The Storm Prophet (Hector Macdonald, Viking, $32,95 pb, ISBN 9780670071012, October) ****

A tale of shipwreck with a difference, The Storm Prophet is difficult to sum up. It is set in an alternate present, when an election for the position of ‘First Citizen’ is taking place. The First Citizen has no political power, and behaves more like a king—opening hospitals, presenting trophies, etc. The main character, Petra Woods, is the director of the Sydney New Coastguard. Her best friend Kirsten McKenzie is the director of Sentinel Bank, and is desperate for good publicity in the lead-up to a stock issue; she wants to win the Sydney to Hobart. When the girls and their boyfriends take a holiday to South Africa, Kirsten becomes entranced with Moses, who is able to predict the future. She brings him back to Australia, another publicity stunt, but ignores his most ominous prediction: that people will die in the Sydney to Hobart race. I found the alternate time and the First Citizen elections were unnecessary, but I admit that I did find myself literally on the edge of my seat reading some scenes. There are so many plotlines in this book, but it is fascinating. A few surprising twists don’t go astray either. A great read for anyone who enjoys slow-starting thrillers.

Jessica Broadbent is a former bookseller who now lurks in bookstores she loves, handselling books she’s enjoyed reviewing to customers, and tidying messy shelves

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2007, Thorpe-Bowker