Drake's Bay  E-mail this product to a friend

“Ethan Storey, a San Francisco State academic, is bored when his girlfriend Kay drags him to an open house at the Willems Institute, until the resident curator suggests that he might take on archivist duties cataloging the collection of 15th- and 16th-century volumes. No sooner is the ink dry on his confidentiality agreement than he suspects that lurking somewhere in the collection are the log books in which Sir Francis Drake documented his quest for the Northwest Passage. Just when Ethan thinks he’s making headway, an Iowa scholar is murdered, the Institute succumbs to an arsonist, hints are dropped of World War II Nazi espionage, and Kay’s professional and sexual loyalties come into question. Ethan must ride out the storm, literally and figuratively, aboard his father’s hand-built boat. Roberts knows his way around incunabula, boats, the California coastline and relationships floundering in secrets.” —Kirkus

“Indiana Jones would have been an idyllic substitute for Ethan Storey. T. A. Roberts is a very talented writer and leaves his audience wanting more. Be prepared to spend a few hours enjoying this delightfully woven adventure in San Francisco Bay whilst you are swept away on sea and land.” —Clark’s Eye on Books

“Dan Brown’s blockbuster The Da Vinci Code may have set a competitive standard for intellectual mysteries: big, convoluted, with historical manuscripts and murder at their core. Though not as hefty or cryptographically complicated, T.A. Roberts’ Drake’s Bay, an absorbing tale of action and romance, should find a substantial readership among those who like their suspense tales literate and full of local color—and not as long. Drake’s Bay is a good way to launch the sailing season. It would also not be surprising if, like Roberts’ previous books, it were to be nominated for an Edgar by Mystery Writers of America” —Baum on Books in The Independent and NPR

T.A. ROBERTS is the author of two Edgar Award mystery finalists: The Heart of the Dog and Beyond Saru. He is a weekend wooden boat mariner and his profession as a wildlife biologist is the source of two collections of natural history essays. He and his lifelong shipmate Mary live in San Francisco.