Bibliography

Date first published	1988
ISBN Number	978 0 14 017723 7
Page Count	330 p/b
h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback

Storyline

But Sycorax is as crippled as Nick. To rebuild his wrecked and stranded dream, Nick is forced into a devil's bargain with egomaniacal TV star Tony Bannister. Bannister is the owner of Wildtrack, an ocean racer, and he wants Nick to be part of the crew that will sail the ship to victory.

Bannister, though, has made some powerful enemies who are out for revenge, leaving Nick caught in the middle. Can he keep Wildtrack and his dreams of escape aboard Sycorax afloat?

Review

Another of Bernard's novels set in the world of sailing. This time it takes me back to when I was just starting Secondary school and the war in the Falklands was something exciting, without really understanding the human side of things. The Falklands of course was one of the first time that the Press went to war with cameras and broadcasts. Something that in the 2000s we take for granted.

Nick Sandman, is something of a throwback. He is a soldier, with the old style thoughts of honour and chivalry something of course which is frowned upon by modern left wing thinking, and this is the centre of the culture clash. Honest simple soldiers, up against the morally corrupt world of the media, where truth can be stretched in whatever way to get the story.

Much of the problems encountered, are not Nick's fault, but those around him. His ex wife has abandoned him, sold most of his assets, and been less than truthful about the assets that she could not get her hands on. As a consequence Nick returns to find his beloved Sycorax beached, badly damaged, and stripped of her equipment by the head thug of the new owner.

Nick spotting some of his stolen equipment in the boat house of his former home heads off to retrieve the gear. he encounters Fanny Mulder who beats him into unconsciousness and dumps him.

The headlines bring Sandman into the reach of Bannister, a man with his own demons, and who decides to help Nick repair the damage to his boat, on the condition the story is turned into a film. Some slick manoeuvring cons Nick into signing the contracts, and also preventing him suing Mulder. However Nick soon finds that he has signed a contract with the devil but finds himself unable to extricate himself.

Typical of Cornwell, Sandman finds that he is deeply attracted to Bannisters producer and lover, and just days before the wedding finds himself in bed with her, leading to the fraught climax out at sea.

The book is well put together, and follows the authors usual tack of a bit of action, followed by a lull, then more action. You really feel for Sandman, as nothing is what it seems and no-one wants to help. When he turns to HMG, they obliquely provide some advice, which could be taken any way you want.

So the big question, was the death of Bannisters wife an accident or murder? Well having read the whole story, I think that it was probably murder, and that Bannister was the architect of the 'perfect murder'.

A good yarn, which doesn't rely to much on the nautical stuff to keep you guessing. A good standard Cornwell book.

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