Alistair MacLean · 1966 · sea

Alistair MacLean's 1966 thriller. Ships laden with gold bullion are vanishing in the seas off western Scotland, and British Treasury agent Philip Calvert is sent to find out how. His hunt leads to the sleepy Highland port of Torbay, in the misty lochs of the Hebrides, where beneath a show of innocence a ruthless gang of pirates - and a sadistic tycoon - are waiting for him.

1. 1
   The Irish Sea

   Ships carrying fortunes in gold bullion are being hijacked and vanishing from the seas off Scotland. When two agents planted aboard fall silent, Treasury man Philip Calvert is sent north to hunt the pirates down.

2. 2
   Torbay

   Calvert traces the latest missing ship to the Highland port of Torbay in the Hebrides, where he and his partner pose as marine biologists - and find the locals hostile and a Greek tycoon's yacht at anchor.

3. 3
   Loch Houron

   Among the wild tide races of Loch Houron, where the Beul nan Uamh runs like a mill stream, Calvert dives to find the hijacked ships - and the captive crews held hostage to keep their families silent.

4. 4
   Dubh Sgeir

   On the island of Dubh Sgeir, in the cellars beneath Lord Kirkside's castle, Calvert closes with the pirates at last - alone against them and the storm, before the eighth bell can toll for him too.