Title: LINER
Author: Chris Coppel
ISBN: 978 1800469 655
Publisher: Matador / Troubador Publishing Ltd
Pages: 266
Source: ARC from the publisher
Tour organised by Blackthorn Book Tours
David Easton believed his life was in complete ruins. He managed to scrape together just enough money for a one-way ticket on the fabulous Oceanis. It was the most luxurious liner afloat and he planned to revel in all its opulent pleasures until in the middle of the Atlantic crossing – he would leap from the fantail, thus ending his pain and misery. The problem was that he never dreamed that while counting down the hours until his death, he would meet Diana and together face horrors that threatened the ship and all aboard her. At first, it was just mental images and dreams, but as the days passed, their very reality began to bend beyond anything their minds could have imagined. Together they had to find what was happening to the Oceanis and how they could save the great liner and all her passengers.
Official Summary
04 October 2021
Liner is a creative look at the mysterious disappearance of a luxury ocean liner during the 1960s. The author tells an unusual gripping tale filled with unexplained events while an unlikely couple finds themselves developing a romance among ghastly events onboard the ship.
Chris Coppel is not an author I have had the privilege of reading before. Liner was an intriguing introduction to this authors work. He tells a usual story in a crafty and unique way with added humour that had me laughing out loud while reading.
The supernatural elements of the story would not normally be my cuppa tea, but combined with a mild romance, loads of maritime knowledge and a touch of scientific details Coppel created a welcome change to my everyday reading.
David Easton has had his life ripped away, he is divorced, he lost his job and his children no longer seem too concerned with spending any time with him. He feels as if he has nothing left and decides to take his own life. After extended research on the best suicide option, he spend the last of his money on a first-class ticker aboard the Oceanis, planning to end his life with a magical dive overboard.
However, plagued by nightmares and hallucinations the right time never seems to present itself. When he meets Diana, they form a quick friendship and David believes he has found a reason to keep living. However, the strange events aboard the ship leave them digging into things that perhaps they should have left alone.
While I do not make a habit of reaching for a book in the horror/supernatural genre, Liner proved to be a refreshing surprise. The author combined various elements with humour and creative storytelling. I loved how this book left me laughing out loud, and my family giving me strange looks across the room as they waited for me to explain.
David Easton is introduced as a man who has lost his will to live. He comes across as weak and desperate, yet as the story develops you see a remarkable change in him. He becomes stronger with every page you turn and ends up almost being a hero. The author did a wonderful job getting the reader to understand the change that happened within David. Adding Diana to the mix with her cheeky, strong persona added a lighter touch to the story.
This book while being a little out of my comfort zone turned out to be an entertaining, light read which is just what I needed. I loved it.
If you are looking for a light-hearted creative story that gives you romance as well as supernatural events with some maritime knowledge mixed in and is guaranteed to make you laugh – then I highly recommend Liner.
About The Author
Bio from the author’s site
Chris believes that stories should be able to transport the reader to different places, where they can experience events and dimensions that have never been considered. Chris is able to write gentle fable-like adventures (Lucy) as well as opening the pages into dark and terrifying stories where dimensions co-exist with indescribable evil (Legacy).
Chris Coppel was born in California and has since split his time between the USA and Europe, living in California, Washington DC, Utah, Spain, France, Switzerland and England.
Chris has held senior operations positions for both Warner Bros. and Universal Studios. Chris also held the position of Director of Operations for UCLA’s Film School where he also taught advanced screenwriting. Chris and his wife Clare spent many years helping animal rescue with Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. Before joining Best Friends, Chris was President and Managing Director of the Home Entertainment Division of Testronics in Los Angeles.
Following in his father’s footsteps (Alec Coppel wrote Vertigo among many other successful movies) Chris has written numerous screenplays as well as the novels Liner, Lucy, Lakebed, Legacy, The Lodge and Luck.
Chris is also an accomplished drummer and guitarist.
Thank you to Matador and Blackthorn Book Tours for this review copy. I cannot remember when the last time was that I read a book that had me laughing out loud. I enjoyed this book, it was exactly what I needed. Have you read any of Chris Coppel’s books? Which is your favourite? Leave a comment below and I will add it to my TBR.
As always your support of the blog is greatly appreciated, until next time… Happy Reading!
Interesting Review!
It was an interesting read.