Jessie Madison is a diver who hoped to join the FBI, but after some family issues arose, she was dropped by her trainers. Understanding now that she has to commit fully if she wants to prove herself, Jessie is pleased to get an invitation to join a specialist team on a DEEP DIVE.
We take off on a fast official jet to the stunning Aeolian Islands, a volcanic cluster north of Sicily. I didn’t know anything about the FBI Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team. Jessie meets team members, who are down one since an accident occurred, which is why Jessie was called in late. Marcus Robinson, Alvin Crosby and Gretchen Hoskins are the most senior. Divers are usually strong from carrying all the weighty gear as well as regular swimming. When I saw how tall these people were, I knew Jessie would have been selected because she was small enough to get into tight spaces. So it proves. A World War II plane has been found deep underwater, and the FBI wants to retrieve something.
I don’t mind saying I was hooked, and I was wondering what could be worth all this – an early atomic bomb, perhaps? The mission continues even though many team members clearly suspect sabotage is underway. When you are diving 120ft deep, on the edge of an abyss, and don't know whom to trust, the mission becomes less about exploration and more about staying alive.
DEEP DIVE is the first book I’ve read in the Jessie Madison series, which began with Perilous Waters. I had read a modern Western crime novel by this author, Terry Shames, called Guilt Strikes at Granger's Store. That one is in the Samuel Craddock Mystery series and could not be more different in location. One feature they have in common is that guilty secrets lie buried, and digging them up is dangerous. Both books are excellent reads.
Anyone who enjoys sport diving or is thinking of taking it up will gain a great deal from reading DEEP DIVE – technical issues, notice of things that might go wrong, from faulty equipment to under-filled air tanks. We also see the sheer enjoyment and intrigue of being underwater in the habitat of fishes, seahorses and octopi. This is a completely immersive thriller, in the claustrophobic setting of a dive boat offshore with brief forays to the nearest island. I read it in one sitting.
Jessie Madison joins an FBI dive mission in the Mediterranean, where she encounters deadly threats and dangerous secrets.
After a spine-chilling summer in The Bahamas, Jessie Madison jumps at the chance to join the FBI Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team. Seven elite divers are trying to reach a World War II plane stranded at the bottom of the sea, close to the stunning Aeolian Islands north of Sicily. But the mission isn’t going to plan . . .
A series of increasingly terrifying incidents is rattling the team, and worse is yet to come. Is someone in the group trying to sabotage the operation? Why is the plane so important after eighty years? As Jessie uncovers disturbing secrets around the mission, her survival skills face the ultimate challenge.
A heart-racing thriller set in stunning Sicily, featuring a fearless female diver who faces danger and chilling secrets underwater, this addictive beach read is perfect for fans of Lucy Clarke and Sara Ochs.
EXCERPT
When I wrote Perilous Waters, I thought it was a standalone thriller. My agent said, “No, it’s a series.” After it was published, I had to plan the next book. I wanted Jessie to use her skills as a diver and decided she should be welcomed back to the FBI, on the dive team, after being kicked out in book one. A former FBI agent gave me pointers on how to weave that into the book.
I also wanted the story to center on a World War II secret. But where to set the book? Years ago, I had sailed around the Aeolian Islands, north of Sicily, and it was the perfect setting—a direct route between Italy and north Africa, a treacherous route during the war.
Next, I wanted the dive to be difficult. Researching dive sites in the Islands, I found a site that is considered so tricky that little information is publicized. To dive there, you have to go with an experienced captain. Bingo! I asked an experienced diver what could make the dive so difficult. I learned about volcanic dive sites and the powerful, unpredictable currents that play a huge role in the book.
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