Maelstrom

In the tense atmosphere of the Cold War, John Fisher, a laid-back Australian, lands a job with a shipping line in Rotterdam, blissfully unaware of the concealed financial and political schemes harboured by some of his new friends and colleagues. He soon finds himself entangled in an international scandal involving influential entities, facing relentless pressure from various quarters.

Navigating the challenges of dealing with intoxicated ship captains, irritable harbour masters, and antagonistic customs officers in Rotterdam and Antwerp seems trivial compared to the daunting task of untangling an accounting debacle for his London headquarters. This ordeal culminates in his role as a witness in a fraud trial in Southampton. Amidst this turmoil, a silver lining emerges as he meets and falls for Nina.

However, the stakes escalate dramatically with a murder, thrusting Fisher into a maelstrom of political intrigue

Tom Quinn was born in Glasgow in 1948. Leaving school at 15, he worked in a shipping line office for some years, becoming involved in the North Sea Oil industry, at one stage, captaining a barge on the River Clyde. He moved to Rotterdam, the world’s largest port, in 1975 where he continued his career in shipping, making regular trips to other European cities. He returned to Scotland and became a founding partner in a small shipping and forwarding company before emigrating to Australia in 1988. In his time in Australia, as part of his work for the oil industry, he has spent time living and working in Melbourne, Darwin, and visiting Singapore, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. In 2000, he won the HarperCollins Fiction Prize for his first novel, Striking It Poor. Tom is married and now lives in Melbourne with his wife, three children and nine grandchildren. He plays the guitar, reads literature, listens to classical music, and occasionally works as a logistics consultant for a major multinational.