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Author: J.C. Hager
Publisher: Greenstone Publishing LLC
ISBN: 978-0-9797546-6-1
Author: J.C. Hager
Publisher: Greenstone Publishing LLC
ISBN: 978-0-9797546-6-1
Click Here To Purchase Hunter's Secret
Following his debut novel Hunter's Choice, J.C. Hager once again with Hunter's Secret: Wreck of Carol K steers readers through another gripping thriller, immediately drawing you into his characters' frantic sizzling escapades. Some of the lifelike characters from his first novel reappear, Matt Hunter, his girlfriend Tanya, her parents, the Vegas, and the devious Russian criminal mastermind, Webb-all of whom provide quite a bit of frenzy entertainment.
The skillfully contrived plot unfolds in the cold waters of Lake Superior when Matt and Tanya's boat are stuck when they are unable to hoist its anchor. After several attempts to tug it free, Matt dives into the frigid waters and tries to loosen the anchor from whatever seems to be holding it back. What he discovers sets the stage of the ensuing harrowing experiences as kidnapping, ongoing threats on their lives, explosions, robbery, near death experiences, ghosts and a host of other delights.
Performing all kinds of manoeuvres, Matt manages to free the anchor, but not before discovering another anchor, that eventually will lead him and Tanya to a sunken ship resting at the bottom of one hundred and sixty feet of water. As it turns out, the wrecked ship was the Carol K that supposedly was lost in a storm in 1933. The couple also find a two and half foot strong box containing two ledgers, several folders with official seals, a small box of pistol shells and an empty leather pistol holder.
After conducting some research, it is revealed that the Carol K was built in 1922 and was owned by K&L & Shipping out of Fort William, now known as Thunder Bay, Ontario. The descendants of the original owners are still alive and kicking, only the company's name was changed to the Livingston Brothers. The brothers are two evil spirited, shifty Canadian billionaire tycoons that have their greasy paws spread over several enterprises. And as the plot unravels, we can well appreciate Matt's primitive fear and reluctance in trusting these two scoundrels, whose tentacles spread wide and far in the world of power, not only in Canada but also in the USA and elsewhere.
Matt arranges a meeting with the Livingstons and is offered money and ten percent of the loot of the Carol K, provided he, Tanya and the Vegas sign a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting them from disclosing, except to the brothers, any information or the location of the ship. All concur and sign the agreement but wonder why the Livingstons are so keen in keeping the discovery of the ship a secret. It doesn't take them too long to uncover some fascinating and dreadful data pertaining to the Carol K, its crew and passengers, including the death of the Livingstons's mother, who perished when the ship went down. And yes, dead people sometimes can leave some very interesting clues, if you are patient and are looking in all the right places. The Livingstons, aware of the importance of this information and fearing the ramifications it would have on their business dealings, go all out to silence Matt and company.
Hager's second novel is much more polished than his debut one, reaffirming the old adage that practice does make good, as he has delivered a thoroughly chilling thriller from the first page onwards. He handles his plot with great aplomb with its unforeseen twists and turns, as well as his action- filled climax leaving his readers wanting more. Perhaps, Hager is setting us up for a sequel? Many novels capture a sense of time and place vividly but without making any interesting things happen, however, such is not the case with Hunter's Secret: Wreck of Carol K as a result of Hager's magical storytelling abilities and keen eye for telling detail. And moreover, playing it close to the chest, he keeps his readers on edge with trying to figure out what to expect for an ending.
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