Majestic Descending » (Bargain)

Mitchell Graham was born in New York City and practiced law for twenty years. He lives in Marietta, Georgia. He holds a degree in neuropsychology and was a champion fencer with over eighty-two titles in his career.

Soon to be a major motion picture

It was supposed to be a vacation…

Katherine Adams is taking a cruise on the fabulous Ocean Majestic, the largest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world. This is exactly the break Katherine needs from her demanding Atlanta legal practice…and it’s also a chance to forget the demons that still haunt her, to forget the madman who abducted and tortured her twenty years ago.

On board the Majestic, Katherine meets John Delaney, a streetwise ex-NYPD detective who is now a lawyer. Romance is certainly in the air, but all is not quite right aboard the Majestic. Events soon turn Katherine’s romantic dream into another grisly nightmare.

Katherine witnesses a violent argument between two men. Then one of them turns up dead. After Katherine and Delany narrowly escape from a disaster of terrifying proportions, she must quickly learn how to survive in the dark and dangerous world of international conspiracy and terrorism. From the blood-smeared decks of the Majestic to the achingly beautiful—and dangerous—countryside of Italy, to the streets of New York City, Katherine finds herself in a desperate race against a ruthless hit man. And, unless she and Delany can unmask the sinister cabal behind the killing, she will certainly become his next victim.

Majestic Descending delivers suspense, captivating characters, romance, and humor—it will haunt you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Publishers Weekly

After three fantasies (The Fifth Ring, etc.), Graham ventures into thriller waters with mixed results. Katherine Adams, an Atlanta lawyer dealing in domestic cases, sees herself as "damaged goods" because as a teenager she was abducted by a madman who mounted his female victims' heads on his "trophy room" wall. Now she's off on a cruise to Europe with her best pal and old college roommate, Beth Doliver. They board the Ocean Majesticin Miami along with biogenetics professor Ellis Stephens, who's just made a discovery that promises major medical miracles and vast personal wealth. Belowdecks, a couple of Arab terrorists skulk about setting explosives. At times, the language appears aimed at a romance audience: "The amused look that usually played at the corners of his mouth dropped away, leaving only a gentle caring man in its place." On the plus side, Graham writes a good courtroom scene and the sinking of the Majesticis exciting. Hopefully, he'll rely less on genre clichés in his next outing. (June)