Eyewitness

I am a sucker for the ocean. If you put a picture of the ocean or one of its denizens on the cover, there is a good chance that I will give the book a read. When I saw “Eyewitness” by Pat Wiley with an illustrated whale on the cover, I did not hesitate to pick up the book and give it a read.

When Jack Quinn quit his job, he figured that the savings he had accrued over the years would carry him though while he found himself and chased his dreams. He did not know that his money was about to disappear as the Madoff scheme was uncovered and left him broke financially but not unbroken spiritually. He had found the woman that he believed to be the love of his life and was determined to chase his dream and sail alone from the Northeastern United States to the Caribbean. It was a spiritual journey that would allow him to achieve personal freedom from the weight of the world. Little did he know that this dream was soon to turn into a nightmare.

After encountering a storm that threatens to end his trip, not to mention his life, Jack comes to the rescue of a ship that is stranded in the wake of the storm. He feels obligated to assist the boat even though the two men aboard give him an uneasy feeling. When he returns to the United States, he finds himself accused of a crime that he did not commit with no way to defend himself. After all, how can he convince the world of his innocence when the evidence is stacked against him and the only witness to the crime is a lone whale that he had encountered along the way?

I went into “Eyewitness” with high hopes and thought that the story got off to a slow start. It was not really a problem as I could see that Wiley was building toward something so I was determined to stick with the story and hope that the bit of work required would pay off in the long run. Wiley takes his time establishing Jack as a well-rounded protagonist for the story and the reader’s patience is well rewarded as the story progresses. It became easy to see myself in Jack and to understand his motives as well as the emotions that he goes through as the story progresses. This makes the impact of the story more powerful and gives Wiley complete control not just of the story but also of the reader’s perception of the story and the characters.

“Eyewitness” did not have as much nautical adventure as I may have wanted but in the end it turned out to be a solid crime/mystery novel. Wiley’s use of the whale as a part of the mystery was original and gave the story a unique twist to set it apart from other books of this type. The novel is a little light on action and may no appeal to readers who prefer a fast-paced and action-packed thriller but it is a very well-written mystery novel that grabbed my interest with its ocean adventure at the beginning and kept it through the end of the story. Wiley keeps the story tight and pulls several different threads together without ever making it feel as if they do not mesh together naturally. “Eyewitness” is a blend of mystery and courtroom drama that rises above its peers and provides an entertaining and thought-provoking story for the reader to devour.

I would like to thank First Step Publishing and NetGalley for this review copy. “Eyewitness” is scheduled to be released in May.