Book Review: Shark Beach by Chris Jameson

Rick and Corinne Scully and their kids have visited Florida's Captiva Island many times. This year, they've brought along their best friends, who can't wait to finally experience the place the Scullys call Paradise on Earth.

But this vacation is turning out to be a lot different than planned. The Scullys never expected the rowdy college spring-breakers renting the house next door, or a hurricane that would sweep through the Gulf Coast, or the century-old shipwreck that washed up on the shore. They never knew about the military research being done at a nearby marine institute--and the test subjects that escaped during the hurricane. In the aftermath of the storm, the Scullys and their friends will try to salvage what's left of their time at the beach. They believe it's safe to go back in the water. . .but they're dead wrong.

My Review:
Rick and Corinne invite their friends Jenn and Matti on a shared family holiday with their kids, renting a beach villa on a beautiful island. Next door, the villa is occupied by a group of college kids looking for a different kind of Spring Break. When the hurricane warning comes, it is a decision on whether to evacuate or hunker down until it passes, and the two groups end up being stranded through circumstances. At the nearby research clinic, a security guard comes up with the idea of releasing the test sharks so they can escape their tortured life but he has no idea what he could be about to unleash.

Rick and Corinne are going through a difficult time in their marriage which isn't helped when Corinne's bit of innocent flirting with Rashad, a college student in the other villa causes an enraged Rick to start getting into fights. With the hurricane coming in, the police have more important things to deal with, especially when the island tourists mostly ignore the voluntary evacuation order to stubbornly continue their vacation. It is only when the mandatory evacuation order is issued that people finally take notice. A boat accident at the bridge exit then stops the majority from leaving and they have to stay and weather the storm. Jenn and Matti are uncomfortable to see the problems their friends are having, when their own marriage is a happy one.

At the Institute, security guard Maurice hates what is being done to the sharks, as he himself has a rescue dog. All non essential staff are being evacuated before Hurricane Juliet arrives but Maurice decides to stay and hatches a crazy plan to release the sharks. When the storm actually hits he quickly sees that his idea is dumb and dangerous but is it too late to stop it? Lennox is tired of his wife and their life together and decides he wants to start a new life in Seattle. To get some cash together he decides to use the cover of the storm to rob the rich houses that have already been evacuated. Local cop Agnes has her hands full of tourists that refused to evacuate and are now complaining that they are stuck on the island. She faces her own difficulties as the island floods and she is forced to seek shelter to save herself. Her colleagues are about to be given the news about the escape of the test sharks to spoil their day.

I enjoyed the first part of the book which sets the scene for the coming storm. It has that tension as we watch who is doing what and the storm gradually gets closer. You can feel the frustration of the police that the tourists stubbornly stay until the last possible minute and cause a bottleneck to get off the island. There is then the disaster at the bridge and the panic of the people being forced to stay. We get our MCs trying to get to the bridge, mixed up with the bad plans of Lennox and Maurice, which keeps the story moving along at pace along with the problems that the police are having to deal with.

The real fun comes of course when the sharks make heir escape from the Institute and enter the sea. Their aggression has been dialed up by the stupidity of Maurice and they are very hungry. Tourists that are trying to make the best of things in the aftermath of the storm are starting to return to the water. Rick, Matti, Kelsey and Jesse are going on a boat trip unaware that it belongs to Lennox who is making a final bit of money before he flees. Kevin and Tyler are taking a canoe trip in the mangroves while Emma, Rashad and Marianne explore a beached wreck that is about to be dragged back out to sea. Nadia and Simone decide to hire some equipment for an octane packed day of fun. Corinne and Jenn are going to be stuck on the beach as events unfold and everyone is going to have an encounter with the sharks in the hours to come.

I loved all the different stories that were going on as the sharks started to feed on the tourists. It ramped up the interest and tension that began with the storm and took it to a whole other level. There was so much of interest happening. I very much enjoyed the mangrove adventure that Kevin and Tyler had to endure. I spent my time with Rashad yelling at them for their stupidity as it became clear what kind of trouble they were getting into but it was fun to read their part of the story. I could imagine how helpless Corinne felt watching her child drift out to sea and realise that there were deadly sharks waiting to feed on Emma. The one character that annoyed me was Rick-his petty jealousy with Rashad, his poor relationships with his family and his desire to always do what he wanted-but it was a mild irritation that never spoiled the story.

I really enjoyed this book, in the same way that I did with Shark Island and I really hope there are more shark tales to come from the author!

Read July 2019
4 stars.