Deep Water Blues

by Fred Waitzkin, John Mitchell (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspired by a true story, artfully told by the author of Searching for Bobby Fischer: A Bahamian island becomes a battleground for a savage private war.
 
Charismatic expat Bobby Little built his own funky version of paradise on the remote island of Rum Cay, a place where ambitious sport fishermen docked their yachts for fine French cuisine and crowded the bar to boast of big blue marlin catches while Bobby refilled their cognac on the house. Larger than life, Bobby was really the main attraction: a visionary entrepreneur, expert archer, reef surfer, bush pilot, master chef, seductive conversationalist.
 
But after tragedy shatters the tranquility of Bobby’s marina, tourists stop visiting and simmering jealousies flare among island residents. And when a cruel, different kind of self-made entrepreneur challenges Bobby for control of the docks, all hell breaks loose. As the cobalt blue Bahamian waters run red with blood, the man who made Rum Cay his home will be lucky if he gets off the island alive . . .
 
When the Ebb Tide cruises four hundred miles southeast from Fort Lauderdale to Rum Cay, its captain finds the Bahamian island paradise he so fondly remembers drastically altered. Shoal covers the marina entrance, the beaches are deserted, and on shore there is a small cemetery with headstones overturned and bones sticking up through the sand. What happened to Bobby’s paradise?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504057745
Publisher:	Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
Publication date:	05/28/2019
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Fred Waitzkin was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1943. When he was a teenager he wavered between wanting to spend his life as a fisherman, Afro Cuban drummer, or novelist. He went to Kenyon College and did graduate study at New York University. His work has appeared in Esquire, New York magazine, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the New York Times Book Review, Outside, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Beast, among other publications. His memoir, Searching for Bobby Fischer, was made into a major motion picture released in 1993. His other books are Mortal Games, The Last Marlin, and The Dream Merchant. Recently, he has completed an original screenplay, The Rave. Waitzkin lives in Manhattan with his wife, Bonnie, and has two children, Josh and Katya, and two grandsons, Jack and Charlie. He spends as much time as possible on the bridge of his old boat, The Ebb Tide, trolling baits off distant islands with his family.
 

Editorial Reviews

03/25/2019

This underwhelming novel from Waitzkin (Searching for Bobby Fisher) whisks the reader off to the idyllic island of Rum Cay in the Bahamas. There, Bobby Little has turned his marina into a paradise where wealthy sport fishermen come to taste his version of the good life. One of those visitors is Fred Waitzkin himself, who observes the escalating conflict between Bobby and Eddie, a newcomer to Rum Cay, who has his own ideas for how the island should be run. Bobby is something of a local legend, a former skateboard champ, surfer, and undercover DEA agent. But he seems to be no match for Eddie, who becomes his partner, with a sneaky eye toward taking over the marina for himself. As the two square off against one another, the entire island hangs in the balance. The author fills his plot with prototypically colorful characters—including Biggy, a local man looking for love, and Mike, who lives in a rotting sailboat where he has spent the past 12 years working on a novel. Unfortunately, this story, which can be read as a parable for the dangers of capitalism, never fully engages the reader’s imagination. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Since I was a child, the desolate out islands of the Bahamas have been a home, none more dear than the shark-infested, storm-ravaged, cursed utopia of Rum Cay. . . . Deep Water Blues churns with the beauty, desperation, violence, and yearning of those fighting to survive on a speck of land in an eternal sea. As a reader, I am on fire. As a son, I could not be more proud.” —Josh Waitzkin

“Delightful . . . an enchanting yet haunting story recommended for fans who appreciate plot twists where good triumphs over evil.” —S A Examiner
 
“Fred Waitzkin’s saltwater-soaked novella sets the reader in a world where things are falling apart. . . . Like stories of the sea that come before, Deep Water Blues portrays the fear and allure of the oceans massive force” —Angler’s Journal

“Remarkably well-written . . . A lovely read with gorgeous illustrations throughout. The characters are well-developed with a depth to them that makes it easy to picture yourself being friends with them. Waitzkin has a way of writing that is vivid and real making it hard to put down. Deep Water Blues is a wonderful fast-paced read.” —Lovely Loveday
 
"Waitzkin writes well. His prose is understated, almost poetic. We not only see Rum Cay, we smell it, hear it, taste it, and feel its shadows and its joys. . . . Deep Water Blues is a gem.” —English Plus

“Mr. Waitzkin weaves a rich storyline with memorable characters that flows like poetry.” —Cheryl’s Book Nook
 
“Finely crafted.” —Crystal Book Reviews
 
“Good writing and fascinating plot.” —Cyberlibrarian
 
“Deep Water Blues is a gripping summer read.” —Windcheck


 

From the Publisher