October 2, 2000
Riding the wave of recent marine adventure bestsellers, A Perfect Storm and The Hungry Ocean, McClosky offers an accomplished sequel 20 years after his highly praised 1979 title, Highliners, again portraying the world of an Alaskan sea fisherman. Protagonist Hank Crawford has become a full-fledged fisherman, skipper of his own boat, and has expanded his horizons considerably since the first book, with a new house, and a third child for him and his wife, Jody. His luck turns sour, however, when the boat gets grounded in a winter storm and the fishing hits the skids. Falling behind on his payments, Crawford succumbs to the lure of a lucrative fishing venture for the Japanese, but the trip to Japan to negotiate the terms results in an ill-fated affair that almost costs him his marriage. The thrill of the new business venture founders when Crawford realizes that he's embroiled in an ongoing battle between Japanese and American fishermen, and that he is expected to exert his influence on the Americans to favor the Japanese fish market. In addition, his own local fishing community views him as a traitor for working with the rival enterprise. Crawford battles successfully to put his marriage back together, but the uphill fight to make ends meet continues, until his perspective is changed by a devastating storm that forces him to undertake a dangerous rescue mission to save a former fishing friend. McCloskey's tale captures the bitter realities and joyful rewards of a fisherman's life, offering winning, gritty portrayals of gruff Crawford, practical Jody and other local characters that make life on the sea so colorful.