Title: Fade to black
First published: 1997
Description: Neal Donahoe walks the piers of Santa Barbara as the town's acting Harbormaster. And Coast Guard Lieutenant Tory Lennox, the newcomer on the dock, is beginning to feel a part of the floating world that makes up the city's marina and her beat. Nevertheless, Neal and Tory have their problems. Tory's reputation is frozen in mud, and she seems doomed to wither quietly at her post. What's more, she and Neal are at personal loggerheads. He's pushing for marriage, and Tory's not sure what she wants.

Enter Erling Halvorsen. Erling - family man, self-declared minister of God, and skipper of the Prophet Jonah, a maritime eyesore on Santa Barbara's pristine shoreline - finds an angel in Tory, who is touched by the plight of the Halvorsen clan. When Tory's boss lowers the boom and orders the boat our of the harbor, she befriends the Halvorsens and helps them move. For Tory, it's a simple act of kindness. For Erling, it's a celestial sign. He has found the one.

Meanwhile, Halvorsen's eldest son is a delinquent dock rat who just happens to be around when local painter Wilbur Andreas is blinded by acetone. Martha, the oldest daughter, is quietly rebellious but obviously terrified of her father. The three remaining children are wise beyond their years. And Erling's righteous zeal masks a rage that can consume everyone he loves - including Tory.

Finally, in a single act of apocalyptic daring, the storm erupts. Caught in its center, Tory will need all the courage she can summon to prevent a bloodbath. And, trapped at its outermost edge, Neal must race against time to save both the woman and the world he loves.
Subjects: Fiction, Donahoe, neal (fictitious character), fiction, Lennox, tory (fictitious character), fiction, California, fiction, Fiction, mystery & detective, general
Places: Santa Barbara (Calif.)