Plunging to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea

by Scharlie Martin

Plunging to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea is the story of one man's search for redemption by plunging into the nether world of sexually exploited and missing children to track down a heinous sexual predator "Can we talk?" Maria asked. At that instant Russell had no idea that Maria was leaving him and that she already had a truck coming to move her things to Florida. Russell never dreamed then that loosing Maria would push him over the edge . . . cause him to do things that would get him dubbed the Robin Hood marauder by the news media and make him the object of an intense police manhunt. Nor would he have ever guessed then that the death of a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot) in a training accident during World War II would be the catalyst that sent William McPherson, the grandson of a Tuskegee aviation cadet, down a path of evil. This is a story of love and sex gone drastically wrong . . . of Russell's struggle for survival by clawing his way up and out of the primordial ooze to catch a killer.

504 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2013

About the author

I grew up as a mid-western farm boy with a thirst for knowledge and a love of music, painting and writing. The writing won out when my teacher selected my Christmas play to be performed for the parents of my fourth grade class. I served in both the Army and the Air Force before going to college and earning a BA and MA in English. I have worked as an electronic technician, test lab supervisor and product engineer before becoming self-employed as a contract engineer--the major project I worked on was designing a live turkey loader. I designed and built an innovative six level house. I also owned and managed an H & R Block franchise.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won Plunging to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea by Scharlie Martin as a Goodreads first read. The title is telling because on the surface, this is a story about a sort of rough around the edges guy (Russell, the narrator) who goes on a cross-country hunt for a sexual predator, but as we dive deeper into the stories within stories that make up this book, we find ourselves in the grips of some meta-themes about the nature of life.

This is a very compelling story of how our early life experiences shape our future, how decisions and choices based on these experiences can have positive or negative outcomes, and how important it is to have a foundation of strong moral values so that bad experiences in childhood do not have negative effects on us adults. Throughout, Russell engages in introspection and reflection about his own life and relationships that help him change his life from a meaningless, spiraling out of control ramble to a life of meaning. In the process of seeking the predator, he discovers he is capable of forming and maintaining deep connections with other people, and learns that his life is not only worth living, but is that it is rich and important.

One might think that the title Plunging to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea refers to something Russell says: "Researching pedophiles on the Internet was truly a plunge into the primordial ooze of the deep blue sea." However, I think the title refers more to the journey Russell takes himself; a journey in which he has literally hit rock bottom (tries to kill his ex-wife with a bow and arrow) and travels upward on his own journey of self-discovery and ultimate redemption.

[Scharlie Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plunging to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea should probably be sub-titled Anatomy of a Sex Fiend. Amazingly, our hero (Russell) is an older man searching for redemption after being pushed to the edge of despair and violence by his soon-to-be ex-wife. The thing that flips Russell from villain to hero is his witnessing of a serial rapist abducting a young white girl off her bicycle. No man worth his salt would ever be able to witness something like that without at least trying to help the girl.
What follows is an attempt to answer the age-old question: What makes a man forsake normal social relationships by committing crimes of violence against women such as rape and murder? Obviously, there are no easy answers. One man’s cup of tea is another man’s poison. In Russell’s case, his own act of violence serves as the catalyst to set him on the trail of a man he considers worse than himself, the vilest creature of all—the sexual predator who preys on innocent children. In attempting to bring this vilest of criminals to justice Russell finds a new love, redemption, and some surprising thought provoking insights regarding love and sex gone wrong

[Daniale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. The way this book started kinda threw me. I didn't expect that the main character who was supposed to be chasing after bad guys actually was a bad guide. It had me so messed up I almost put the book down. But I kept reading and the story got on track as to what I though it was about before long. It's just crazy circumstances that led Russell to track down a sexual predator he had witnessed kidnapping a young girl. It loved the characters in the book. Lynn and Russell's initial common ground is quite hilarious. This was definitely a journey for them and I enjoyed riding along with them.

[Denise]

Just won a copy of this book thru the Goodreads First Reads giveaways. So excited, will give a complete review once I receive the book and read it.

[Lisa Mccomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Very engaging, held my interest and kept me in suspense.