Review: Below

Below
Ryan Lockwood
Suspense/Action
Pinnacle/June 25, 2013

In all his years as a professional diver, Will Sturman has never encountered a killing machine more ferocious than the great white shark or as deadly as the piranha. Now, off the coast of California, something is rising from the deep--and multiplying. Voracious, unstoppable, and migrating north, an ungodly life form trailed by a gruesome wake of corpses. 

With the help of the brilliant and beautiful oceanographer Valerie Martell, Will finds himself in a race against time to stop the slaughter--by a predator capable of devastating the world's oceans.

Pray it kills you quickly.

A little diversity is good for the reading soul. That's why I decided to give Ryan Lockwood's Below a try.  It's a look into what lurks under the beautiful Pacific Ocean.  We all know that something as beautiful as the Pacific can also be very deadly.  Sharks are what usually come to mind when you think of something pulling you under the water and eating you alive.  Turns out, sharks are the least of our worries.

If you're looking for romance, look elsewhere.  While there's a little action between the sheets, it can easily be overlooked for the more important plot of what is devouring those foolish enough to swim in the ocean. Will Sturman, full-time diver and part-time drunk, teams up with Dr. Valerie Martell.  Martell is a research scientist who prefers spending her time below the water than above.  The main characters are developed with enough back story to give the reader insight into what drives them but the central focus is on the terror beneath the ocean.

The plot runs a pretty straight line.  I found myself predicting, with a high rate of accuracy, who would be the next meal for the "terror from below".  The story still proved to be entertaining and an escape from life's more mundane problems.  One thing I did like was the point of view of the "terror from below". I thought it gave the story a refreshing twist.

So not groundbreaking but a story with some action, suspense and a look at what lives Below.

Rating: C+