Sawfish

by Rick Chesler, Jeffrey S. Fellin (Narrator)

Marine biologist Dr. Mason Rayman is experimenting with gigantism in sea creatures when he accidentally creates a monstrously large sawfish. When it grows so big he can no longer keep it in his Miami lab, he is preparing to have it destroyed when he learns he is being terminated from his position. By way of revenge, he dumps the oversized shark relative into the ocean, where it soon roams out of control, slaughtering bathers at nearby trendy South Beach. Dr. Rayman doesn't let on that it's his fish responsible for the killings, but someone knows what he did, and she's blackmailing him. He plays along for a while, but then decides she needs to be eliminated. Breaking into a lab at his former workplace, he deliberately creates more monster sawfish and releases them into the local waters. Rayman then attempts to get his job back by stepping forward as the expert on how to stop the scourge of gigantic predators now ravaging swimmers and water sports enthusiasts on South Florida beaches. But his blackmailer will not let up, leading to an ultimate confrontation between woman and beast, and finally, woman and man.

©2016 Rick Chesler (P)2016 Rick Chesler

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published May 11, 2016

About the author

Author of over 30 novels, Rick Chesler holds a Bachelor of Science in marine biology and can often be found diving, boating or traveling to research his next thriller idea. A former contractor for the U.S. Deptartment of Commerce and the State of Hawaii, he now lives in South Florida with his family, at the edge of the Bermuda Triangle. Visit him online at twitter.com/rickchesler, facebook.com/rickchesler, or rickchesler.com.

SERIES:
ATLANTIS GOLD: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 1)
ARK FOUND: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 2)
GOLDEN ONE An Omega Files Adventure (Book 3)
CROSS FOUND: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 4)

JURASSIC DEAD (co-authored):
Jurassic Dead
Jurassic Dead 2: Z-Volution
Jurassic Dead 3: Ctrl-Z

OUTCAST Ops:
Game of Drones (co-authored)
The Poseidon Initiative
African Firestorm (co-authored)
Red Ice (co-authored)
Watchlist (co-authored)
Shadow Gov (co-authored)

TARA SHORES THRILLERS
Wired Kingdom
kiDNApped
Solar Island

DANE MADDOCK ORIGINS (co-authored)
Splashdown
Electra
Amber
Treasure of the Dead
Dane Maddock: The Tomb

OGMIOS TEAM ORIGINS (co-authored)
Lucifer's Machine

STANDALONE NOVELS:
Edit: A Prehistoric Thriller
Manuscript 512 (releasing Fall 2018)
Hawaiian Punch (co-authored)
Uncontacted
DMZ: A Dinosaur Thriller
The Tank
The Flat: A Novel of Supernatural Horror (co-authored)
The Yeti (co-authored)
Landing Party
Sawfish
Luna
Hotel Megalodon
Blood Harbor: A Novel of Suspense

Reviews

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sawfish is exactly what it looks like from the cover and just what I expected (and wanted) when I picked it up — a direct-to-video, B-movie creature feature tale.

Icthyologiost, Dr Rayman Mason, walks into his ocean laboratory on Florida’s Biscayne Bay one morning and discovers one of his sawfish monstrously outgrown the confines of his tank. Apparently, the doctor’s experiment on gigantism mysteriously spilled over in to tank #12 by accident. The result is a 35’ long sawfish with powerful tale and wickedly lethal rostrum that resembles something made to cut down a redwood. This wasn’t supposed to happen, and his experiment definitely wasn’t supposed to involve his sawfish. But, when he reads an email explaining that he’s losing his job due to budget cuts, he’s not too concerned about righting his wrongs, only getting rid of the evidence. So, over the edge and into the water, the sawfish goes. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for starters, someone saw him AND they have it on video. Perfect for blackmail.

It doesn’t take a PhD to understand where this is headed. Sawfish is what it is. An homage to those B-movies we grew up with. Throw out the thin plot, the questionable motives, and I’m sure the science is also sketchy as hell. But, it’s still a fun, blood-in-the water romp through the Jaws-like storyline. If that’s the itch you need scratched, you could do worse than Sawfish.


