Sailing For Grace

by Joseph Bauer

Overview

The novel is a story of love, loyalty, friendship and the intersection of law and personal morality— when the right thing to do may not be the legal thing to do. You might sum the story up as: "A wealthy widower risks his freedom to fulfill a promise made to his dying wife.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781960018519
Publisher:	Running Wild Press
Publication date:	09/15/2024
Pages:	412
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Joseph Bauer writes novels from his homes in Charleston, SC and Cleveland, OH. Sailing for Grace is his fourth published novel, following The Accidental Patriot, The Patriot’s Angels, and Too True to Be Good.

Editorial Reviews

2024-10-15
In Bauer’s novel, a semi-retired New England businessman keeps a promise to his deceased wife and quickly finds himself in over his head.

Newport, Rhode Island–based Will Goodbow’s wife, Grace, was a passionate human rights advocate, and before she died, and she elicited a promise from him that he’d visit the U.S.–Mexico border and reunite some of the families separated by the current presidential administration’s new “zero tolerance”policy. Will’s preferred way to relax is to sail on his yacht, so when he makes the trip down to the borderlands, he’s out of his depth immediately. He meets aid workers, border agents, would-be immigrants, and nuns in his quest to understand the situation and figure out how he can keep his promise. He first visits El Paso to see the crisis firsthand and encounters a child being rushed to the hospital whose parents have been forbidden to accompany her. He then flies to Honduras to visit the U.S. consulate and experiences the danger that the families are fleeing. As he begins to form a plan to keep his vow, the businessman attracts the interest of the FBI. But trusting, generous Will finds he has a lot of support in his corner. Bauer’s fourth novel draws of elements of multiple genres in a narrative that’s part thriller, part mystery, and part legal drama. It’s an introspective and dialogue-heavy story, often setting the plot aside as it dives deep into history, geography and politics, or holds forth on the workings of the U.S. immigration and criminal justice systems for its readers. However, its personal take on the immigration crisis and the people it affects, as seen from the perspective of a naïve main character, is effective; its humanitarian stance seems designed to appeal to a wide range of readers, no matter their politics.

A dense but deeply felt novel of immigration.

Kirkus Reviews