“Second Wind”

Second Wind is a novel by local author, Marilinne Cooper

First there was Irma. Then came Maria. In the disastrous aftermath of these two colossal hurricanes, Tucker Mackenzie finds himself stranded on the Puerto Rican island of Culebra with an escaped inmate and a sailboat with a secret stash. When Tucker’s ex-con companion is literally discovered dead in the water, Tucker is suddenly on the run from a newfound enemy. With the help of his girlfriend, Fiona, and her extreme survival skills, Tucker disappears into the backdrop of a Caribbean community that is rebuilding itself from a devastating Category 5 storm. Moving from beach to bungalow to bunker to boat, he makes plans to escape the tropical trap into which he has unwittingly stumbled. Tyler Mackenzie, who hasn’t heard from Tucker in almost two years, follows his missing son’s trail to Tortola and on to Culebra. Enlisting the help of colorful local personalities along the way, Tyler soon learns that Tucker’s mother, Lucy Brookstone, has simultaneously launched her own search for the boy, However, Lucy’s endeavors have been seriously undermined by an unchecked spate of bingeing behavior, which includes a thirst for gin and tonics, a never-ending appetite, and an attraction for seriously bad men. While Lucy’s shortcomings continue to derail her efforts, Tyler’s investigation into Tucker’s disappearance leads him unwittingly into one of the deadliest encounters of his life. Contrasting Tucker’s escapades with his parents’ misadventures in paradise, Second Wind’s suspenseful narrative moves back and forth through time, weaving these three compelling storylines together to a thrilling climax with an unexpected twist.