3 Ferraris on a Scientist’s Salary out of 5

[BookLoversLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Dr Mason Raymans funding was cut, he had only just, accidentally, created a gigantic Sawfish. He was bitter so decided to unleash the Sawfish into the sea, but the Sawfish was unnaturally vicious and has been killing people. Raymon still wanted revenge and he decided to unleash more of the deadly fish into the ocean. What follows was a rip roaring creature feature!!

So I'm a big fan of creature features, especially sea dwelling ones, and Bigfoot ones. so I eagerly started this when I bought the audio. While it had it's faults, it was still a fast paced and entertaining read.

The author did a great job with the Sawfish scenes and I so wanted more of them. I loved the science behind the creation and how the author made those scenes believable. I also loved that the author focused on a weirder fish, rather than a shark or Megladon. It made it a little more interesting!!

The characters in this were hard to like, but I also kind of liked that fact. Rayman is a psycho!! He releases one Sawfish and even though he knows it's killing people, he decides to release more because there is a reward for the capture of the monster. In his mind, he thinks that people will cheer him and his reputation will soar, if he catches them. He was really well written, but very unlikable!!

I didn't like Elise at all. She sees Rayman releasing the Sawfish and videos it. A spur of the moment decision, sees her blackmailing Rayman. She will release the video unless he pays her. That didn't bother me, what bothered me was the fact that even though people were being killed, she never showed, or told the police! I wanted to shake her and tell her to go to the police and try to stop the killings!!

In all though, this was a fun, entertaining and exciting read. I love me some creature feature books, and this author always delivers a great read.

The narrator read this really well. He had distinctive tones and voices for the different characters, and he brought the atmosphere to life!! It's my first by this narrator and I'm looking forward to listening to more by him.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Rayman was given a grant to try and get small copepods to increase in size but when he fails to show progress, his grant is stopped and he loses his office space. He has by accident, managed to grow a sawfish in his care to a huge size. Rather than kill the fish or show it to the research people, he releases the large sawfish into the wild, then watches in shock as the news reports start to come in about attacks on the public.

Elisa's job includes duties like telling Dr Rayman that his funding has been withdrawn and she is pleased to get given his working space when he is told to leave. She witnesses him releasing the fish, filming it because of how strange the incident is and then she challenges him about it. On the spur of the moment, she decides to blackmail him for much needed money instead of reporting him to the authorities.

Dr Rayman is furious about Elisa's actions but is forced to pay her to keep quiet, aware of the consequences if he is discovered to be responsible for the carnage. He sneaks back into his old lab to grow the other sawfish and release them, with the crazy idea of coming forward as an expert to catch them and be the hero. In the meantime his creations are murdering countless innocent people and Elisa sees a chance to get more money from him. Perhaps Dr Rayman needs to take care for her as well as the sawfish.

I like Rick Chesler's books because they are generally entertaining and this one is no different. He doesn't waste time getting over descriptive and just gets right into the story. He also picks some interesting subjects. This is the first time I have read a horror book about sawfish and I enjoyed seeing a new creature being featured for a change. It has the same tension of what is lurking beneath the water that you get in any shark plot and the idea of that saw ripping you apart is as scary as any megalodon! I liked the pacing of the story and the writing was solid.

Ah the characters! Dr Rayman is a bit of a mad scientist with his anger at everyone for losing his job making him place dangerous creatures into the water to go on to kill people. He shows no remorse for those who have been killed or maimed in his stupidity. All he can think about is being famous as the man who stopped the monsters and the resurrection of his career. Elisa's intervention threatens his evil plan. I don't have much sympathy for Elisa. Her first reaction to having video evidence that this man has committed crime and killed people is her own self interest. More people die because of her decision to take hush money instead of reporting Dr Rayman so I was pretty disgusted by her!

It isn't just the actual attacks that are interesting. I very much enjoyed Dr Rayman's hunt the fish operations and the scenes with him sneaking around the labs and scouting where he is to drop off the money. It was a good solid story with a decent amount of horrible deaths to enjoy. If you like your b movie monster stories, you might well enjoy this one.

