Seawitch by Alistair MacLean

This is yet another book by Alistair MacLean which I believe I had forgotten about. This is strange as I generally have a good memory about what I have read. My ploy is always to forget the details of the story and if there is a long enough gap even the main issues of the plot. But maybe after over 30 years I am forgetting the names of the books I read. Having found these ebooks I am renewing my acquaintance with all the books of my childhood and teenage.

This one is different from the usual war and spy plots of Alistair MacLean. The main characters are 2 friends who are private detectives and ex-cops. The whole story rests on 2 emotions love and hate. The John Roomer and Michael Mitchell are in love with the daughters of a very very rich man, Lord Worth, while he is being hated by another man, John Cronkite, who wants to see Lord Worth destroyed. This plot provides details of oil exploration and oil rigs on sea. The destruction planned is for Seawitch the Lord Worth’s oil rig to be wrecked and this would incur him huge losses. If you think that Cronkite is using underhand tricks and is a bad guy as he arranges all the criminal activity and steals weapons and works through hiring well known criminals and so should be hated then think again. The Lord Worth of the book, the richest man, is not above skulduggery and criminal activity. The people he employs on the rigs are most often those who do not wish to come into limelight as the police are after them. He too steals weapons albeit for protecting his oil rig. So what is the difference between the two men? Lord Worth does not realise the only weapons he needs are John and Michael.

They will fight his cause as Cronkite kidnapped the daughters. They will do anything to save their love. Now is it that every hero is almost superman or that love gives one strength of purpose? No matter the battle for the upper hand see saws and keeps the tension in the plot. I enjoyed the book as it was different from the others and shows that Alistair MacLean can deliver a good plot and suspense even when it is not about spying or war. One wonders right till the last page will the Seawitch be saved?