The Pitards

''Read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss'' Sunday TimesCaptain Lannec has finally managed to buy his own ship with the financial help of his in-laws, the Pitards - and they''ve never let h ...

''Read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss'' Sunday TimesCaptain Lannec has finally managed to buy his own ship with the financial help of his in-laws, the Pitards - and they''ve never let him forget it. When his temperamental wife Mathilde insists on coming along on the ship''s first voyage, Lannec becomes increasingly unnerved by her presence, especially when he receives an anonymous note saying he won''t make it back to port. As they hit a storm in the Atlantic, jealousy, spite, snobbery and suspicion are churned up in the boat''s stiflingly close quarters...First publi