[Horror Bookworm Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sawfish is a horrifying adventure straight out of dark ocean depths. The terror that lurks in the darkness has a new face along with a weapon formed by Mother Nature. Chesler creates a tense story with not only the former mentioned but also the evil that dwells within the human race. Tied together with an unsuspecting ending, this suspenseful Sawfish of the sea story is worth the purchase, and worth the sleepless nights.

[Aura · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad it made my depression seem like a state of happiness.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloodthirsty fish(es)? Crazed scientist? Tropical beaches running with blood? You've got me right there. Dr. Mason Rayman is as nasty a protagonist as you can imagine. Though pretty much everyone you might actually like in the book is eaten at some point, Rick Chesler has done something interesting and made the main character unsympathetic and the secondary character only slightly less so. Chesler, a competent wordsmith tells us how Rayman accidently discovers the secret to creating gigantism in fish(es) on the day his funding runs out and he's turfed from his university post. Embittered, he decides to unleash steroidal Sawfish(es) on the world. Soon, swimmers, waterskiers and fisher-folk are fleeing (usually in vain) in terror. Rayman himself is pursued by University functionary Elisa Gonsalves who - far from trying to protect the public - tries to pump him for blackmail money. I am not sure about Chesler's choice of fish(es); I gather Sawfish are pretty inoffensive and endangered to boot, but this is a decent thriller for beach reading, best accompanied by gritty sushi and red wine.

[Badar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable page turner. Book is fast paced, the writing taunt with no superfluous padding. Suspense is built up and maintained very well.

The protagonist is smart, courageous, resourceful and determined scientist. He is also the books villain! A very interesting twist on the critter feature books.

The only other important character is a single mom who could have stopped him in his tracks. But instead decides to blackmail him for money instead.

Nitpicks are the wee bit of bad science - the fish grow enormously overnight without any source of food. And it comes across as if academic researchers roll around in money, rather than being ill paid scroungers. But the book makes up for it by making sure that the gigantic fish behave like frightening animals rather than as monsters.

Look forward to more books from this author.

[Deirdre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Rick Chesler. I really enjoy when a book I read teaches me something new. I've heard of Swordfish but never Sawfish. I had fun researching Sawfish and the Sawshark. It prepared me to read about a strange looking, usually very quiet sandy bottom dweller. The type of fish they surprisingly fall under are Rays.

Well you take a most unlikely villain who turns out to be a stone cold narcissistic sociopath, a blackmailer, some innocent sawfish, and a revenge plot. This book was suspenseful and entertaining. The monster - was it the Sawfish or their creator? The age of Frankenstein question who was the true monster the Creator or his Creation?

[Jaxon Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF.
I loved the monster aspect. The sawfish and its existence were spot on fun and the throwaway scenes of the victims were my favourite part, but I couldn't make myself like either of the main characters. Not even a little bit. The MC was a sexist prick, which isn't why I didn't like him, it was the stupidity of him, and her too actually.

Couldn't do it. I stopped about 75% of the way.

LOVE the sawfish though. I'd read a whole book of just that guy out causing trouble.

[Klinsman Hinjaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch out for sawfish!

I absolutely love this thriller by Rick Chesler! Simply put, Sawfish is a heart-pounding story about sawfish wreaking havoc, but at its very core, it is a tale of human nature in action, which can be very dark indeed... It is always nice to learn marine vocabulary from the author, and his captivating, lexically rich use of English is something I simply adore! Highly recommended!

[FictionFreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sawfish!

Sawfish was an entertaining creature feature that I enjoyed quite a bit. It's got a fairly steady pace and though life made me take awhile to read it, I'd have cruised through it otherwise. If you're looking for a different creature for a creature feature check out Sawfish!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marine biologist loses his grant funding and decides to take his revenge by turning loose a mutated sawfish that he created by accident. Unfortunately when he releases his monstrous creation someone sees him and begins to blackmail him. This story was really good but the ending left more questions with room for a possible sequel hence the 4 out of 5 star rating.

[Jarosław · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst sea creature monster attack book. A fun read in a few hours if you’ve got nothing better to do. The sawfish are the real star as the main characters are utterly unlikeable

[Jeanine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay story. I expected more I guess.

