Resumo de Seawitch - Alistair MacLean

Seawitch is just a bit darker than some of MacLean?s other novels. As it opens we?re privy to a secret meeting between ten of the worlds oil big-wigs. They?re meeting to decide on a way to get Lord Worth ? owner of an oil company that?s breaking unwritten oil laws and undercutting the other companies? prices. The 10 oilmen decide to hire a ruthless ?trouble shooter?, Cronkite, who happens to have a personal grudge against Lord Worth, to deal with the Lord Worth problem. At any cost? Cronkite decides to go against Worth?s massive oil rig in international ocean waters ? the Seawitch. When Lord Worth learns of the plot he takes some unconventional and illegal steps to defend the Seawitch. He raids the local military base for weapons and has his personal army of mercenaries arm the Seawitch to the teeth.

Cronkite seems to have the upper hand until he kidnaps Lord Worth?s two beautiful daughters. Herein lies his biggest mistake. Lord Worth?s daughters are being courted by a pair of ex-cops turned private investigators. The P.I.?s ? Roomer and Mitchell ? turn on the cold fury when their sweethearts are kidnapped. Though Cronkite starts out one step ahead, Roomer and Mitchell quickly gain the upper hand. The balance of power shifts several times, but in the end Roomer and Mitchell save the girls, do away with the Cronkite problem and protect Lord Worth from the consequences of his illegal activities.

The book seems darker than some of MacLean?s others for two reasons: 1) Roomer and Mitchell show a marked nonchalance as they take care of Cronkite and company at the end of the book and 2) Mitchell and Roomer cover-up Lord Worth?s indiscretions. In some of his other books MacLean let?s his heroes stand aside as frontier justice takes care of the bad guys, but I don?t remember those heroes blatantly covering something up for selfish reasons. Here Roomer and Mitchell protected Lord Worth specifically so the daughters would still adore them.

While Seawitch was enjoyable to read, I did get a bit tired of Mitchell?s attitude toward his girlfriend ? always belittling her when he had to explain his tactics and reasonings. The book is definitely full of action and power-plays. The workings of the oil industry are explained sufficiently to help the reader understand all the implications of what?s going on, without overburdening the reader with too much detail. Where Dale Brown or Tom Clancy seem to include every minute detail, MacLean always hits the right balance with his technical details. And as is usual of MacLean, he develops the characters very well and gives them the depth they need to interact meaningfully with each other. This is a very well written and a very exciting book. If you like action and suspense I would recommend trying this book.

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