It’s a real pleasure to be able to write about Jeffrey Briggs’ novels, Out of the Cold Dark Sea and this year’s Within a Shadowed Forest, both published by Water’s End Press.. Many years ago, Jeff invited me to be a part of a writer’s group he put together. I learned a lot and could see with the talent and effort he was putting into his writing, Jeff would some day have some great books to his credit. That day has come.
While these novels aren’t about sailing or boating per se, they are appropriately called “waterfront mysteries,” and they are infused with the Pacific Northwest feel. Jeff has lived aboard and cruised the Northwest, run the Northwest Yacht Brokers Association and at one time wrote frequently for 48 North. He has also published two other books, Confessions of a Liveaboard and SoundWatch: An Environmental Guide for Boaters. He’s been a part of the PNW sailing community for more than 30 years.
Out of the Cold Dark Sea surprised me. I expected something aboard boats. Frankly, I’m really glad the setting was waterfront and not onboard. It’s pretty hard to set a mystery on a boat, but you certainly can set a mystery around the Seattle waterfront with launching ramps, nearby rare book stores and the police boat moorage on Lake Union. In this book Briggs introduces us to heroine Martha Whitaker. She’s all you could want in a heroine; smart, persistent, tough as hell, flawed and with a backstory that makes you root for her all the way. The first book was a mystery and adventure story that kept my interest and made me curious about her next adventure
And the next adventure sounds exciting, even it has more to do with the Lake Superior waterfront than Seattle’s. From the Amazon ordering page: “Seattle attorney Martha Whitaker is beginning to heal after recent betrayals left her wounded and grieving. An explosion in Minnesota sends her off to the Lake Superior waterfront to help her friend James MacAuliffe. Someone blew up his truck and a charred body is discovered in the wreckage. Who is it? And, if MacAuliffe was the intended victim, who is after him and why? Together, he and Martha pursue a trail of clues that lead them up the North Shore to the scenic village of Grand Marais, into the vast northern forest, and onto the frigid waters of Lake Superior in search of answers—and a shadowed killer.”
I can’t speak to Martha’s next adventure, I haven’t read it – yet. But these days books are a great escape from the reality we’re in.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.