Dans team races to get there before him.
All is not as it seems with the Bennkah though and it holds secrets as does Sonny.
What are they I hear you cry but that, my friends, is for me to know and YOU to find out. READ IT!!!
*Huge thanks to Shawn Corridan, Gary Waid, Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*
May 31, 2017
I received this book from Goodreads.
For some odd reason I love reading about shipwrecks, which is probably why I out right refuse to be dragged on, dead or alive, any sort of flotation devise in water that's deeper than I am tall. Nothing is unsinkable.
If it floats, it'll sink.
Goliath was a disaster waiting to happen.
Leave it to the Russians to build the biggest, heaviest, high-tech nuclear icebreaker tanker ever to float on water. The Bennak is a modern engineering wonder. It's sheer size and tonnage is something never seen before and it's capability to carry billions in crude oil is unsurpassed. In addition to size, Bennak is in a league of it's own by ingenious engineering that makes even the roughest weather seems docile. Plus, the ship is so smart it literally steers itself.
If it seems too good to be true, that's because it is. Just like Titanic, Bennak is considered unsinkable.
If you ask me, using the word unsinkable on anything that floats is just taunting fate. The Russian crew on Bennak laid it on thick, and all died in a fiery inferno. Bennak was run aground near Alaska and a Mayday sent out on the wire. Everyone tuned into it.
The biggest ship was aground, filled to the brim with crude liquid gold- and free game.
First come, first serve.
This is where Skeleton and her crew come in. The Skeleton is a salvage ship owned and captained by down-on-his luck Sonny. One could say that Sonny was the cause for his own financial down fall because he refuses to confiscate fishing boats he's saves from the bottom of the ocean because that would mean stealing a family's only source of income. Sonny's good will makes his team nearly murderous when they find out they're not getting paid-again. The loan shark comes circling and Skeleton and all it's equipment, including Sonny's truck and house, will be repossessed in three days.
Bennak is his last shot.
Sonny's got competition, though.
Dal Sharpe is the opposite of Sonny. He ruthless and doesn't care if someone's left homeless as long as he gets paid. He's sleazy, bossy, and owns one of the best salvage ship in Alaska. He heard the mayday, too.
He may be farther from Bennak than Sonny, but his boat is newer and faster.
Sonny may be at a disadvantage boat wise, but he knows this part of the ocean like no one else.
What neither Sonny nor Dal knows is that whoever claims that colossal ship also claims the active ticking time bomb in the belly of Goliath- and all the red-tape that come with it if it blows. The nuclear reactor needs water to cool the fuel rods, but Bennak's computer systems are all down and mud has clogged up the huge suction tube under the ship when it went aground. That thing's been sitting there just off the coast of Alaska. Getting hotter and hotter....
Goliath is full of delicious tension and loads of suspense. A great read for those entertained and drawn to drama on the high seas.
I know this is probably going to be it, just this novel and no other books written about Sonny and his crew, but I really would like to know what happens to them next. I'm completely invested in these characters and would love to read about them again.
For some odd reason I love reading about shipwrecks, which is probably why I out right refuse to be dragged on, dead or alive, any sort of flotation devise in water that's deeper than I am tall. Nothing is unsinkable.
If it floats, it'll sink.
Goliath was a disaster waiting to happen.
Leave it to the Russians to build the biggest, heaviest, high-tech nuclear icebreaker tanker ever to float on water. The Bennak is a modern engineering wonder. It's sheer size and tonnage is something never seen before and it's capability to carry billions in crude oil is unsurpassed. In addition to size, Bennak is in a league of it's own by ingenious engineering that makes even the roughest weather seems docile. Plus, the ship is so smart it literally steers itself.
If it seems too good to be true, that's because it is. Just like Titanic, Bennak is considered unsinkable.
If you ask me, using the word unsinkable on anything that floats is just taunting fate. The Russian crew on Bennak laid it on thick, and all died in a fiery inferno. Bennak was run aground near Alaska and a Mayday sent out on the wire. Everyone tuned into it.
The biggest ship was aground, filled to the brim with crude liquid gold- and free game.
First come, first serve.
