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Serpent
622 pages
A high-octane, globe-trotting aquatic thriller where historical conspiracies collide with explosive modern-day action.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like watching a blockbuster summer action movie from the late nineties. It is a high-octane, globe-trotting adventure that plunges you into the icy depths of the ocean and propels you across international borders at breakneck speed. The mood is unapologetically pulpy and thrilling, steeped in the salty air of maritime exploration and the adrenaline of narrow escapes. You are swept up in a world of indestructible heroes, megalomaniacal villains, and ancient historical conspiracies waiting to be unearthed. The prose is functional and cinematic, lingering on the technical specs of deep-sea submersibles just as lovingly as it choreographs explosive shootouts. It is pure, unadulterated escapism, perfect for readers who want to switch off their brains and enjoy a relentless, popcorn-munching ride.
- Mood
- high-stakes
- globe-trotting
- aquatic
- pulpy
- thrilling
- Tone
- cinematic
- adventurous
- macho
- suspenseful
- earnest
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- uncovering hidden history · thwarting megalomania · camaraderie under fire · the allure of the deep · technological marvels
- The writing
- Functional and fast-paced, prioritizing cinematic action sequences and meticulous technical descriptions over literary flourish.
- The arc
- Moves from the initial shock of a violent ambush into a relentless, globe-spanning pursuit, culminating in a triumphant, adrenaline-fueled victory.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave popcorn action-adventure, historical conspiracies, and indestructible heroes who always save the day.
Content notes
- gun violence
- explosions
- peril
- murder
About the book
On the bottom of the icy sea off Nantucket lies the battered remains of the Italian luxury liner, Andrea Doria. But few know that within its bowels rests a priceless pre-Columbian antiquity—a treasure that now holds the key to a puzzle that is costing people their lives. For Kurt Austin, the leader of a courageous National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA) exploration team, the killing begins when he makes a daring rescue of a beautiful marine archaeologist. The target of a powerful Texas industrialist named Halcon, Nina Kirov was attacked off the coast of Morocco after her discovery of a carved stone head that may prove Christopher Columbus was not the first European to discover America.
Soon Kurt and Nina embark on a deadly mission to uncover Halcon's masterful plan—an insidious scheme that would have him carve out a new nation from the southwest United States and Mexico, and ride to power on a wave of death and destruction. With Austin's elite NUMA crew attacking the murderous conspiracy from different sides, an extraordinary truth emerges; that Columbus may have made a fifth, unknown voyage to America in search of a magnificent treasure. And that the silent, steel hull of the Andrea Doria not only holds the answer to what the explorer may have found—but the fate of the United States itself.
Description from Open Library.
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