The Big Tide

Eric Sumners, a rich businessman in the Pacific Northwest, has it all: smart, handsome, successful, and happily married to a beautiful woman of perfect artistic and social taste. One day, on a whim, he decides to give his wife a luxurious sailboat. But when someone as rich as Eric decides to do something, the side-effects on regular people's lives can be spectacular. Suddenly, down at the waterfront, the grandiose opportunity created by Sumners spawns ever-expanding waves of hope, but also conjures up deep currents of jealousy, greed and hidden desire. Suspense, romantic and professional intrigue, aspirations and dreams, are soon engulfed as The Big Tide sweeps all before it with the promises and delusions of unfettered ambition, passion, art and love. Four Stars - Kirkus Reviews: "Heberden paints a particular portrait of American wants, values, and ideals in this contemporary literary novel. The story's point of view shifts from chapter to chapter, lending insight into each character in turn as they move around and past each other in an intricate dance of wants, needs, and secrets. Readers will be richly rewarded with a truly excellent piece of Americana. A complex and engrossing read about building a boat." "The Big Tide by Marc Heberden is a drama-filled adventure.... The rich cast of characters leads to high suspense, trouble, and intrigue. What one character does affects the next character, like watching a domino fall onto another one as hidden desires spark the plot as readers follow every page. Boat building's beauty and artistry is refreshing to read about in a fictional novel that no other writer has put into a novel before. Marc Heberden is a talented writer who can grab readers and keep them interested until the last page: A deep yet steadily paced novel that readers everywhere will enjoy reading.... highly recommend...." - San Francisco Book Review "... a very good book. The building of a boat is the intriguing setting for the rich man, the drunk hunk, the sexy secretary, the grumpy vet, the sly coed, the goddess, and the wife. A serious house of cards that makes you hold your breath. The politics, business, and relationships are all too real and human. An excellent conclusion with an unlikely victor and skilled omission of the obvious. This writing is so rich that it's tempting to read aloud. The story has the unique quality [which] recommends it to both men and women." - bayberry