This is where Skeleton and her crew come in. The Skeleton is a salvage ship owned and captained by down-on-his luck Sonny. One could say that Sonny was the cause for his own financial down fall because he refuses to confiscate fishing boats he's saves from the bottom of the ocean because that would mean stealing a family's only source of income. Sonny's good will makes his team nearly murderous when they find out they're not getting paid-again. The loan shark comes circling and Skeleton and all it's equipment, including Sonny's truck and house, will be repossessed in three days.
Bennak is his last shot.
Sonny's got competition, though.
Dal Sharpe is the opposite of Sonny. He ruthless and doesn't care if someone's left homeless as long as he gets paid. He's sleazy, bossy, and owns one of the best salvage ship in Alaska. He heard the mayday, too.
He may be farther from Bennak than Sonny, but his boat is newer and faster.
Sonny may be at a disadvantage boat wise, but he knows this part of the ocean like no one else.
What neither Sonny nor Dal knows is that whoever claims that colossal ship also claims the active ticking time bomb in the belly of Goliath- and all the red-tape that come with it if it blows. The nuclear reactor needs water to cool the fuel rods, but Bennak's computer systems are all down and mud has clogged up the huge suction tube under the ship when it went aground. That thing's been sitting there just off the coast of Alaska. Getting hotter and hotter....
Goliath is full of delicious tension and loads of suspense. A great read for those entertained and drawn to drama on the high seas.
I know this is probably going to be it, just this novel and no other books written about Sonny and his crew, but I really would like to know what happens to them next. I'm completely invested in these characters and would love to read about them again.
June 24, 2017
Review: GOLIATH
We all remember the Exxon Valdez and the Deepwater Horizons environmental disasters. How much more terrifying, if the world's largest super-tanker was deliberately sabotaged--purposely grounded, filled with crude oil, at loss of life and environmental disaster.
This is the premise of GOLIATH, a heart-in-mouth thriller, a novel which pits man against nature, and the underdog against wealth and against his own past failures.
We all remember the Exxon Valdez and the Deepwater Horizons environmental disasters. How much more terrifying, if the world's largest super-tanker was deliberately sabotaged--purposely grounded, filled with crude oil, at loss of life and environmental disaster.
This is the premise of GOLIATH, a heart-in-mouth thriller, a novel which pits man against nature, and the underdog against wealth and against his own past failures.
July 30, 2017
This book was way too technical about ship operations. The intricate details really detracted from the story.
Also, the opening chapters aboard the Russian ship were difficult to follow because the authors were being too circumspect about what was happening. In the end, they could have just said that a big ship ran aground, and there was a big fire, and everyone on board died.
The book never really got going until the members of the Skeleton were introduced.
Also, the opening chapters aboard the Russian ship were difficult to follow because the authors were being too circumspect about what was happening. In the end, they could have just said that a big ship ran aground, and there was a big fire, and everyone on board died.
The book never really got going until the members of the Skeleton were introduced.
February 28, 2017
Goliath was a excellent book, enjoyed reading it!
November 22, 2016
**This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review and Netgalley**
With Goliath, Corridan and Waid have woven a gripping novel in the style of M Crichton and the duo of D Preston and L Child. It is a story of man against man, of the deceptions we play against one another, and the wounds we inflict on one another. It is a story of man against that most implacable of adversaries- nature. Impersonal nature, in all its ferocious glory, that heeds not the tiny concerns of man.
Sonny Wade is a man down on his luck. Owner of Skeleton Salvage, Sonny and his crew have just raised a sunken trawler. When it comes time to collect payment, the trawler captain pleads for a deferment til spring. He offers two thousand dollars, all the money he has at the time. Sonny, against his better judgement, allows the trawler captain his deferment, and let's him keep the money, instead of taking the newly raised boat and selling it for scrap to collect payment.
Sonny’s decision is the final straw for his crew. They abandon him, quitting en masse. Skeleton Salvage 's death knell rang loud and clear. Following on the heels of the crew’s desertion, Sonny’s ships and home are repossessed. A lucky last-minute break comes in the form of an SOS from the Russian supertanker Bennkah.
Sonny manages to stave off repossession, and reassembled his crew. Despite the odds, Skeleton Salvage beats their competition to the great ship. What they find is a nightmare. The ship has run aground, and there is the very real prospect of crude oil spilling into the ocean. Even worse, the interior of the massive ship has been ravaged by fire. The dead litter the inside, bodies charred beyond recognition, or were found floating frozen in the sea. The Coast Guard has put out the inferno, though fires do still flare up. It's up to Sonny and his crew to secure the ship and unground her. However, a deadly storm looms on the horizon, and there's more to Bennkah than meets the eye.
