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about the book
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While studying toward his doctorate at a remote Jamaican marine station, Peter Case is swept into a world of intrigue when tragedy strikes during a routine collection dive. His diving buddy subsequently dies, but Case refuses to accept the official cause of death. Naively attempting to uncover the truth, he stumbles deep into a world of deceit and violence.
Case is drawn further and further into extraordinary circumstances, inadvertently disrupting a covert CIA surveillance operation and becoming entangled in the aspirations of a global crime syndicate. His actions endanger the lives of friends and colleagues, compelling Case to take risks he’d have thought unimaginable just a few days before. When the full consequences of his quest for the truth come to light, Case is forced to stand alone against the syndicate, armed only with his dive knife and an ill-conceived plan. |
editorial Review
A grad student investigates the tragic death of a diving partner and stumbles on a crime ring in Eshleman's debut thriller.
Readers first meet Peter Case as he's doing work for his doctorate in a science-related field, mid-dive near a Jamaican marine lab, where his attentive and analytic manner is immediately evident. Early chapters show the energetic, likeable protagonist bantering with his diving buddy Wayne Emery, trading friendly barbs and insults in an appealing show of camaraderie. A mysterious explosion occurs underwater and Emery dies from apparent radiation poisoning; Case tries to get to the bottom of what happened and finds himself ushered into a broader world of dangerous intrigue and espionage.
Eshleman proves to be an adept writer of action scenes, but what makes his work stand out are his hyperrealistic treatments of diving and marine life. His keen eye for detailed scene-setting results in a description of a seedy, smoke-filled bar ("An old jukebox, speakers designed for more melodic tunes, vibrated in the corner of the room with every base note") that's nearly as vivid as more sophisticated scenes set underwater. The frenetic pace of the story also works in the story's favor as Case becomes embroiled in what turns out to be an international conspiracy with CIA involvement.
Some of the characters, including the novel's villain, fall into fairly standard thriller tropes, but Case himself is an impressively crafted protagonist who stands strongly at the center of the action. At first, he seems like an unlikely hero, but his dogged observational skills and skeptical nature make him a valuable investigator, and the book closes with a way forward for him to headline future novels in Eshleman's fictional universe.
An often engaging action novel, bolstered by its exotic setting and realistic protagonist.
Kirkus Reviews
Readers first meet Peter Case as he's doing work for his doctorate in a science-related field, mid-dive near a Jamaican marine lab, where his attentive and analytic manner is immediately evident. Early chapters show the energetic, likeable protagonist bantering with his diving buddy Wayne Emery, trading friendly barbs and insults in an appealing show of camaraderie. A mysterious explosion occurs underwater and Emery dies from apparent radiation poisoning; Case tries to get to the bottom of what happened and finds himself ushered into a broader world of dangerous intrigue and espionage.
Eshleman proves to be an adept writer of action scenes, but what makes his work stand out are his hyperrealistic treatments of diving and marine life. His keen eye for detailed scene-setting results in a description of a seedy, smoke-filled bar ("An old jukebox, speakers designed for more melodic tunes, vibrated in the corner of the room with every base note") that's nearly as vivid as more sophisticated scenes set underwater. The frenetic pace of the story also works in the story's favor as Case becomes embroiled in what turns out to be an international conspiracy with CIA involvement.
Some of the characters, including the novel's villain, fall into fairly standard thriller tropes, but Case himself is an impressively crafted protagonist who stands strongly at the center of the action. At first, he seems like an unlikely hero, but his dogged observational skills and skeptical nature make him a valuable investigator, and the book closes with a way forward for him to headline future novels in Eshleman's fictional universe.
An often engaging action novel, bolstered by its exotic setting and realistic protagonist.
Kirkus Reviews
