The Golden Rendezvous

Written by Alistair MacLean

Narrated by Ciaran Saward

A timeless classic of modern-day piracy from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.

Aboard the SS Campari, all is not well.

For Johnny Carter, the Chief Officer, the voyage has already begun badly; but it’s only when the Campari sails that evening, after a succession of delays that he realises something is seriously wrong.

A member of the crew is suddenly missing and the stern-to-stern search only serves to increase tension. Then violence erupts and suddenly the whole ship is in danger. Is the Campari a victim of modern day piracy? And what of the strange cargo hidden below the decks?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9780008527334

Alistair MacLean

Alistair MacLean, the son of a minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941 he joined the Royal Navy. After the war he read English at Glasgow University and became a teacher. Two and a half years spent aboard a wartime cruiser gave him the background for HMS Ulysses, his remarkably successful first novel, published in 1955. He is now recognized as one of the outstanding popular writers of the 20th century, the author of 29 worldwide bestsellers, many of which have been filmed.

Reviews for The Golden Rendezvous

[veeralpadhiar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A typical MacLean thriller which brings nothing new to the table. But I have read it couple of times nevertheless and I like the character of the wisecracking captain. That's why this book has a special place in my heart. Good memories of adolescent years.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an odd book to read and is an odd book to review. On one hand, so much of it is unbelievable and downright stupid, I want to give it two stars. On the other hand, it's pretty action packed and is somewhat of a page turner. I couldn't put it down. So I'm not sure what to say.An atom bomb is stolen from an American base. A British ship, however, is where the plot takes place. It's truly bizarre. It's a cargo ship, okay, but has also been converted into a luxury liner -- without the traditional luxuries. It's just got 12 luxurious rooms and good food, but no pools or dancing or gambling or ports of call or anything. It goes where the captain wants it to go; there's no itinerary. And there's a waiting list of kings and presidents trying to get aboard, willing to pay millions to do so. And yet they transport cargo. Simply stupid as hell.Be that as it may, our hero, Carter, the first officer, helps run the ship. And he turns out to be nearly omniscient, omnipotent, has near super human powers and it's simply too unbelievable to make you feel like it's remotely real. Murders start occurring on the ship. Carter figures out what's going on. Pirates from a small third world government hijack it for the purpose of hijacking another ship carrying $150 million, as this country is broke and needs the money. Carter gets shot in the leg, while others get shot too. He's transported to the hospital bay, where he is treated -- and from where he escapes to save the day, in a manner that's altogether unbelievable, again. And again, he figures out exactly what's happening -- the pirates have the bomb and are going to blow the ship with its passengers and crew to pieces so there will be no witnesses to the piracy. So he disarms the atomic bomb. With the help of a gorgeous rich girl. Naturally. And when everything is over, he is surprised to hear that they are getting married in a month. She tells him so. Bizarre ending. It reminded me of a Doris Day, Rock Hudson movie ending. Of course, this book was published in 1962, so perhaps that makes sense.Even though there's nothing remotely believable in this book, I actually enjoyed it. It was fun to read. It had a a lot of action. It had evil characters, good heroes, the pretty girl, guns -- everything. If only the author had put some more time into making it seem real. Oh well. I guess this book is somewhat recommended....

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Det caraibiske hav, ca 1961S. S. Campari er en lastbåd, der også tager rige passagerer ombord. First officer er Johnny Carter, kaptajnen hedder Bullen og en meget rig Miss Susan Beresford er lidt irriterende.En amerikansk atomfysiker Dr Slingsby Caroline har gjort sig usynlig sammen med et taktisk atomvåben The Twister. S. S. Campari går fra Jamaica med fire store kasser, en kronisk syg Cerdan og Tony Carrera og hans far om bord. Førstehovmester Benson forsvinder få timer efter afsejlingen. Radiotelegrafisten bliver fundet død. Bullen og Carter forstår at noget er helt galt.Senere på natten bliver Carter slået ned, 4. styrmanden Dexter, søn af rederiets ejer, bliver skudt ned og dræbt. Alle radiosendere om bord er ødelagt ved samme lejlighed.Carreraerne og Cerdan afsløres som skurke, men uheldigvis havde de 40 medsammensvorne med i to af de fire kasser ogWilson og Jameison fra besætningen bliver dræbt, mens Carter, Bullen og MacDonald alle bliver såret i skyderiet.Selv om Carter har tre skudsår i det ene ben, lykkes det ham at slå Tony Carrera ihjel, befri Cerdan som viser sig at være Slingsby, bytte den armerede atombombe ud og fuppe Carrera senior og hans fyrretyve røvere til at stikke af på et skib uden guld, men med en tidsindstillet atombombe om bord. Carter får selvfølgelig også milionærdatteren og det halve kongerige til sidst.Udmærket knaldroman med et lidt usandsynligt plot

[jeffome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

St. Barts 2017 #4 - MacLean has always been a favorite......always the swashbuckling normal guy thrust into the middle of unbelievable horror that only he can solve...saving the lives of many innocent people. Grueling inhuman situations....physical strength always ready ot give out...yet somehow finds the wherewithal to pull it off in gripping split-second timing. I love how our hero always ducks into a door to do some necessary quick task, the details we know not, but we find out later it was a brilliant stroke of genius, all playing into the successful conclusion.After years of this on my shelf, i always thought the title had something to do with the Golden Gate Bridge in San-Francisco.....but i was dead wrong.....it is a Caribbean cargo ship offering exclusive luxurious travel to a small number of guests as the it meanders back and forth from the U.S. to the tropics. Bankrupt island dictators, atomic bomb, good guys, ship piracy, lots of bad guys, gold, and of course, the necessary unexpected hurricane all get stirred up into an exciting ride aboard the 'Campari'.....oh, and lets not forget the precocious little ingenue to continually distract our hero Carter from saving them all from sure demise. a little crazy??? maybe....but an awful lot of fun for a vacation read!

[reading_fox · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Carter is First Officer on an unusual tramp steamer plying the world's oceans in the 60s. The steamer is unusual in that it's directors have also added first class cabins for the comfort of various well heeled guests who wish a cruise without the diversions of a typical liner.Shortly after leaving Kingston, jamaica, a member of the crew is found to be missing, and only the heroic capabilities of our first officer can save the remaining crew memeber sand their top flight guests from the consequences. Short sharp and enjoyable, but with minimal characterisation of anyone but Carter and thin even there. Typical high octane and unbelivable action on the high seas.

[delta61 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Golden Rendezvous is a modern tale of pirates. A tramp steamer, with the absurd idea of having A1 cabins for the ultra rich, meanders from port to port. It is hijacked by some of its own passengers and sails on with murder and mayhem to an expected destination. After a slow start, it is fast paced with excitement reminiscent of James Bond.