"The Moon Pool" by Max McCoy
Reviewed by: Tracy Vonder Brink

Richard "Don't call me Dick" Dahlgren is a private underwater crime scene investigator. In other words, if a car is forced off a bridge and the driver drowns, Dahlgren is the diver who recovers the body and takes pictures of the evidence underwater. In his latest job he's been called to Bonne Terre, a small town south of St. Louis, to help with a crime scene. Recreational divers who were exploring a long abandoned, completely flooded mine have found the nude body of a young woman there. The victim couldn't have gotten underground and underwater on her own, so who put her there and why, and are there more bodies waiting to be discovered?

Of course there are more bodies in the mine because we're deep into serial killer territory here. But what a refreshingly unique territory it is. By its very nature, diving can be dangerous and claustrophobic, and a scuba-suited serial killer is a creepy new twist. It's more involving than just a cops-chase-the-killer plot, though, largely because the technical aspects of diving are covered so thoroughly and really come alive. The author is a scuba diver, and he knows his stuff. There are many harrowing diving scenes, and the big showdown occurs underwater as well. Dahlgren is an entertaining rogue, but the supporting cast comes perilously close to being stock characters. There's the requisite female FBI agent (who would undoubtedly be played by Ashley Judd in a movie version), the bigoted small-town cop, and so on.

Some of the plot details are also outlandish and require a healthy suspension of disbelief. However, if you can forgive the shallow characters and fantastic plot, it's one thrill after another. Recommended for those who like adventure with their mystery. 3 stars.

Publisher:  Leisure, 2004, $6.99
ASIN/ISBN: 0843953667