Reviews
Here's what they're saying about Sulu Sea.
“Sulu Sea by Marshall Riggan is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The threads of storytelling are expertly woven in this action-packed seafaring adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
The story had every element a story should have. An intriguing plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a book. I enjoyed the story, character development and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading the work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the story in my head to see if I couldn’t figure it out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. If you’re looking for a well-written action- packed adventure with strong characters and a gripping plot, then Sulu Sea won’t leave you disappointed”
– Piaras Cionnaoith, Vine Voice.
“Sulu Sea is a mesmerizing tale of adventure filled with action. I loved the suspense and the twists, enjoyed the gorgeous writing and the wonderful characters. Marshall Riggan is a great storyteller and has written a novel that’s hard to put down.”– Reader’s Favorite 5 Star Review
“A disgraced sailor is asked to rescue a woman from the sordid world of drug trafficking, a potential opportunity for moral redemption in this tale of nautical adventure.
Joaquin O’Hara is the captain of the Galway Bay and makes his living running illicit errands for a shady clientele delivering contraband of all kinds but drawing a line at narcotics. After a distinguished naval career, he became captain of a luxury cruise liner but drunkenly steered the vessel onto a reef, a catastrophe that cost 28 lives. He never quite absolves himself of the crushing guilt that results, and now he lives a life of resigned ignominy, always chasing “the blessed stillness and numbness of mind that conquers memory.” He’s hired by the beautiful Gabriela Quintero Torres to transport some of her valuable possessions from Colombia to Miami in advance of her move there. But the captain quickly learns that the mission is a lie; she really wants to escape her husband Juan, who launders money for a Cartagena drug cartel. And to make matters ever more dangerous, she plans to escape with millions of dollars in cash, stored in crates on Joaquin’s boat.
“Beware the woman without flaw,” he thought, and he felt the first stirring of anger as he realized everything Gabriela had ever said to him was probably a lie. Riggan composes a thrilling and unpredictable adventure, bursting with action – if sometimes cinematically over-the-top – delivered at a break-neck pace. The central
premise of the plot – a once-proud but now besmirched protagonist given a chance of moral renewal – is a tired pulp-fiction trope, but the author manages to make a compelling tale out of it nonetheless. Riggan’s prose is sharp and the themes he introduces – lost faith, self-forgiveness, and the morality of deception – are portrayed with impressive thoughtfulness. An adventure as dramatically gripping as it is intelligently executed.”– Kirkus Reviews
“I have been waiting for a book like Sulu Sea for a long time now. Luckily, I’ve bought this one, attracted, at first, by its beautiful cover, and it was an excellent decision.” … “This novel is captivating, full of action, suspense, intrigue and unexpected events at every turn of the page.”– Celeste S.
“In less than one chapter you are right there with the characters and the setting. You are an unseen guest, able to see, hear, taste, smell and touch it all. That’s the mark of a gifted writer”– Robert W.
“It’s striking how his words create pictures. I’m talking about wide-screen theatrical action. I could smell the popcorn. I love a great sea tale, but this thing takes you on a bunch of surprising twists and turns. I will miss these characters until the sequel – or the future film release.”– John R.
“This book by Marshall Riggan takes readers on an action-packed journey across Central America and the Caribbean. Riggan tells of the sinking of the Sulu Sea, a luxury liner, that caused many to lose their lives. The captain, Joaquin O’Hara survives, but finds his life forever changed. O’Hara soon finds himself needing to transport illegal goods in order to survive, including rare emeralds. While doing so, he meets a woman who promises a great deal of money to take her and her personal belongings to Miami. However, O’Hara learns that she is the runaway wife of a notorious drug lord and he now finds himself the target of the drug cartel. He must figure out how to escape while trying to clear his name of the horrific Sulu Sea sinking. Riggan writes with a captivating style that will have you flipping through the pages to figure out what happens next. This book not only has a stunning setting, but is filled with plot twists that are sure to surprise you.
- Rachel K.Here's what they are saying about The Lost Caravan
I’m not a literary critic by any stretch of the imagination but I know a little about making movies. I’m proud of my education in motion picture production and even more proud of my 40+ years working behind the camera with thousands of talented people. I tend to judge the books that I read by how visually they are written and how well the story is structured. Imagine a writer who is not only well educated in the mechanics of good story telling but also has the heart of a master painter. That is what makes this book, and other Marshall Riggan books, so wonderful.
The great movie director, Federico Fellini, visually composed every scene in his movies as though they were fine art. Every frame was rich with impeccable detail to drive the story. Marshall Riggan envelops the reader with that same amazing, well-researched detail, skillfully painted with words. When you read any story by this author you are not simply reading a book. You are right there, experiencing every intense moment with the characters of the story. You are invited along for the ride. That is what great writing does. “The Lost Caravan” is an adventure about good and evil, but the line between the two is sometimes quite blurry. The story is unconventional and interesting in that way. It is an exhausting, exciting journey into the hearts and souls of compelling, adventurous human beings. I hope it is a movie someday.
- Bob Wald
The Lost Caravan: found to be full of riches.
A band of aging, seemingly-past-their-prime, adventurers need something to stir up their lives. How about a treasure hunt in the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula? Cedrick, a rich eccentric art thief, Oleg, a former Cosmonaut and second man in space (if you can believe him), and Paul, haunted by the ghosts of those he has written about in his long career as a war correspondent – are all ready for an adventure to spark their boring lives in New York City.
Thus, the romp of a tale, “The Lost Caravan,” by Marshall Riggan, begins. This novel, perfect for summer reading, is a quick and exquisitely written read. The excitement really begins when Rhonda, a beautiful, aging Hollywood sex symbol, comes back into Paul’s life having escaped from her Saudi sheikh husband’s cruelty. But for how long?
Riggan’s writing is sensual: Paul thought of all the women he had known and he “felt the memory like velvet in his mind. Dramatic: “His dark blue eyes were hooded by gravity and the years, deep-set as if shrinking from all the killing he had seen. Reverent: “the moon revealing a horizon wide and deep as a holy mind.” His words make reading fun.
Often Riggan expounds on the art of writing from his correspondent’s point of view. Paul “had, in fact always thought that the written word had very little to do with what the writer consciously did. The rhythm, the melody of the prose, came from some mysterious province yet undiscovered by science, the Empty Quarter of the mind.” Wherever it comes from, Riggan’s writing leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Treat yourself to a fast-moving action-adventure novel. I’m hoping he will treat us to few more. I did find one more by Riggan that I enjoyed just as much as “The Lost Caravan,” entitled, “Sulu Sea,” that was just as good for the same reasons.
- Pamela Baker