The Penitent Heart — Alex Willis

“The Penitent Heart,” is one man's journey from despair to hope. It is the story of Bill, a hapless househusband, who while being under the influence of alcohol causes a road traffic accident, and the subsequent death of the other driver. Overloaded with stress and guilt, Bill suffers a debilitating emotional breakdown. Bill abandons his wife, Ruth, and her three young daughters by her first marriage, to become a cook on a charter yacht bound for the Amazon. Bill finds himself sucked into a tale of intrigue. Why has Captain Larsen accepted this unusual charter instead of the regular cruising waters of the Caribbean? And Dr Kaufmann and his team of anthropologists; are they really investigating the effects of low rainfall on the indigenous people of the Amazon River? “The Penitent Heart,” is a modern, action packed, seafaring action adventure story about those who Bill meets on his unexpected journey. Characters to love and hate, and those who live, those who die, and those who Bill left behind. And high on the character-list is the mighty Leviathan, 105 feet of rail down, spray tossing, storm defying sail boat. Bill may have run away from his wife, his family, and his responsibilities, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't run away from the shadowy spectre of his past. He realizes that one day, sooner than later, he will have to decide whether to keep on running or stop and face the music.