Paperback: 288 Pages

Adult-Thriller

Review Copy/TLC Tours

Warnings: Heavy drug reference, violence, language, sexuality

3/5 Stars (for ages 18&up)

Whatever you do, don’t read this one on the beach.

Six strangers wake up on a remote island in the Florida Keys with no memory of their arrival. They soon discover their sole commonality: all are heroin addicts from the slums of Miami. And all of them are aching for their next fix.

As the excruciating pangs of withdrawal become more and more pronounced, the six face their captors across open water. The four shadowy figures on the yacht are dangerous predators who know that their victims’ need never falters—and that the creatures that swim beneath the waves have equally rapacious appetites.

There is a note. No one is coming to your aid. We have ensured this. So begins a dangerous game. The six must make an unimaginable choice—swim to the next island where a cache of the purest heroin awaits; or die trying. As the fight to survive intensifies, the astonishing motivations of the men on board ship emerge, raising the stakes to towering heights.

Thoughts

Although Bait takes place on a beach, its certainly not a beach read. By the premise it sounds like a jacked up episode of Survivor, but Ill warn you its a much more jacked up story about drug addiction and violence than it is about surviving an obstacle course.

Messum with the use of six characters takes readers into a dark world of drug abuse and the instinct to survive, or should I say the instinct for these individuals to find the next hit at any cost, including the unthinkable. Bait not only recreates a Jaws nightmare, but also adds contemporary drama by adding each persons background story with sharp writing and well developed personas. Not saying that I liked everything about this book because the violence was disturbing for me, but between the fast moving plot, and gruesome outcomes, it was easy to get sucked into the drama unfolding.

If I could see anything positive while reading this, it probably was about second chances and the strength of human determination. None of these characters had redeeming backgrounds, they were all junkies with no futures and no benefit to society as a whole. They fit in the stereotype perfectly, and while I saw the second chance thread and it made me ponder how I cast individuals with a drug problem, it didn't change my mind. As much as I wanted to feel sorry for these characters, I didn't, and as much as I wanted to see them get across to the Island, I didn't want them to. Sounds harsh, but unless you've been touched by the world of a drug addict, wishful thinking is low on the list, even for a make believe story.

Other than throwing druggies to the sharks, perhaps what the book was saying is that drug addicts can be saved with aggressive therapy, however that is stretching the message a bit and of course there is no Island with man-eating monsters wanting to eat your face off for the real life heroine addict, a scenario that forced these fictional characters into immediate detox. For now is all we have is 30-day rehab in posh hospitals that have over a 60% failure rate....perhaps its time to start rethinking those sharks.

This is not for everyone, the language is crude (at times offensive) and many of the violent scenes are stomach turning foul. I myself would only recommend this to readers who enjoy disturbing thrillers and can handle gruesome bloody violence.

J. Kent Messum is an author, musician, and always bets on the underdog. He lives in Toronto with his wife, dog, and three cats.

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