[Bella · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I purchased this book.)

Despite it having a lot of elements that I liked, this book wasn’t ultimately for me.

There were elements that I liked. It was fast-paced and the flow of it was generally good, and the use of the sawfish as our Monster Du Jour was also good. I love monster lit about big sharks as much as the next person, but something a little different is always neat too. This definitely had that going for it. I also found the use of Stiltsville to be very creative.

However, that all wasn’t enough to save it from the stuff I didn’t like.

Our two “main characters” were both unlikeable. Rayman was sexist, racist, and classist. With no redeeming values that I could see whatsoever. (And definitely Chekov’s Gun feeling to the injury/blood scene at the end of the first chapter, but it never came back up?)

Elise was a complete idiot, felt somewhat like a stereotyped character, with considerable morality issues who seemed to only exist in the book to poke the other unlikeable main character and show readers what an ass he was. (We didn’t need the help.) The blackmail plot felt jammed into things without much smoothness, and her “change of heart” at the end was insulting on some levels.

There were way too many Point of View changes with probably half of the book made up of “one time use” characters there to be victims. Some of that is good, but too much is annoying. While most characters–especially Rayman and Elise–made decisions based on obvious plot devices rather than anything resembling realism for how humans would behave. (Semi-related, but catching the giant monsters seemed to happen too easy.)

*Spoiler* For example, Elise KNOWS what’s going on and what’s happening, but she still is gonna take her kid with her on a pleasure cruise on the water when she KNOWS there are several sixty foot monsters out there? Really? No, the author just needed her lined up where he wanted her. But it was a pretty idiotic move on her part.*End*

It also struggled between not knowing if it was Limited PoV or Omniscient, and couldn’t make up its mind on a Tense.

Overall, I found it to be a good idea that was ultimately poorly executed. With no heart and only two types of characters–shitty ones or dead ones–and me feeling the most sympathy for the manatee. It’s 2 Fireballs for this.

[Alex Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book by Rick Chesler and i got exactly what I went in looking for, a silly, highly entertaining creature feature with plenty of gore and excitement. I also liked how it took a drastically different approach to the shark genre with the, technically not a shark but a ray, sawfish. I've always loved sharks and rays and have read much about them, so I was pleased to hear their bodies, skin and movements described realistically, I don't mind a little anthropomorphizing, I think it comes with the territory of writing any book with animals involved. It's also one of the few books I've read and liked where the main character is an unlikeable sleaze ball. Dr. Mason was a such a jerk, he was detestable, and vile, but compelling as was Elisa, a character I feel other reviewers misrepresent. I think that throughout Chesler imbues her with a sense of regret for her actions, and enough complexity of how she is struggling to handle the situation she has found herself in to keep her from being unlikeable. I think that female characters always have a harder time when given shades of grey than men. I don't always like what Elisa did, but at least she was a good person, who just made mistakes and not a bad person. Chesler did a great job with the two leads but I felt that there should've been more supporting characters to brighten up the book a bit, give it a bit more colour. But that's just me. Some other complaints would be that I think the ending was a little anti climactic, even though it started great it just ended too quickly. In the end though it's a fun read and if you like creature features it's a solid and worthwhile entry in the genre

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My original Sawfish audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

I was already biased to like this story as such stellar titles as 'Sharktopus' and 'Frankenfish' top the list of my favourite ever films. I don't know what it is about pseudo-science giant animal monster flicks, but I freaking love them.

This book didn't disappoint, it begins with a mean and nasty scientist having the funding cut on his make-giant-sea-creatures project and finding himself out of a job. What the funding body doesn't know is that he's just discovered away to cause gigantism in sawfish, and cos he's mean an' all - he dumps them in the public waterway.

The beasties grow exponentially and become uncharacteristically aggressive because.... science. I have an undergrad degree in Zoology, so I really enjoyed the fact that the author had put some real science in among the fantastic and the fun.

Rayman (pun intended? The fact that sawfish are closely related to ray is a fact which is repeated a few times in the course of the book), the mad scientist, isn't the most developed of characters but that isn't what this story is about. He's deliciously hateful, pompous and amoral. He's careful to pose himself as the hero in this situation, with absolutely no consideration for the fatalities he's ultimately responsible for.

