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Crush Depth: A Technothriller
Eight thousand meters beneath the Atlantic, something ancient is awake… and it’s listening.
When a Russian Akula-class submarine is torn apart in seconds by an unseen predator, the U.S. Navy dispatches an elite recovery team to the Puerto Rico Trench to retrieve the one piece of technology worth more than the boat itself: a stolen quantum processor that can pull secrets from the sea itself.
Grace Parkowski, the brilliant engineer who designed the original American system, is dragged from her civilian life and dropped into a secret undersea habitat perched on the edge of the abyss. Her mission: mate the Russian core to their own network and extract every byte of data before Moscow notices it’s gone.
But the trench has other plans. Every time the quantum array spins up, the water answers. Golden eyes the size of dinner plates watch from the darkness. Sonar contacts the length of city blocks move with impossible intelligence.
And something down there is learning faster than they are.
In the crushing black where no rescue can reach, one question remains: When the deep looks back at you with prehistoric eyes, do you dare answer?
Perfect for fans of Michael Crichton, Steve Alten’s MEG, and Jeremy Robinson’s Kronos.
Welcome to Crush Depth.
When a Russian Akula-class submarine is torn apart in seconds by an unseen predator, the U.S. Navy dispatches an elite recovery team to the Puerto Rico Trench to retrieve the one piece of technology worth more than the boat itself: a stolen quantum processor that can pull secrets from the sea itself.
Grace Parkowski, the brilliant engineer who designed the original American system, is dragged from her civilian life and dropped into a secret undersea habitat perched on the edge of the abyss. Her mission: mate the Russian core to their own network and extract every byte of data before Moscow notices it’s gone.
But the trench has other plans. Every time the quantum array spins up, the water answers. Golden eyes the size of dinner plates watch from the darkness. Sonar contacts the length of city blocks move with impossible intelligence.
And something down there is learning faster than they are.
In the crushing black where no rescue can reach, one question remains: When the deep looks back at you with prehistoric eyes, do you dare answer?
Perfect for fans of Michael Crichton, Steve Alten’s MEG, and Jeremy Robinson’s Kronos.
Welcome to Crush Depth.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2026
About the author
Ryan M. Patrick
7 books21 followersRyan M. Patrick is a United States Air Force and Space Force veteran, aerospace engineer, and author. Originally from the Philadelphia area, he currently lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, four daughters, and dog.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 1, 2026
This book was a splendid read from start to finish. Having read the first in the series (Lag Delay), I preferred this book to its predecessor as the series seems to be picking up steam. Even though this is a second in a series, you can actually jump right into this one without knowing anything from book 1. Not to say that you shouldn't read Lag Delay (you should), but this has a stand alone quality to it. As for the book itself, it reminded me a lot of Sphere (the book, not the movie) and that was one of my favorites growing up. This book has some very tense moments that keep the pages turning and make the ending all the more enjoyable.
September 21, 2026
Bottom Line Upfront
Crush Depth is mostly a well-executed technothriller with all the beats I expect from a technothriller: action, detailed science, and some fabulous twists that change the trajectory of the book in good ways. While Crichton’s influence is tangible throughout the book, some parts of this book feel like the less desirable aspects of Crichton’s earlier works. Well worth my time and money to read and a recommend if you loved Sphere and Congo.
What Works in this Book
Crush Depth has all the norms of a technothriller: page-turning action, suspense, and some twists set in a high-tech environment in which the technology is integral to the plot. While this is book 2 with the main character, I don’t feel that I’ve lost anything by jumping straight in because the glimpses of backstory work well in context. The other characters are the paper-thin exemplars I expect; they move the story along and we aren’t reading a technothriller for the character development.
The explanations of technology and science are there for those who want them as is the listing of parts in loving detail. The author has the relevant background and done the research.
The ending and epilogue are a satisfying wrap-up to the first three-quarters of the book.
Why Only 3 Stars
The last quarter of the book feels like a completely separate book set in the same universe using the name of the main character. The shift in style and focus could have worked in another book yet was jarring here.
I would say it felt like a morality lecture from old-school 1970s scifi; however, I don’t know what the lesson was supposed to be. I know what happened and can summarize the exchange. In another setting, I would call it info-dumping world building, but that’s not the vibe in this setting.
Had it been only a chapter or two, then this separate section would have worked as motivation for certain earlier actions. However, at a quarter of the book, this section is quite lengthy and detracts from the rest of the reading experience.
What Prospective Readers May Want to Know
I love technothrillers and most of the book delivers. I give you permission to skim or even skip through the lecture section that starts at about 75% of the book to get to the satisfying wrap-up that matches the majority of the book after a detour.
