Plunder

Plunder by Douglas Pike © 2019 Synopsis In 1975 Florida, Kup Donovan, thirty-one, obsessively seeks the wreck of the Estrella Norte, a legendary, 17th-century treasure ship. A misfit, success has eluded Kup due to his many foibles, including drinking, gambling, womanizing and debt delinquency. Kup is assisted in his dark quest by his much younger brother, Vance, and Lucky, a Mexican American, whose out-of-state brothers have expressed interest in bankrolling Kup's treasure-hunting effort. An impediment to Kup's goal is rival treasure hunter, West Pennington, an affluent competitor who matches Kup in ruthlessness. Vance is ambivalent about following in his brother's footsteps as a result of pressure applied by his studious and industrious girlfriend, Judy, as well as others. Torn between divergent career choices, Vance decides to work for his brother and tragically suffers for it, when he loses most of one hand in a diving accident that could have been avoided. Driven by a desire for revenge over the injury and Kup's advances towards Judy, Vance sabotages his brother's enterprise, brings on his financial ruin and, ultimately, his incarceration. Subsequently, Vance digs the dagger deeper into Kup's heart when he goes to work for Pennington and assists in finding the wreck Kup soullessly sought.