Review of Northern Straits
Posted: 14 Feb 2023, 03:44
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Northern Straits" by Robert J Whitfield.]
Piracy and hijacking are activities I haven't read much about in books for a while now. It was interesting to read about them in Northern Straits, written by Robert J Whitfield. This book told the adventure of Captain MacDonald and Engineer John Laurie as their ship was hijacked late at night.
The ship, Skookum Chief, delivered supplies to people. But while at sea, it was hijacked. This operation happened so easily. It didn't take much effort for three-armed Asians to do this. This ship had five crew members, but three were killed. Only the captain and John Laurie, the engineer, were left alive. This must be because they were needed to navigate the ship to the desired location where the pirates were going. Both John and MacDonald were shocked after having their breakfast and went to resume their duties. When they entered the room, guns were pointed at their faces, and they were told what to do. But why was this ship highjacked? Did John and MacDonald have any hope of being rescued?
This book was interesting to some extent. Some characters fascinated me. I admire an industrious woman when I read about one, and Catherine was one of them. I appreciated her diligence in her work. She did well in training the immigrants assigned to her. It was thrilling to read about how the detectives unraveled the mystery behind the three different bodies found in different locations. I found that part of the book suspenseful since I knew that it was a clue for them to know what happened at sea. I appreciated Catherine's help in solving the case. It was exciting and educational to tour the resort in the book with the guests.
Despite the things I liked about this book, there were things I disliked. There were a lot of characters in the book. They overwhelmed and confused me. I sometimes mistook one character for another. The storyline of this book didn't flow smoothly. The scenes were cut short in each chapter, and a different one was introduced in the next chapter. At first, I didn't understand how all the different scenes connected in the story until much later in the book. There was also much use of technical terms, which I didn't understand because I don't know much about ships and engineering. I often found myself going back to previous pages to get the characters and the story straight.
I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I found errors. The book was not professionally edited. Some readers might find it stressful to constantly revisit already-read pages to understand the current one being read. The plotline should be arranged in such a way as to be easily understood and to pique and maintain a reader's interest. I appreciated the short chapters and several pages. They kept me reading the book. There were also some things to be learned from it. I recommend this book to those with an interest in mechanical engineering and cargo ships.
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Northern Straits
View: on Bookshelves
Piracy and hijacking are activities I haven't read much about in books for a while now. It was interesting to read about them in Northern Straits, written by Robert J Whitfield. This book told the adventure of Captain MacDonald and Engineer John Laurie as their ship was hijacked late at night.
The ship, Skookum Chief, delivered supplies to people. But while at sea, it was hijacked. This operation happened so easily. It didn't take much effort for three-armed Asians to do this. This ship had five crew members, but three were killed. Only the captain and John Laurie, the engineer, were left alive. This must be because they were needed to navigate the ship to the desired location where the pirates were going. Both John and MacDonald were shocked after having their breakfast and went to resume their duties. When they entered the room, guns were pointed at their faces, and they were told what to do. But why was this ship highjacked? Did John and MacDonald have any hope of being rescued?
This book was interesting to some extent. Some characters fascinated me. I admire an industrious woman when I read about one, and Catherine was one of them. I appreciated her diligence in her work. She did well in training the immigrants assigned to her. It was thrilling to read about how the detectives unraveled the mystery behind the three different bodies found in different locations. I found that part of the book suspenseful since I knew that it was a clue for them to know what happened at sea. I appreciated Catherine's help in solving the case. It was exciting and educational to tour the resort in the book with the guests.
Despite the things I liked about this book, there were things I disliked. There were a lot of characters in the book. They overwhelmed and confused me. I sometimes mistook one character for another. The storyline of this book didn't flow smoothly. The scenes were cut short in each chapter, and a different one was introduced in the next chapter. At first, I didn't understand how all the different scenes connected in the story until much later in the book. There was also much use of technical terms, which I didn't understand because I don't know much about ships and engineering. I often found myself going back to previous pages to get the characters and the story straight.
I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I found errors. The book was not professionally edited. Some readers might find it stressful to constantly revisit already-read pages to understand the current one being read. The plotline should be arranged in such a way as to be easily understood and to pique and maintain a reader's interest. I appreciated the short chapters and several pages. They kept me reading the book. There were also some things to be learned from it. I recommend this book to those with an interest in mechanical engineering and cargo ships.
******
Northern Straits
View: on Bookshelves