Recently retired from full-time ministry and hoping to see the world while serving God, Pastor James Atterley leaves his home in South Carolina with his wife, Candace, and joins the mysterious Majestic Waves Cruises as a chaplain. Instead of the adventurous retirement they had planned, Atterley discovers that all is not right on their ship, the Grand Rapina. As the ship fills with refugees looking for a new start in the United States, it becomes clear that safety is the last thing to be found onboard. While hunger and pirates plague the ship, it is the machinations of the Grand Rapina’s crew that prove there is true evil sailing the seas. Pastor Atterley must navigate these troubled spiritual waters, weighing the faith and ethics of a lifetime against the needs of each new moment of terror. This is the emotionally intense story of the moral courage that emerges in the heart of a faithful man who has never been so tested by problems of social justice, and how he navigates through an ocean of uncertainty with only his imperfect commitment to an inscrutable God to guide him.

For adult readers of literary fiction.

Text includes study questions for book clubs, small groups, and classrooms.

Recommended by Kirkus Reviews.
A textured, riveting portrait of a good man caught in a horrifying situation. Our verdict: GET IT.