The Pilot Fish

by Vince DeOrchis

What I did not know about pilot fish: they are a carnivorous species of fish that, because of their tendency to follow ships around, were thought in ancient times to actually lead ships to their intended destination. The have a habit of scavenging around sharks, smaller ones even serving as a shark's "toothpick," grabbing small bits of food from between the shark's teeth. And their tendency to shift color, with distinct banding, have inspired shark-protecting decals for surfboards.

None of this, and all of this is germane to the thriller, The Pilot Fish, by Vince DeOrchis. In his book, a malign power, headed by a short, chubby and egotistical dictator, is bent upon teaching the United States a lesson - and has hired ultra-high tech engineers to create the ideal delivery mechanism. Everyone expects hell to be rained down upon us from the sky - DeOrchis imagines it coming from the depths.

And with good reason. DeOrchis, like his lead character, Joe Barrett, was a maritime lawyer, based in New York City. His intimate knowledge of the sea, marine vessels, and maritime law introduce the reader to a world few of us would ever experience. In fact, my one negative comment about the speeding jet ski of a book turned into its greatest kudos: when I began reading, I had no idea what was what and who was who, because the terrain was so unfamiliar. It was, in fact, akin to the first time you scuba dive: you're in a world where even your sense of up and down is slightly distorted, sounds are muffled, your visual field is limited and your movements are slowed. But he quickly and expertly guides the reader into his rarified world, painting a picture of the vessels, the offices, the language and the focus on the sea and those who sail it.

His hero, Joe, girlfriend Dalia and best buddy Ken fly all over the world with alarming speed. Whether Dan Brown invented the here today, halfway across the world the next style of chasing down a mystery or not I don't know, but readers familiar with Brown can expect a story that is centered in New York, then Seoul, South Korea, back to Savannah, Georgia, and then into the middle of the Panama Canal, each with the change of a chapter, and will know the pace and will enjoy the writer's intimate knowledge of his many locations as his characters dine at a cozy Italian restaurant in one chapter, and watch the work of the port captain of Balboa, Panama the next. 

The basic plot is daring and complex in its execution: what if the mechanism for attaching a small sub to the bottom of an-ocean going ship, thus effectively cloaking it as an independent vessel, were perfected, allowing the sub to hitch a ride until such time as it was ready to detach, and perhaps deliver drugs, or arms, without detection, to a port on the other side of the world - or worse, drop a payload of nuclear bombs, programmed to detonate close to the shore of a target city, state and nation? How would it work? What would be involved in orchestrating such a movement, and, if the possibility were discovered, how would you go about locating it - and could you reach it in time to save its intended target?

Joe Barrett is the requisite hero for the story: smart, quick, decent and dedicated - but with a hint of humor and just a bit of self-effacing humility. His girlfriend is sharp as a tack, caring, and capable. And his best friend, a disgraced ship captain with a heart of gold and in-depth and even creative knowledge of ships and the sea. Together they form the team that has a very brief window of opportunity to halt a plot that involves major trading companies, high levels of multiple governments, and uncounted numbers of those at risk if they don't succeed.

It's a fast, compelling, and fun to read book. And bonus: I learned quite a bit along the way.