Crush Depth is mostly a well-executed technothriller with all the beats I expect from a technothriller: action, detailed science, and some fabulous twists that change the trajectory of the book in good ways. While Crichton’s influence is tangible throughout the book, some parts of this book feel like the less desirable aspects of Crichton’s earlier works. Well worth my time and money to read and a recommend if you loved Sphere and Congo.
What Works in this Book
Crush Depth has all the norms of a technothriller: page-turning action, suspense, and some twists set in a high-tech environment in which the technology is integral to the plot. While this is book 2 with the main character, I don’t feel that I’ve lost anything by jumping straight in because the glimpses of backstory work well in context. The other characters are the paper-thin exemplars I expect; they move the story along and we aren’t reading a technothriller for the character development.
The explanations of technology and science are there for those who want them as is the listing of parts in loving detail. The author has the relevant background and done the research.
The ending and epilogue are a satisfying wrap-up to the first three-quarters of the book.
Why Only 3 Stars
The last quarter of the book feels like a completely separate book set in the same universe using the name of the main character. The shift in style and focus could have worked in another book yet was jarring here.
I would say it felt like a morality lecture from old-school 1970s scifi; however, I don’t know what the lesson was supposed to be. I know what happened and can summarize the exchange. In another setting, I would call it info-dumping world building, but that’s not the vibe in this setting.
Had it been only a chapter or two, then this separate section would have worked as motivation for certain earlier actions. However, at a quarter of the book, this section is quite lengthy and detracts from the rest of the reading experience.
What Prospective Readers May Want to Know
I love technothrillers and most of the book delivers. I give you permission to skim or even skip through the lecture section that starts at about 75% of the book to get to the satisfying wrap-up that matches the majority of the book after a detour.
September 3, 2026
A taut, titanic thriller with monsters and mayhem!
What a tense and thrilling read! This is my first time reading one of Ryan M. Patrick’s books and I was submerged quickly into a tense, claustrophobic but riveting read! The tension felt present immediately, and the story was lean, efficient but memorable, with plenty of stylish, cut-glass prose to propel us through the depths. Crush Depth was an addictive page-turner written by an author that knows his craft and is clearly passionate about his work. The tension kept Crush Depth gnawing away at me, begging me to keep reading, and I was rewarded with every twist and turn. Particular praise is levelled at the fact this book kept me guessing quite how the protagonist would live another day up until almost the end. Crush Depth doesn’t linger for a moment more than it needs to; it doesn’t outstay its welcome, but will leave you exhilarated and eager to read more!
What a tense and thrilling read! This is my first time reading one of Ryan M. Patrick’s books and I was submerged quickly into a tense, claustrophobic but riveting read! The tension felt present immediately, and the story was lean, efficient but memorable, with plenty of stylish, cut-glass prose to propel us through the depths. Crush Depth was an addictive page-turner written by an author that knows his craft and is clearly passionate about his work. The tension kept Crush Depth gnawing away at me, begging me to keep reading, and I was rewarded with every twist and turn. Particular praise is levelled at the fact this book kept me guessing quite how the protagonist would live another day up until almost the end. Crush Depth doesn’t linger for a moment more than it needs to; it doesn’t outstay its welcome, but will leave you exhilarated and eager to read more!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC copy of "Crush Depth" and devoured it like the creatures in the novel.
It's a great technothriller, second in a series featuring engineer Grace Parkowski as the protagonist. She's thrown into a classified project recovering an advanced quantum processor from the wreck of a Russian submarine at the bottom of the Puerto Rico trench.
However, the real secret of the trench goes way beyond submarine spy games and into a mystery that is older than humanity.
What is lurking at the bottom of the trench waiting for Parkowski and the crew of the deep water submersible base Atlantis? What has been lurking in the deep trenches of all of earth's oceans since mankind built the first crude wooden boats and left the safety of land?
You don't want to miss this adventure.
It's a great technothriller, second in a series featuring engineer Grace Parkowski as the protagonist. She's thrown into a classified project recovering an advanced quantum processor from the wreck of a Russian submarine at the bottom of the Puerto Rico trench.
However, the real secret of the trench goes way beyond submarine spy games and into a mystery that is older than humanity.
What is lurking at the bottom of the trench waiting for Parkowski and the crew of the deep water submersible base Atlantis? What has been lurking in the deep trenches of all of earth's oceans since mankind built the first crude wooden boats and left the safety of land?
You don't want to miss this adventure.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I read an advanced copy of this book. It's edge of your seat suspense combined with a scientific mystery that was a joy to unravel. It read like a mix of the best elements of Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. With every new step our heroine takes, the tension ratchets up. Every new clue deepens the mystery further.
There were one or two sections that I thought could have been cut because I didn't feel they affected the plot very much, but overall this book is a master class in how to keep readers breathless as they tear through the pages.
There were one or two sections that I thought could have been cut because I didn't feel they affected the plot very much, but overall this book is a master class in how to keep readers breathless as they tear through the pages.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews