The Halcyon Crisis

By Drew Harrison

Indie Author, August 2023

Genre: Fiction/Thriller-Suspense-Action/Adventure

Pages: 295 (incl. Epilogue)

Via: Author Request

Note We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Ahoy, mateys! This is your Kimber speaking. Hands off the New York steaks and no one gets lick-ified!”

What? I’m just trotting out my best impression of “Mr. One,” aka: “Captain One” in this adrenaline rush of a thriller on the high seas thingy. I’ll let Her Momness fill ya in:

“Captain One” and “crew” have just taken over the cruise ship Halcyon. The Halcyon has like, nine million innocent tourists aboard. And the pirates have an incredibly intricate plan to get Everything They Want. (The pirates, not the tourists. Tourists are all taken hostage.) The hostages include one Johnathan Harper, retired FBI crisis negotiator. Harper’s just trying to enjoy a floating vacation. Maybe find a few friends. Enjoy a little light romance reading, stress-free.

Oops.

Cuz the “Captain” and buds have other plans. None of them good. They include scuttling the entire ship if the U.S. Navy or anyone else tries to board or intervene in any way.

Anyway, Harper and travel blogger Nina Collins may have something up their sleeves. Or not. But things are getting pretty dicey aboard the Un-Love Boat. And someone has to come up with a plan to foil the pirates and take back the ship. But who? And how? Oh yeah. There’s also that pesky detail about masks and crew unis. Both are worn by pirates and tourists, the latter under duress.  And when you can’t tell friend from foe, who do you aim at?

Regarding pirates, we’re not talking the Disney ride near the Blue Bayou. No siree, Blackbeard! These dudes and dudettes are like, ruthless. Take “Captain One,” for example. He gives pond scum a bad name. So does “Mr. Two.” (You’ll get that if you read the book.)

There’s also Davy Jones’s Locker. “Skeevy.” (Skeevy?!) “Was any of it… even real?” Zero. “Dark-matter-shaped hole in the situation.” How could we not?  “… as empty as an MP’s head.” Raleigh. Borneo. Cousin. “Reality doesn’t get to cross that line.”

So I was gonna dip a toe or two into this book. Just to get a feel for it, ya know. A nibble from the sampler platter. Cuz. Humungous backlog.

Next thing I knew, I was fourteen chapters in and goin’ for broke. Like, I skipped ‘second breakfast, elevenses and afternoon tea’ to finish this book. It’s lightning fast. With more plot twists and turns than Iowa’s Snake Alley. So ya might want to pack some Dramamine. Just sayin’.

On the other hand, a coupla loose ends are left dangling. Like what became of Ms. Rolex and a certain pirate-ette who let someone “escape”? What was Ms. Pirate-ette’s motive? There’s also a coupla typos. Like, “disengaging form their grapple” (p. 275). But these are rare and don’t detract from the overall read. Which is kinda like strapping into the Millenium Force at Cedar Point. So buckle up, Buttercup.

Tightly written and as tense as a wound watch spring, The Halycon Crisis runs on high octane from chapter one to the last page. Harrison’s finely crafted descriptions, well-rounded characters, and expert word-smithing draw you in from the get-go. 

And yeppers. The amount of energy, focus, and sheer creativity rippling throughout this read is epic. Titanic. (Pun intended. Kimber, eyes rolling: Don’t encourage Mom. It’ll only get worse. Trust me.)  Makes one of us want to lie down and take a nap. Hi, Mom.

Kimber again: Remind me to cancel those cruise tickets. Filet mignon with rib eye on the side couldn’t get me onto one of them thar floating targets. Sheesh.

Content warning: This book includes some rough language. That’ll usually get you a one-way ticket to the Big Kitty Litter Box in the Sky. We’re making an exception in this instance. For one reason: It’s not gratuitous and is consistent with characters’ persona. That is all.

Our Rating: 4.0