Book Review: Deadly Plunge by Greg Messel

Sam Slater and Amelia Ryan are back in this surprising sequel to Last of the Seals. 

Former San Francisco Seals player, Sam Slater, is still adjusting to life post-baseball when he's hired to find out why wealthy, politically active Arthur Bolender jumped to his death from the Golden Gate Bridge. All who knew him insist Arthur would never commit suicide, including his much younger, sexy socialite wife, Maggie.

The key to the mystery appears to be an old Victorian-style home that the Bolenders owned, but Maggie knew nothing about. As Sam and his TWA stewardess girlfriend Amelia follow the clues, they discover a plot more frightening than they could ever imagine. As they close in, the people with the most to lose are determined to put a stop to Sam's investigation.

Like its predecessor, Deadly Plunge is a mix of mystery, murder, and history. Messel uses his first-hand knowledge of San Francisco and late 1950s American culture, to create a novel that moves along at a steady pace. Filled with historical photos and numerous references to pop culture icon, Elvis, Messel does a fine job of bringing the era in which Sam and Amelia work and play to life. The romance between these two characters is subtle enough that it doesn't take away from the mystery, but it does share some of the limelight. It's also a sweet romance. While the passion is increasing as Sam and Amelia get to know each other, there isn't any hanky panky.

While it's hard not to like Sam and Amelia, I still feel like I don't know them very well. As with the first book, Deadly Plunge is very plot-driven. You're not diving into these characters heads to figure out what makes them tick. The writing style isn't my favorite. It's much more telling than showing, even when historical details are shared that paint a great picture for the reader. The third person narrator is so pushy that he tells you what the historical places mentioned as part of the storyline are used for in present day. That can pull a reader out of the story. Perhaps this style comes from Messel's years as a reporter, columnist and news editor for a daily newspaper. I could see how it would work in journalism, but it doesn't work for me in fiction.

I was thrilled, however, to see the return of Janet, Sam's secretary and the Steeles. I love all of them, so it was a delight to know they weren't one-book characters. I hope we see them again in the next book. Janet seems underutilized to me, so I would like to see her play a more significant role as the series moves forward.

Finally, the plot had what I felt was a flaw. I don't want to give too much away, but in a nutshell, the fact that Sam's buddy Vince, who is a cop, continued to take a backseat in the investigation even when it appeared to have international implications, didn't seem realistic to me. I would think he would be getting the more than decade-old CIA involved pronto. And even if Vince didn't act, Sam must have realized he was in over his head and had to contact the proper authorities. I am willing to be proved wrong on this point, but it bothered me the entire time I read the book.

The majority of the reviews for both books have been fabulous, so this murder mystery definitely has appeal for many. Feel free to check out some of the reviews on Amazon and decide if you want to give Deadly Plunge a try.

Paperback: 420 pages
Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing (October 8, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0985485922
ISBN-13: 978-0985485924

I received a free copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.

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How U.S. and Libyan Relations Influenced the Writing of Gauntlet by Richard Aaron

Today's special guest is Richard Aaron, author of the suspense novel, Gauntlet.

Six hundred sixty tons of Semtex is detonated in a massive explosion in Libya – the last of a deadly stockpile. The operation seems to have gone smoothly, but within minutes of the explosion, CIA agent Richard Lawrence discovers that one shipment of the explosive was hijacked en route to the destruction point. Days later, a glory-seeking “Emir” broadcasts to the world that he is planning a massive terrorist strike against a major U.S. landmark. And he gives a timeline of one month.

Now a desperate chase covers four continents, as the men bent on attacking the United States use every weapon at their disposal to evade the American authorities. Time and again they prove willing to destroy anything – and anyone – standing in their way.

But Hamilton Turbee, an autistic computer mastermind at the secretive and newly created TTIC agency, discovers a way to follow their tracks. His flawed genius gives the nation its only chance at stopping the attack … if the American leadership will listen. As the enemies near their destination, and an attack becomes imminent, it is up to the TTIC team, still without a true leader, to stop the massive explosion that could destroy the lives of millions.

As the world watches in horror, the President asks TTIC two questions …

Where will the attack be?

And can it be stopped…

I've asked Richard to discuss how U.S. and Libyan relations might have influenced the writing of Gauntlet. Here's what he had to say:

In Gauntlet, I needed, for the terrorists to execute their task, a good four or five tons of plastic explosive. I needed a realistic scenario in which this could be accomplished. I also needed a good opening line (“so just how big a crater will it make if we blow up 660 tons of Semtex?”) and a large incendiary event that would grab the reader’s interest and keep it. I was specifically looking for an event that could happen it the real world.

When I started doing research, I found that Libya was a natural fit. That country is on a path of normalizing relationships with the UK, USA, and International Community. This process started in 1999, when Libya acknowledged and accepted responsibility for the murder of a senior British official, and the Lockerbie Flight 103 disaster. At that point, Libya undertook to make reparations for these and other events.

Libya has in its possession a very large quantity of Semtex. It is clear from the records of the Czechoslovakian company that manufactured this substance that Libya, in the mid ‘80s, purchased almost all of the production for an entire year. Out of a very large inventory, only a small portion of it would have gone into bringing down Flight 103 (less than a pound). Libya also supplied the IRA and other terrorist organizations with small amounts of the explosive material. Hence, the demand by the International Community to have this stockpile destroyed is not unreasonable.

It was for these reasons that Gauntlet starts in Libya, where the country’s entire stock of Semtex is being hauled out to the middle of the Sahara desert to be destroyed. This also creates a situation where the theft of 4.5 tons of the Semtex is possible. These aren’t things I made up to fit into my plot. They are realistic, plausible events from the real world that I could use to get the novel going.

PRAISE FOR GAUNTLET BY RICHARD AARON:

"Cutting-edge research, complex plotting and in-depth characterizations lift Aaron's debut, a terrorist thriller. Afghan Yousseff Said al-Sabbhan, who's built an enormous drug-smuggling enterprise, has worked out with his co-conspirator, 'the Emir,' a plan to destroy an American city and bring the country to its knees. Opposing the plotters is the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, a secret agency staffed by men and women drawn from every sector of the U.S. intelligence community. Autistic mathematician Hamilton Turbee, a TTIC employee, is a standout in a vast cast of characters, surely one of the most interesting and endearing heroes ever to star in an action adventure novel. Despite the incredible amount of detail and the constant flashbacks, Aaron keeps the action moving swiftly forward. Some readers may be frustrated by the abrupt ending as well as patches of mundane prose, but all will eagerly await the two projected sequels."
– Publishers Weekly

"First novelist Aaron writes rich dialog and vivid action, not to mention fascinating characters."
– Library Journal

"Incredible, multifaceted… The suspense is almost painful. I found myself on the edge of my seat, biting my nails… This novel is intense!"
– RebeccasReads.com


Richard Aaron lives in a cold, northwestern city with his wife, four children, and various dogs and cats. He has a university degree in mathematics and a masters in law. Neither have anything to do with his burgeoning career as a writer. He worked in the real world for two decades before realizing that he was actually meant to be a writer. Gauntlet was produced soon thereafter.

You can visit his website at www.richardaaron.com.