I really enjoyed this book. Sandy Mason created some lovable characters and set them off fighting a drug cartel which threatened the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Bring it to the beach with you this Summer.

I liked the mystery plot about a missing boater, and liked the main character Johnny even more in "Man Overboard: A Johnny Donohue Adventure," the second novel in the mystery series by Sandy Mason.

I guess you could label this a character-driven novel. Johnny is witty, down to earth, and just a little bit vain about his appearance. He also tells us a lot about life on the Gulf of Florida. Johnny lives on his boat in a marina on the west coast of Florida. While piloting a sailboat for a client from Sarasota to his marina, he and his crew come across an abandoned sailboat way offshore. The boat is empty and the owner of the boat, Tom McNeil, is missing.

Johnny is determined to find out if Tom has been kidnapped by a drug dealers, has run off, or has drowned in an accident. He meets a reporter covering the case, Maria, and together with an ex-cop and friend Lonnie they try to figure out Tom's disappearance.

Amiable, chatty, with a humorous outlook on life, Johnny introduces us to his world of sailboats, races, the sailing community, the west coast of Florida, and the pleasures of living fulltime on a boat. We also find out about why he left the corporate world in New York City and headed south for a more laid-back lifestyle.

As a subplot, Johnny helps his father reveal a secret kept hidden for fifty years. In the end, the would-be sleuth Johnny gets into the action by helping the police nab the culprits, while also winning the affections of the fetching Maria. A very enjoyable book, a good read for summer.

I was happy to see that Sandy Mason follwed up with another Johnny Donohue Adventure. The main characters that were introduced to us in Storm Damage are back and more clearly defined. It is a fun summer read, although would be just as enjoyable on a snowy day in New York. Great escape book. Johnny seems to have found a new love and I am curious to see where this relationship goes. Will Maria be a mainstay or be replaced as Carmen was in Storm Damage???? Good story telling, likable characters - it is nice to have stumbled upon a new author and look forward to living vicariously via Johnny D and his Flordia / West Hamptom life.

I have to say Man Overboard was a very enjoyable sitting by the beach or pool read. It was an entertaining read that had mystery, intrigue and a little bit of romance all thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed how Sandy Mason wrote the book in the first person. I can't remember that last time I read a book that was written like that. By doing that, he was able to throw in some witty comments and phrases his main character said so we got a feel for how we thought and felt at certain times. It was nice to get that sarcastic wit or happiness while reading the book. My only downside to the book was the beginning felt a little repetitious. At one point, he actually told us twice what he did for a living almost word for word. It was almost like he forgot he had already added that in the previous chapter or he was going for more pages in the book. But after that hiccup, the book read smoothly and was entertaining. I'm definitely interested in reading more Johnny Donohue Adventures books!!

The protagonist of this novel Johnny Donohue moved to Florida in order to escape corporate life in New York city. Now he lives aboard a sailboat and runs his own software company. This enables him to work his own hours and lead an idyllic lifestyle. When one of his clients goes missing, Johnny networks with the local police and his ex-cop friend Lonnie to try to unravel the mystery. Along the way Johnny meets a beautiful newspaper reporter who is investigating and reporting on the case. As their relationship develops on the personal front, they also begin to discover more clues concerning the missing man and his possible links to drug smugglers.

In amongst his work as an amateur sleuth Johnny spends time on weekend cruises with friends, lots of trips to his local bar, sailboat racing, on-board dinner parties, and catching up with his family and old friends back in his home town. This leads him to an emotional discovery about his father's past and his role in the Vietnam War. By the end of the book the mystery of the missing man is solved and order is restored to Johnny's otherwise peaceful life.

Well the synopsis says it all and you have probably guessed by now that this is the masculine equivalent of chick lit. Do they have a technical term for that? What this book has going for it is that it is a really light-weight simple summer read. It has short chapters (and a lot of short sentences actually) which makes it easy to pick up and put down if you are traveling or at the beach. The style is personable in that the narrator seems to directly address the reader sometimes. It has a summer-time feel to it because of its Florida setting, its boating theme and its constant descriptions of seafood dinners and halter tops worn by the female character. Obviously this is not the type of read that would inspire deep and meaningful conversation but this was probably not the author's intention. It works best if approached as summer escapism reading for boating enthusiasts.

I think Sandy Mason is a good writer and looked forward to reading "Man Overboard" The premise had intrigued me and I jumped into reading it once I received the book. The story takes place in Florida, and deals with a case of a missing person who owned a marina and may have or may have not been involved with drug running. Johnny Donohue, the protagonist of the story is not a private detective but a software developer. Somehow he gets involved with case and also with a local news reporter. That said, the book didn't have tension, no buildup to the climax. It was more like a day (or days) in the life of Johnny Donohue. I hope Mr. Mason's next book is more suspenseful.

Man overboard is an enjoyable read. The story is easy to follow, the characters are enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and anxiously await the next insallment of Johnny Donahue's adventures. Keep up the good work Sandy!

Set in the glam lifestyle of Florida's wealthy yachting coast, hero Johnny Donohue hops from boats to beds in solving this mystery thriller. If you've never read Mason's books, you really should pick this up. It's an easy fun read for the summer, with a different style and a great kick. If you like good stories, fun characters, lots of sun and fun, and a real hero-- "Man Overboard" is for you! As Mikey's brother used to say-- Try it, you'll like it!