Title: Tidal Rage
Author: David Evans
Published on: 24 June 2021
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers
On the cruise ship circuit, Sebastian McKenzie is a star. He is a brilliant pianist and the guests on the ship are charmed by his talent. What they do not know is, Sebastian is a serial killer. His obsession with eating hair has made him a brutal and cold-hearted killer. He’s never on the same ship twice. Whenever Sebastian is onboard, people go missing…
Max Cutler is an All-American boy: tall, handsome and loves the company of beautiful women. He’s recruited by the Secret Service soon after graduation and is responsible for tracking down counterfeit money. Max is on a mission when he learns of his sister’s disappearance. His parents and Elisa were on a cruise when Elisa was reported missing. If she went overboard, the chances of her survival in the freezing Alaskan waters is zero.
Robert Stahmer is an ex-army government official and is known for his attention to detail. He and his wife are on a trip to the Caribbean Islands when tragedy strikes.
Tidal Rage is a mind-blowing, gripping and completely engrossing thriller. Three men, three continents and one link that holds them together – murder(s). The story starts with events leading up to Elisa’s murder. A serial killer is on prowl. The killer is here for revenge – the sister of the killer’s boss is the target. But before he could strike, he sees someone else – the girl calls him maestro. The ‘maestro’ is faster than any killer the um, other killer has seen – a punch to the neck and the girl falls limp. The maestro then pulls a handful of hair from her scalp, chomps it down and finally disposes the body into the ocean. The killer who’s still hiding in the dark is shocked. Who is this maestro? Most importantly, why did he want Elisa dead?
We are then introduced to three characters who end up playing a significant role in the story. There’s Sebastian – his journey from Asia to UK to America – killings included… Then we have Max Cutler, his upbringing and events leading up to Max learning of his sister’s disappearance/death. Next comes Robert. Max takes leave from work and starts to investigate. He learns from a pretty air hostess that many people have gone missing on cruise liners in the past decade. The investigation takes him to a woman named Cheryl. Cheryl’s husband disappeared while they couple were on a cruise vacation. Max sets up office of his own, hires private investigators and programmers who can track down murders and deaths on cruise liners.
Three characters and their side stories are intricated woven into one mind-blowing thriller. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing is absolutely fantastic. David Evans is a master storyteller, no doubt about it. Apart from the three main characters, we have plenty of side characters. At times, it was difficult for me to remember who’s who but this didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.
Two serial killers, one target. There’s no chase to ‘reach the target’ first. They are totally unaware of each other! Max and group of ex-military and white hat hackers are excellent at what they do. The ending is mind-blowing. Just when they thought the perp is dead… the bugger gives them a hard time once again!
I hope to read more of Max Cutler’s adventures; I am not sure if this is going to be a part of a series but I certainly hope it is. If you love gripping thrillers full of twists, you must have Tidal Rage by David Evans on your list.
Many thanks to Loudhailer Books for the ARC.
The Book Decoder 
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