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Some decisions can be life changing. All of us experience these brief windows of opportunity, where choosing to walk down a certain path offered to us can completely alter our futures. Sometimes those choices lead to a life of love and happiness. Others can draw us deeper and deeper into depravity. Vaughan's book successfully chronicles the intertwining lives of a variety of characters whose split decisions either carry them down a road toward personal peace or violent destruction.
On the surface, the author's book is simply your average mystery thriller complete with a misjudged protagonist, a remorseless killer, a few solid friends, and a love interest or two. Yet it is what is below the standard plot line that gives this novel greater worth. First, there is the cultural and historical angle that is explored in characters such as Sal, an Italian immigrant to Australia from a war-devastated Europe during the 1940s who is determined to overcome the racial barriers he faces in his adopted country. Then there is the detailed description of the life of the professional ocean fisherman that either comes from the author's own experience on the boats or from some very meticulous research. Finally, the aforementioned theme of how quick decisions can prove to be pivotal in our lives is amply illustrated in principal characters such as Mac, Sal, and Carlos.
For those who prefer the typical graphic violence, strong language, and final, bloody showdown one expects from the more hard-core sub-genre of thrillers, this book fills the bill. However, the narrative is further tempered with romance and faithful friendships, and a more careful reading will uncover some rewarding depth.