Voyage to Oblivion

Seven unforgettable dinner companions convene at table 13--all living the dream of cruising the world's most colorful ports.

Izzy, curmudgeon, widower, has had a nefarious hand in the makeup of the table. Guilty about his wealth, Izzy courts poverty by blowing the remnants of his fortune on a penthouse, and finds an agonizing love in the process.

Tessie, the object of his desire, down to earth, where she keeps her secret;

Burt & Ellen, a CEO and his wife on the brink of disaster;

Neil the cruise pianist shielding his past, besieged by the women passengers;

Gene a former gentleman host trying to recapture a lost love; and

Hector the professor with a special affinity for a shipboard Lolita.

Half the occupants of fated table 13 are convinced this trip is their last hurrah. The other half have yet to realize their fate. These massive characters with their ambitions and agonies burst through the pages with Gardner's engaging style.

This is storytelling at its finest.