Since screenwriter and author Daniel Pyne has been involved in the writing of some of my favourite movies and TV shows, from Miami Vice to Bosch, it should have come as no surprise that I would thoroughly enjoy Water Memory. I did not realise, however, just how intense and exciting it would be, from start to finish. It is without a doubt one of those the-world-goes-away-while-I-am-reading-this type of books.
Aubrey Sentro is the kind of hero you do not find very often in literature. A widow, a mother of two adult children, and a “black ops” agent, she is struggling to connect with her children as adults when she missed so much of their childhood, due to work commitments. Unfortunately, she is also struggling with her memory – undoubtedly affected by various head injuries throughout her career, and she has not yet figured out how much of her current troubles are due to this issue, and how much is, well, just her.
After an issue at work, she is mandated to take some time off to relax (and hopefully heal) so Aubrey decides on a cruise. It is an unusual cruise, however, as it is on board a freighter ship. In scenes that will call to mind several intense moments in the movie Captain Phillips, heavily armed pirates take over the ship in a strangely common kidnap-ransom scheme. The pirates, of course, never counted on someone like Aubrey Sentro being on board this particular ship.
Much more than just an action story, this is a thriller where the pirates are not what they seem, but neither are some of the passengers. Aubrey fights not only for her own survival, but her instincts lead her to try to save her fellow travellers, and even the ship itself if she is able. Thoughts of her children keep her moving forward, but as her memory lapses gets worse, what will keep her moving when she can’t remember what she is fighting for?
Clearly written by a gifted screenwriter, readers will be able to see every bit of the action happening with Pyne’s gift for vivid details that somehow never interrupt or distract from the pulse-pounding action. What starts with completely separate threads of unrelated characters and actions are ultimately woven together in a tightly wound fascinating thriller.
Water Memory is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Water Memory? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
A fast-paced, page-turning thriller that contemplates the consequences of motherhood, memory, and crime as a commodity.
Black ops specialist Aubrey Sentro may be one concussion away from death. But when pirates seize the cargo ship she’s on, she must decide whether to risk her life to save her fellow passengers.
Sentro’s training takes over, and she’s able to elude her captors, leaving bodies in her wake. But her problems are just getting started. Her memory lapses are getting more frequent, symptoms of serial-concussion syndrome.
As she plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with the pirates, she pushes herself to survive by focusing on thoughts of her children. She’s never told them what she really does for a living, and now she might not get the chance.
While her memories make her vulnerable, motherhood makes her dangerous.
