East of the Hague Line

Book excerpt: East of the Hague Line is an adventurous, dramatic and quickly paced suspense novel written about life at sea commercial fishing in the Gulf of Maine and the far reaching tempestuous North Atlantic. Maines rugged Coastline is comprised of more than three thousand miles of bays, inlets, and peninsulas that create isolated close-knit fishing communities. The people who live in these seaside towns have one thing in common, a deep-rooted bond with the ocean. East of the Hague Line takes a close personal look at what it takes to live the life of an offshore fisherman. Writer Gordon Holmes, a Maine native, captures the rhythms and tensions of life aboard a commercial fishing boat. The crew of the fishing vessel Jubilee is comprised of four hardened fishermen, hopeful for good fishing, whose loved ones wait at home, fearful for the lives of their men. Fishermen depend on a good catch to earn their living but what happens when manipulation, deceit and betrayal by a trusted crewmember changes the tide? Young Tom Anderson fulfills a lifelong dream when he signs on with Captain Joseph Scanton to go fishing aboard the Jubilee on the North Atlantic. He gets far more than he bargained for when his captain is forced to take his boat and crew into a perilous situation in uncharted waters east of the Hague Line. Scantons decision puts their freedom and their lives at stake as they sail into a trap that will change their destiny forever.