Richard Mariner and his wife, Robin, are in the Indian Ocean on the trial voyage of a high-tech sailing boat designed, built, and owned by two Vietnam veterans, ‘Doc’ Weary and Sam Hood, when they encounter a burning freighter.She has been strafed by gunfire, the crew has abandoned her — and her cargo had been armaments.In the Persian Gulf, Prometheus II, the giant flagship of the Heritage Mariner tanker fleet, and its crew, are seized by terrorists. But the holders of the hostages make no demands.Sir William Heritage, Robin's father, and Richard's friend and partner, cannot contact his daughter and son-in-law, and is unable to obtain any information about who has hijacked his ship, or why.He flies to Bahrain to investigate — and is immediately kidnapped himself.The three incidents are linked to one mysterious terrorist group — a group controlled by a madman.From the northern waters of the Indian Ocean to the sinister explosives dumping zones in the Gulf of Oman, and from the beautiful shimmering waters of the Gulf to the fierce heat of Hormuz, this power-packed sea thriller speeds to a high-octane climax.