But in this case, Lucas doesn't see how, for Santiago isn't a threat. He's just an old fisherman, and an unlucky one. But when Lucas digs deeper, he finds that Santiago isn't merely unlucky; his bad luck is extraordinary, the stuff of legends. And nobody, Lucas thinks, is that unlucky.

When Santiago vanishes for several days, and returns after an apparent battle with an enormous marlin and dozens of sharks, Lucas is convinced that something else is going on. The story of the marlin and the sharks might make for a passable tale, but it also makes for an excellent distraction. What was Santiago really doing for those three days? And how far will Lucas go to get to the truth?

With the kind of writing that makes one appreciate the simple things in life, it's no wonder The Havana Times says, "The spare writing style is wildly at odds with a noir thriller, and I've got to question the sanity of anyone who thought this was a good idea."