A deathbed letter from across the sea shatters the quiet life of Louis Brandon, hurling him into a relentless quest for justice. His family's fortune has been stolen, his father's life destroyed, and the man responsible-a shadowy scoundrel with ties to a mysterious murder-now wields unimaginable power.

But before Brandon can strike back, a treacherous agent of his enemy casts him overboard into the unforgiving depths of the Indian Ocean. Washing ashore on the desolate and terrifying Coffin Island, Brandon finds himself entirely alone-until the shifting sands reveal the sunken hull of the Vishnu, the very ship where a legendary massacre took place.

In Cord and Creese, author Monica Downey weaves a pulse-pounding historical thriller of survival, ancient secrets, and blood-soaked vengeance. As Brandon uncovers a chilling confession sealed within a rusted bottle, he realizes the conspiracy runs deeper-and darker-than he ever feared. Will the island be his tomb, or the crucible where he forges his ultimate revenge?