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Office of Supernatural Directives #3
Demigod of the Deep
It is 1942, and a secret organization within the SS called the Ahnenerbe is working hard to harness occult powers for the war effort. Allied intelligence reports indicate that its leader, Gruppenführer Karl Weitz, and a Finnish expert have discovered a supernatural force that can fuel a new, more powerful U-boat.
Major Ray Hawkins commands the Office of Supernatural Directives, a clandestine U.S. Army unit tasked with stopping the Ahnenerbe. He recruits convicted mutineer U.S. Navy Lieutenant Caleb Kendall to infiltrate a secret German base and verify the reports.
Caleb discovers the Germans have captured the Iku-Turso, an ancient demigod of the sea, so powerful that just being exposed to it can kill a man. Once it is fueling a U-boat, the submarine would never need to surface and would become impervious to mines and depth charges.
It’s a race against time and across the sea to stop Weitz. Caleb’s only help comes from a crew of Free French submariners, an untested Army Ranger, and some unlikely civilian believers in archaic Finnish myths. The odds of success are slim, but Caleb must try. If this submarine launches with the demigod of the deep on board, it will sweep the Atlantic clear of Allied ships, and the war will be lost.
Major Ray Hawkins commands the Office of Supernatural Directives, a clandestine U.S. Army unit tasked with stopping the Ahnenerbe. He recruits convicted mutineer U.S. Navy Lieutenant Caleb Kendall to infiltrate a secret German base and verify the reports.
Caleb discovers the Germans have captured the Iku-Turso, an ancient demigod of the sea, so powerful that just being exposed to it can kill a man. Once it is fueling a U-boat, the submarine would never need to surface and would become impervious to mines and depth charges.
It’s a race against time and across the sea to stop Weitz. Caleb’s only help comes from a crew of Free French submariners, an untested Army Ranger, and some unlikely civilian believers in archaic Finnish myths. The odds of success are slim, but Caleb must try. If this submarine launches with the demigod of the deep on board, it will sweep the Atlantic clear of Allied ships, and the war will be lost.
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2026
9 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Russell James
50 books219 followersRussell R. James was raised on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching Chiller, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Dark Shadows, despite his parents’ warnings. Bookshelves full of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe didn’t make things better. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Central Florida.
After a tour flying helicopters with the U.S. Army, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight.
His wife reads what he writes, rolls her eyes, and says “There is something seriously wrong with you.”
He has published the novels DARK INSPIRATION, SACRIFICE, BLACK MAGIC and DARK VENGEANCE, the compilations OUT OF TIME and TALES FROM BEYOND, as well as numerous short stories. He founded the Minnows Literary Group.
He and his wife share their home in sunny Florida with two cats.
Drop by the website to kill some time with some short stories.
After a tour flying helicopters with the U.S. Army, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight.
His wife reads what he writes, rolls her eyes, and says “There is something seriously wrong with you.”
He has published the novels DARK INSPIRATION, SACRIFICE, BLACK MAGIC and DARK VENGEANCE, the compilations OUT OF TIME and TALES FROM BEYOND, as well as numerous short stories. He founded the Minnows Literary Group.
He and his wife share their home in sunny Florida with two cats.
Drop by the website to kill some time with some short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 1, 2026
Russell James is a prolific author with a number of series to his credit – all of which provide wonderfully entertaining reading. Demigod of the Deep is the third in his Office of Supernatural Detectives (OSD) series and is set in war-torn Europe, 1942.
There is a smooth and satisfying blend of historical fact and fiction here that is a trademark of the way the author structures his stories. In this story I, for one, was left feeling mightily relieved that the Nazis DIDN’T actually possess a weapon like the Iku-Turso or I seriously doubt any of us would be here.
This is a creature that appears in Finnish myth. It’s fearsome, and possessed of powers that, if harnessed would give any enemy an almost unassailable advantage. For US Major Ray Hawkins though, this is not the only enemy he has to fight – and no one can know because the OSD’s activities are beyond top secret.
This novel kept me company through two nights of insomnia. It was fast-paced and, so far as I can tell (and I’m picky), historically accurate, which meant I was never thrown out of the story by some character using words and phrases that would never have been uttered by them then. Kudos to Mr James! The was a real page turner and, with a fourth story in his series in the pipeline, I can’t wait!
There is a smooth and satisfying blend of historical fact and fiction here that is a trademark of the way the author structures his stories. In this story I, for one, was left feeling mightily relieved that the Nazis DIDN’T actually possess a weapon like the Iku-Turso or I seriously doubt any of us would be here.
This is a creature that appears in Finnish myth. It’s fearsome, and possessed of powers that, if harnessed would give any enemy an almost unassailable advantage. For US Major Ray Hawkins though, this is not the only enemy he has to fight – and no one can know because the OSD’s activities are beyond top secret.
This novel kept me company through two nights of insomnia. It was fast-paced and, so far as I can tell (and I’m picky), historically accurate, which meant I was never thrown out of the story by some character using words and phrases that would never have been uttered by them then. Kudos to Mr James! The was a real page turner and, with a fourth story in his series in the pipeline, I can’t wait!
February 1, 2026
As Gruppenführer Karl Weitz hatches another supernatural plan to turn the tide of the war, the OSD recruits Caleb Kendall. Caleb is a naval specialist and must stop a new submarine that could cause the destruction of the allied navy. Good book in the series with what seems a one off appearance for Caleb.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews