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Quintero and Hoyt #1
Ocean's Hammer
Something strange is happening in the Sea of Cortez. Whales are beaching for no apparent reason and the local hammerhead shark population, previously believed to be fished to extinction, has suddenly reappeared. Marine biologists Maria Quintero and Kevin Hoyt have come to investigate with a television producer in tow, hoping to get footage that will land them a reality TV show. The plan is to have a stand-off against a notorious illegal shark-fishing captain and then go home.
Things are not going according to plan.
There is something new in the waters of the Sea of Cortez. Something smart. Something huge. Something that has its own plans for Quintero and Hoyt.
Things are not going according to plan.
There is something new in the waters of the Sea of Cortez. Something smart. Something huge. Something that has its own plans for Quintero and Hoyt.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2015
15 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 15, 2024
A little too self aware for me and at certain points tension felt sacrificed in favour of franchise set up or a sarcastic gag. There is some fun to be had however and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes.
December 21, 2015
Lately, I've been reading a fair number of deep-sea adventure novels by Independent authors and, frankly, I've been disappointed by many of them.
Too often the characters are one-dimensional, the plots thin, the narratives shaky and the action scenes are more suited to Saturday morning cartoons than a novel.
"Ocean's Hammer" is, however, not at all like that.
It is, instead, fast-paced, has original (and well-developed) characters, an interesting plot, highlights some key social and environmental issues in the flow of the smoothly written narrative and author D.J. Goodman clearly knows a lot about the subject she's writing about.
The novel revolves around efforts by environmentalists to peacefully stop illegal shark fishing in the Sea of Cortez. They set out to block the entrance to a marine preserve one morning but it's not long before things go wrong.
And not just wrong but "bad wrong," as a friend of mine from Texas is prone to say.
It's not my intention, however, to discuss the plot of this really fine novel in detail because that would be unfair to readers and to the writer. I will say that it does have some really interesting twists and turns that make reading this book even more enjoyable.
Instead of detailing the plot, I will say that I found the characters in this book fascinating, especially the leader of the environmentalists and his assistant/lover. They are unique in this genre, and to my way of thinking that's a very good thing. The secondary characters are also nicely fleshed out and behave in a logical way. By that I mean that none of the secondary characters suddenly turn out to be ex-Navy SEALS who save the day with awesome combat skills or some other such foolishness. (I mention that because I've read a few books recently in which the mild-mannered deck hand turns out to be just that... not very believable.)
In addition I found Goodman's gentle jabs at mainstream media and Independent publishing not only amusing but also spot on.
Finally, I very much enjoyed the way Goodman handled the action sequences in the book. I spent a couple of tours of duty in the Mekong Delta when I was a young rifleman in the 9th Infantry Division and later an advisor to a Vietnamese infantry regiment and I spent a good share of my career as a journalist covering disasters - both natural and man-made. Goodman's descriptions of the way people act and react when faced with extreme danger was on the money, at least from my experience. That's a refreshing change from the way many authors treat their characters when they come up against something terrifying.
To sum up, this is a really good read and a book I have no hesitation in recommending.
Too often the characters are one-dimensional, the plots thin, the narratives shaky and the action scenes are more suited to Saturday morning cartoons than a novel.
"Ocean's Hammer" is, however, not at all like that.
It is, instead, fast-paced, has original (and well-developed) characters, an interesting plot, highlights some key social and environmental issues in the flow of the smoothly written narrative and author D.J. Goodman clearly knows a lot about the subject she's writing about.
The novel revolves around efforts by environmentalists to peacefully stop illegal shark fishing in the Sea of Cortez. They set out to block the entrance to a marine preserve one morning but it's not long before things go wrong.
And not just wrong but "bad wrong," as a friend of mine from Texas is prone to say.
It's not my intention, however, to discuss the plot of this really fine novel in detail because that would be unfair to readers and to the writer. I will say that it does have some really interesting twists and turns that make reading this book even more enjoyable.
Instead of detailing the plot, I will say that I found the characters in this book fascinating, especially the leader of the environmentalists and his assistant/lover. They are unique in this genre, and to my way of thinking that's a very good thing. The secondary characters are also nicely fleshed out and behave in a logical way. By that I mean that none of the secondary characters suddenly turn out to be ex-Navy SEALS who save the day with awesome combat skills or some other such foolishness. (I mention that because I've read a few books recently in which the mild-mannered deck hand turns out to be just that... not very believable.)
In addition I found Goodman's gentle jabs at mainstream media and Independent publishing not only amusing but also spot on.
Finally, I very much enjoyed the way Goodman handled the action sequences in the book. I spent a couple of tours of duty in the Mekong Delta when I was a young rifleman in the 9th Infantry Division and later an advisor to a Vietnamese infantry regiment and I spent a good share of my career as a journalist covering disasters - both natural and man-made. Goodman's descriptions of the way people act and react when faced with extreme danger was on the money, at least from my experience. That's a refreshing change from the way many authors treat their characters when they come up against something terrifying.
To sum up, this is a really good read and a book I have no hesitation in recommending.
October 26, 2015
Let me start off by saying that I love a book the tries to break the 4th wall. Read it to find out exactly what I mean. This now bring me to my review. This book is brilliant. Plain and simple. Plenty of humor that goes right in to fantastic attack scenes. There are characters that you truly care for, along with one of the most bizarre creatures (a giant hammerhead shark) with a singular intelligence. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a good deep sea thriller. You will come back for more.
March 11, 2021
This was a fun read! The best way I can sum the novel up is Jaws with breaking the 4th wall and the main characters trying to save the shark instead of destroying it. If you like B movies and the SyFy channel this book is for you! Or if your like me a good book to pass the time while counting down the days to the next Shark Week.
July 5, 2020
As a marine biologist, I am very picky about my ocean thrillers and easily thrown out of the fantasy by errors.
This is by far the best ocean related pseudoscientific thriller I've read! And seeing a trans man as a biologist? Watered my crops and cleared my skin.
This is by far the best ocean related pseudoscientific thriller I've read! And seeing a trans man as a biologist? Watered my crops and cleared my skin.
March 23, 2024
So this is not rocket science, but it is a fun sea creature feature. Some interesting characters a good setting and hammerheads, and a surprise. A bit of a twist and you've got yourself a story. I am going to be reading the next book because this one went down fast and smooth.
December 6, 2015
Hammer time
This was an inventive, adventurous read. Well done narrative painted vivid storyline, which in turn, made all the action more believable. Looking forward to the continued story.
This was an inventive, adventurous read. Well done narrative painted vivid storyline, which in turn, made all the action more believable. Looking forward to the continued story.
November 21, 2015
Fast paced fun read. Ending kind of fizzled.
December 9, 2015
It was a good sea yarn that held my attention. The plot was unusual. The characters were mostly developed. The action was fast.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews