The residents of Stebbin's Marina were content to let life drift by. They took time off from being lazy to take some tourists for a boat ride once in a while, but mostly they just sat about and drank. Then Leo Rice showed up. He seemed like a nice guy, but he seemed to have a secret. Christy Yale discovered it first — turns out Leo's wife committed suicide after a disasterous week with Rex Rigsby, charter boat owner and predator. Leo was determined to get revenge, but the problem was, as everybody at the marina realized, that he was no match for Rex. Things were resolved in a permanent way at the annual party when Rex got too close to another man's wife. Leo married Christy and took over the marina, guaranteeing that their way of life would continue, although a little better run.

I just re-read this book, and I don't find it nearly as interesting as I did the first time through. The lives of those looking for meaning without God has become a very depressing subject. But I still think John D. MacDonald does as good a job of anybody I've read of describing what life is like for the thoughtful non-Christian. He captures the emptiness, the nagging thought that there is meaning out there somewhere, and the constant search for that meaning in what the world has to offer. I get a feeling that his characters think the way I would think if I didn't know Christ, and it makes me very glad I do.