This was an enjoyable, fast-paced read. It engages the attention from the start and doesn't let go. The authors did a great job of doling out tidbits of Sonny's life. I spent most of the book realllyy wanting to know what happened in his past. (You don't find out til close to the end). My only qualm were the places where we jump perspective several times in a row, sometimes paragraph to paragraph.
With Goliath, Corridan and Waid have woven a gripping novel in the style of M Crichton and the duo of D Preston and L Child. It is a story of man against man, of the deceptions we play against one another, and the wounds we inflict on one another. It is a story of man against that most implacable of adversaries- nature. Impersonal nature, in all its ferocious glory, that heeds not the tiny concerns of man.
Sonny Wade is a man down on his luck. Owner of Skeleton Salvage, Sonny and his crew have just raised a sunken trawler. When it comes time to collect payment, the trawler captain pleads for a deferment til spring. He offers two thousand dollars, all the money he has at the time. Sonny, against his better judgement, allows the trawler captain his deferment, and let's him keep the money, instead of taking the newly raised boat and selling it for scrap to collect payment.
Sonny’s decision is the final straw for his crew. They abandon him, quitting en masse. Skeleton Salvage 's death knell rang loud and clear. Following on the heels of the crew’s desertion, Sonny’s ships and home are repossessed. A lucky last-minute break comes in the form of an SOS from the Russian supertanker Bennkah.
Sonny manages to stave off repossession, and reassembled his crew. Despite the odds, Skeleton Salvage beats their competition to the great ship. What they find is a nightmare. The ship has run aground, and there is the very real prospect of crude oil spilling into the ocean. Even worse, the interior of the massive ship has been ravaged by fire. The dead litter the inside, bodies charred beyond recognition, or were found floating frozen in the sea. The Coast Guard has put out the inferno, though fires do still flare up. It's up to Sonny and his crew to secure the ship and unground her. However, a deadly storm looms on the horizon, and there's more to Bennkah than meets the eye.
This was an enjoyable, fast-paced read. It engages the attention from the start and doesn't let go. The authors did a great job of doling out tidbits of Sonny's life. I spent most of the book realllyy wanting to know what happened in his past. (You don't find out til close to the end). My only qualm were the places where we jump perspective several times in a row, sometimes paragraph to paragraph.
December 8, 2016
5 Stars
Oh wow. I know very little about supertankers or their operation, so setting aside the technical stuff, I can say that I really liked this book.
The owner of a struggling salvage operation in the Bering Sea races to the site of the largest supertanker ever that has run aground with the loss of all life. A vindictive, hateful rival is also on the way there.
This sets the scene for an exciting, fast paced thriller that has you on the edge of your seat. Well written and without typos, this book is a winner!
Thank you to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read this great book!
Oh wow. I know very little about supertankers or their operation, so setting aside the technical stuff, I can say that I really liked this book.
The owner of a struggling salvage operation in the Bering Sea races to the site of the largest supertanker ever that has run aground with the loss of all life. A vindictive, hateful rival is also on the way there.
This sets the scene for an exciting, fast paced thriller that has you on the edge of your seat. Well written and without typos, this book is a winner!
Thank you to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read this great book!
November 5, 2016
This is an outstanding action story, with many subplots to tantalize the reader and keep the interest level high. The descriptions are so vivid that the story shows like a movie in your head. The ragtag crews of Skeleton and Bones are deep, damaged and interesting. The story is heart-pounding, the writing is fabulous, and the characters are unique. This is definitely a keeper for rereading.
October 8, 2018
Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Goliath. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.
Moments away from bankruptcy, salvage operator Captain Sonny Wade hears the distress call of the Russian supertanker Bennkah, which suffered a catastrophic malfunction made worse by a belly full of crude oil. Will Sonny be able to get there before his main competition, Sharpe-Shooter? When seconds count between claiming the biggest salvage of his life or losing out to the man who wants to destroy his business, will his crew be able to pull it together? With fire burning despite the Coast Guard's best efforts, will there be anything left to save?
