The Lion’s Den

Belle is excited to be going on her first Mediterranean cruise aboard a yacht owned by her best friend’s fiance to celebrate her birthday. Joining them is her best friend, Summer’s mother and sister as well as two more of their friends. The first indication that there is something wrong with this trip is when they are not only made to wait for hours before boarding the private plane that will take them to the yacht, but there is a seating chart once they get on board. Belle knows that she will be sick if she is made to sit facing the back of the plane, but she is not allowed to move out of her assigned seat. Things just get stranger from there as Belle realizes that once they board the yacht, they are being locked in their cabins at night.
The Lion’s Den is a bizarre story that starts out as a simple rivalry between friends but slowly turns into something more sinister. There are two narratives being told in alternating chapters. One takes place in the present, following Belle on her trip aboard the yacht; the other begins ten years ago and finally meets the current story in the very last chapter. Much of the story wreaks of melodrama that deteriorates into some kind of spy adventure. Having said that, however, I was extremely anxious to get to the finish in order to find out what actually happens. Some details are left as loose ends, but for the most part, the story is completed with a relatively satisfying but somewhat patronizing ending.