Deep Storm

Under the sea and under pressure

Lately it feels like I’m living through a disaster movie – two major hurricanes in two weeks?! – but I still can’t get enough of the genre in movies and books. The cover of Deep Storm and blurb on the back immediately appealed to me. An oil rig in a remote part of the Atlantic ocean and a hint of the Lost City of Atlantis? Tell me more.

Lincoln Child delivers action, anxiety and catastrophe in this 2007 sci-fi thriller. I don’t know why it was on the new book shelf at the library but I’m glad it caught my eye.

Dr. Peter Crane is a Naval officer summoned to solve the medical mystery of strange illnesses on an oil rig in the North Atlantic. I liked Crane, he’s dedicated, curious and strong-willed. He also traveled to the oil platform with a book of poetry in his bag, which endeared him to me.

Child keeps the reader guessing throughout Deep Storm. What begins as a medical dilemma turns into a larger mystery miles below in a separate secret facility on the ocean floor. There are codes to break, relics to analyze and a dangerous unknown to discover – or turn away from before it’s too late.

Child’s writing is a notch above, more literary than I expected. Everything works. The dialog between Crane and his fellow scientists and military brass is crisp and real. The facility and labs, the quarters and common areas are all easy to visualize from his detailed descriptions. I got Crichton vibes at times, from the science as well as the insider-knowledge of intellectual researchers, hard-ass military men and aggrieved government types.

Long story short Deep Storm is fun to read with a great premise, excellent writing, and an entertaining ending. If you love a good governmental conspiracy, close calls, saboteurs, and intensely narrow escapes, Deep Storm has it all and does it all without being shallow or stereotypical. It’s a solid getaway from our everyday calamities.