Though best known for his historical fiction, Cornwell also turned out a couple of nautical thrillers in his early days. Killer's Wake is one of them.

John Rossendale, 28th Lord of Stowey, is the black sheep of his family and has taken to the sea in his sailboat Sunflower to escape their scorn. Called home to England by his mother's impending death, he finds himself dragged into a hunt for a family heirloom, a Van Gogh painting he'd previously been accused of stealing.

It turns out his mother has only called him home to curse him before she dies and tell him she's willed the still-missing painting to his spiteful twin sister.

He reluctantly agrees to help in the search for the painting after the tycoon who lusts for it agrees to provide security for Rossendale's mentally challenged other sibling, the only one of his family he does care about. The quest pits him against vicious adversaries who threaten his life as well as that of the tycoon's stepdaughter, who soon becomes Rossendale's romantic interest.

It's a fast-moving plot with myriad twists, realistic characters and lots of nautical action.

Despite his passion for sailing, Cornwell has been accused of making a few blatant errors in his nautical jargon, but don't let that keep you from reading what all-in-all is a decent thriller.

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