ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It might be something of a cliché to claim the ocean is in one’s blood, but I am descended from generations of mariners, and I’ve always wanted to write a deep-sea adventure story like Gale Force. That this dream has come to life owes a lot to my agent, Stacia Decker, who practically ordered me to write the first draft over cocktails at some raucous convention bar. It owes just as much to my editor, Neil Nyren, whose enthusiasm, encouragement, and keen editorial eye truly gave birth to McKenna Rhodes, and brought the Gale Force and her crew to life.
I’m ever grateful, as always, to the all-star cast at Putnam for everything they’ve done and continue to do behind the scenes to get books like this out into the world. In particular, thanks to Ivan Held, Alexis Sattler, Katie Grinch, and Carolyn Darr; it’s a privilege to work with you all, year after year.
Thanks again and again and again to Rob Sternitzky and the rest of the copyediting and proofreading squad. I say this every year, but copy editors are the true unsung heroes of this business, and I’ve had the good fortune of working with the best. Any foolish errors that remain in the text are my responsibility and mine alone.
A huge thanks to Clive Cussler, C. J. Box, John Sandford, Lee Child, Linda Castillo, Boyd Morrison, Justin Scott, Meg Gardiner, John Lescroart, Steve Berry, Gayle Lynds, Robin Burcell, and Ace Atkins for reading early proofs of this book and lending their names to its cause.
I’m grateful to the captains and crews of the fishing vessels Koskelo and Nicole & Terri Lee for taking me aboard and putting me to work, on both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans: Joey and Suzi Laukkanen; Chad Accettura; Earl Stoesigger; Stevie, Travis, and Logan Gibbs; Louis Peters; and my dad, Ethan Laukkanen.
To my family—Ethan Laukkanen, Ruth Sellers, Andrew and Terrence, Laura Mustard, and little Ethan—my thanks don’t ever seem like enough, but I’ll give you them anyway, and all the love I have in the world.
But most of all, this book wouldn’t exist without my dad, because it’s through him that my love for the sea first took hold. Gale Force has its roots in our walks along the breakwater in Victoria’s Outer Harbor, and in the bedtime stories of shipwrecks and seafaring heroism he’d read to me when I was a child. It was born of ferry rides, and lobster pots, and in the first rudimentary knots he taught me before I set out for my first summer on the water. Dad, this book is for you, with gratitude and love, and with hopes for many fine days and full pots ahead.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Owen Laukkanen is the author of the Stevens and Windermere series, beginning with The Professionals, which was nominated for the Anthony Award, Barry Award, Spinetingler Magazine Best Noveclass="underline" New Voices Award, and the International Thriller Writers’ Thriller Award for best first novel. His follow-up, Criminal Enterprise, was nominated for the ITW Thriller Award for best novel. A resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, he is now at work on the next book featuring Stevens and Windermere.
ALSO BY OWEN LAUKKANEN
The Professionals
Criminal Enterprise
Kill Fee
The Stolen Ones
The Watcher in the Wall
The Forgotten Girls
Early Praise for GALE FORCE
“One of the outstanding adventures of the year—a big sea story with a brilliant and beautiful woman as the tough captain of a salvage boat.”
“An absolute blast of a nautical thriller, as good a tale of mayhem and adventure on the high seas as I’ve read in years.”
“A pulse-pounding race against bad guys, the competition, Mother Nature, and our heroine’s own shadowy instincts. It’s high-seas excitement, melded with old-fashioned adventure, cleverly imagined.”
“I absolutely love a thriller that expertly opens a window to a dangerous profession I never knew about—in this case the world of maritime salvage operations. Owen Laukkanen must have seawater in his veins and he’s struck gold with Gale Force. It’s a propulsive and entirely engaging modern-day sea adventure.”
“An adventure tour-de-force as taut as a wire rope dragging a ship through the high seas. Imagine it: biting winds, rogue waves, and a young female captain to be reckoned with. Intriguingly face-paced, the suspense never lets up. You don’t want to miss this thrilling tale.”
“A fantastic thriller! Owen Laukkanen has created a modern high-seas adventure with such realism that you’ll swear you can taste the salt air and feel the crashing waves as you race through the lightning-paced story. With distinctive characters, tense action, and a twisty plot, Gale Force is a novel you won’t want to put down until the very last page.”
“A fresh and sweeping thriller—Owen Laukkanen brings the high-stakes, life-and-death arena of shipwreck salvage vividly to life. McKenna Rhodes is a terrific heroine—gutsy, smart, and full of heart.”
“Gale Force draws you in from the very beginning, then leaves you breathless as you race to the finish. Owen Laukkanen’s intimate knowledge of the sea and ocean-faring vessels is apparent from the first page—but it’s his skill in writing suspense that grabs you like a riptide, not letting go until the very last page. Quite simply one of the best books I’ve read all year.”
“Sailors always start great sea stories with, ‘This really happened!’ That’s how Owen Laukkanen deserves to introduce Gale Force. When you read this thrilling tale of salvage at sea, you will never doubt his brave woman captain’s fight to save her father’s salvage ship from greed, evil, and a horrific storm.”
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Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Owen Laukkanen