Deciding which genre a nautical story belongs in can be confusing since both nautical mysteries and thrillers use ships, islands, ports, and open water and can even begin with the same event. Many works of nautical fiction include both mystery and thriller elements used to create page-turning reads.
Keep in mind, a nautical story cannot take place unless the sea is as much a character as the people. The story depends on the nautical element. Even as characters move from sea to land, the ocean places both restrictions and flexibility on the story line.
So, what drives a nautical thriller?
A nautical thriller requires characters to face growing threats as the story unfolds. Characters might be escaping armed pursuers, uncovering political corruption, surviving sabotage, or boat breakdowns. The threat is usually urgent and requires immediate action. The suspense comes from not knowing whether the characters will survive, or figure out who, or what the threat is.
On the other hand, what defines a maritime mystery?
A maritime mystery starts with something that cannot be easily explained and invites readers to solve an unexplained event. Someone disappears without cause. A boat is found abandoned. A death is made to look accidental. The story unfolds through investigation. The mystery can take place in various locations, on the ship, in port, in a government office or in an island community or coastal town.
The Wind Chaser series blends these genre, providing riveting nautical fiction.
In Uncharted a mystery starts when Carter McDowell saves investigative reporter, Kat Deano from the Bahamian sea. It unfolds with the attempt on her life and her brother’s disappearance. As Carter and Kat’s uncover a political conspiracy involving the Bahamas, the U.S., and the Colombian cocaine trade, the rising danger, risky passages and threat aboard Wind Chaser give the novel its thriller feel.
In Uncovered Kat discovers a threat to the Bahamas from a neo-Nazi cell. The dangerous investigation with devious adversaries adds increasing danger and a thriller aspect. Uncovering a diary from WWII, relating wartime events, German U-boats, and a link to the Duke of Windsor set up the mystery. Are these modern-day events linked to the past? Both novels have clues and hidden histories. The growing danger and realistic sailing details make them strong examples of nautical suspense fiction.