Goliath is an action packed adventure on the high seas, but the plot and character development are severely lacking. All of the elements were there, but the passion and the drive behind the words was not. I could see Goliath as a blockbuster movie, as Sonny battles the elements and his nemesis, Dan Sharpe, but I am less sure of its success as a book. Overall, I found the premise to be interesting and I enjoyed the high stakes and dramatic suspense. Readers who like suspense with a quick pace may find Goliath to their liking.
Moments away from bankruptcy, salvage operator Captain Sonny Wade hears the distress call of the Russian supertanker Bennkah, which suffered a catastrophic malfunction made worse by a belly full of crude oil. Will Sonny be able to get there before his main competition, Sharpe-Shooter? When seconds count between claiming the biggest salvage of his life or losing out to the man who wants to destroy his business, will his crew be able to pull it together? With fire burning despite the Coast Guard's best efforts, will there be anything left to save?
Goliath is an action packed adventure on the high seas, but the plot and character development are severely lacking. All of the elements were there, but the passion and the drive behind the words was not. I could see Goliath as a blockbuster movie, as Sonny battles the elements and his nemesis, Dan Sharpe, but I am less sure of its success as a book. Overall, I found the premise to be interesting and I enjoyed the high stakes and dramatic suspense. Readers who like suspense with a quick pace may find Goliath to their liking.
May 12, 2017
Good fun adventure. The authors obviously know their stuff. I was worried my lack of knowledge of high seas ship salvaging would be a detriment to my enjoyment, but, aside from occasionally tripping up on terminology, it was fine.
Excellent plot twist toward the end. The writing was smooth and handled well. The characters were fun, if a little thin and cliched. All the right people fall in love or reconcile with each other.
I needed a page-turner and I got one.
Excellent plot twist toward the end. The writing was smooth and handled well. The characters were fun, if a little thin and cliched. All the right people fall in love or reconcile with each other.
I needed a page-turner and I got one.
August 23, 2017
Above average thriller, with realistic settings and action, mostly sympathetic characters, and an intriguing plot. Would be fun to have a glossary of nautical and boating terms. There were a few weak moments in the plot that resorted to cliche, but overall very engaging. The plot was perhaps overly complicated with the subplot of . And the "everyone is happy ever after" ending was a bit to neat.
July 9, 2018
Really enjoyed the story. Interesting characters as one would expect working on a salvage ship in the Aleutians. I took one star off as I thought the book wrapped the story up a little too neatly and too quickly. Loved the detailed descriptions of the ships, locations and the science behind what was going on. Overall, a really good read.
December 16, 2022
The unique setting and premise was a big contributor in me giving this book a four-star rating: a rescue boat is competing to salvage the world's largest oil tanker which has been rendered dead in the water due to explosions on-board.
Decent writing and some nail-biting scenes kept me engaged throughout.
Decent writing and some nail-biting scenes kept me engaged throughout.
March 18, 2017
not my type of thriller, but surprisingly engaging and well written, except for a number of typos.
November 21, 2017
Great fun. Put me in mind of Alistair MacLean.
December 9, 2017
Great book.
November 15, 2018
I thought this was a terrific book. Plot was good, characters believable and the author kept the story moving right along. Great read !!
December 26, 2022
Decent thriller, nothing special. Followed a thriller formula, very predictable.
August 5, 2025
A thriller that seems undiscovered. An oddity, an error here and there, but a worthwhile read.
March 4, 2017
3 1/2.
Good story when it keeps to the rescue of the ship. Falls down in the relationship area.
Good story when it keeps to the rescue of the ship. Falls down in the relationship area.
March 4, 2017
4.5/5.0
“Goliath” is described in such detail one can perfectly imagine the enormity of this vessel.
Read full review in the 2017 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.
“Goliath” is described in such detail one can perfectly imagine the enormity of this vessel.
Read full review in the 2017 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.
February 27, 2017
Solid thriller about a broken down and nearly bankrupt Alaskan salvage company trying to salvage the largest oil tanker ever built. The story is a bit hackneyed (reminded me of the movie Twister actually, and not just because Bill Paxton just died - plucky, broke team tries to steal the thunder from a well oiled, dark and rich adversary), and the jargon gets a little heavy, but the people seem real enough and the thrills are pretty well spaced. Looks like it is probably the first in a series...
February 12, 2017
A thriller in the marine salvage world. Adequate.
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