Peter Crane is between research projects when he gets an unusual request -- join a top-secret team (and sign his life away without knowing anything about the project) because they are having some medical problems that fall within his specialty. When he finds out the team is working in a deep undersea site with a state-of-the-art structure surrounding them, he understands how his skills might be utilized. A former Navy doctor, Peter has worked on subs and understands illnesses that can occur because of various undersea conditions.

But Peter is in no way prepared for the aura of secrecy that surrounds everyone at the station, and he can't find a commonality in the illnesses that are occurring. Some people are being affected psychologically, others emotionally and still others are physically ill. As he delves deeper, and eventually is let in on the big secret, he's overwhelmed by the task before them. Initially told that they have discovered Atlantis, he begins to suspect the true answer might be something that could threaten the whole world.

Child's usual concise, tension-building style and his terrific attention to technological details make this scientific thriller shine. I am one of this author's biggest fans for the books he co-authors with Douglas Preston, and I've just begun to read the books he's written by himself. This is a well-plotted thriller that feels real -- which is a very scary thing. I recommend all of Child's books!