The course of the story follows the sawfish and the havoc they cause, hacking and slashing as a giant sawfish will. Ending in a great hint that there may be more books where this one came from!

Jeffrey S. Fellin is a great narrator and well suited to this book, I'm not sure this book would have brought me quite so much joy in print form. The audio quality was flawless, as well as Fellin's execution of character voices and accents.

If you're a fan of creature features and fun gore, I would absolutely recommend this book for you. It kept me entertained right to the very end!

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Scary Story Like "Jaws"

This is an exciting, terror-filled story which I hope you are not reading while laying on a sandy beach in Florida! It's a biological thriller as Dr. Mason Rayman experiments with enlarging the size of saw fish. Some people think they are a variety of sharks, but they are actually a unique variety of rays (as with stingrays and manta rays) which can grow to the length of 23 feet. But, the diabolical doctor has found a way to surpass that length. Unfortunately, the grant he has been working under has been cancelled, and since there is no more grant money, the university is forced to also terminate him. Thus, he's not going to let his saw fish be destroyed...he turns them lose in the shallow beach waters off of southern Florida. This is an exciting page turner and makes one think twice about diving into the beautiful blue oceans. One never knows what lurks on the bottom of the sea. This novel is well written, scary, and a fast page turner.

[Julie Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sawfish, by Rick Chesler, is an excellent page-turner that I could not put down. The idea of such a large, out of control creature coming at you in the water is absolutely terrifying, and I am sure it will flash across my brain when I am at the beach this summer. But what is equally as terrifying is the thought of the scientific experimentation going on behind the scenes on a daily basis that we are not aware of. I am pretty sure that is the greater danger here. Both storylines are handled perfectly in this book, and I highly recommend the read.

[diana fusari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absurd story

Predictable story of gigantic sawfish accidentally created in a lab that keep growing larger and larger which are released into the waters off Miami by an ichthyologist bent on revenge for losing his grant. Of course the multiple giant fish go on a rampage devouring people. Florida ocean waters. Where else could a story of this type happen. Writing was not exceptional but did keep me reading to the end. Glad it was on Kindle unlimited and I didn't pay separately for it.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raymon is a researcher that is having a hard time. He created a monster and turned it loose in Miami waters.

Elisa is a working girl that just wants to get ahead a little.

Wow what a combination. a little creepy, a lot scary. Like watching Jaws and thinking i am never going in or near the shorelines again. The ending of the book sure was unexpected. wow. blew my mind. lol what a surprise..

I sure hope there is a sequel

[Deedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sawfish is a B movie fans type of book.A scientist is let go due to his grant not being renewed.He dumps one of his sawfish into a water way and horrific killings occur.Our unlikable main character after seeing this lets loose his other enhanced fish and the terror spreads.He then gets hired to hunt them down.One woman stands in his way,yet she blackmails him instead. Jeffery S. Fellin is great at narration.
I was given this book free for an honest review.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Lyn on February 24, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Marine biologist Mason Rayman has been experimenting on sawfish and the potential for extraordinary growth. When his grant is cancelled,he throws some of the giants into the sea setting into motion monstrous predators. No one in the water is safe from them. Don't miss this exciting book.

[Elizabeth Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started good but ended abruptly

The story itself is good, and the premise itself is very interesting, if a bit unbelievable. However it ended a bit abruptly with lots of questions still unanswered. I would recommend the book to someone looking for a good monster book. Just suspend disbelief when things seem a bit fantastical. Overall a fun read.

[Rae Storey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was along the lines of the fantastically bad, but entertaining, shark movies on the SyFy channel. Multiple genetically altered sawfish are released into the ocean around southern Florida, and they terrorize beach goers resulting in lots of bloody deaths.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the kindle book and the audio. Most of the book was listened to on audio with my sons. We enjoyed it! Action packed! Giant Sawfish! Blackmail! Would be great on the Syfy channel!

[Uncle Dave Avis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book. It was interesting, in a sea monster way. This book was well written and held my interest from start to finish. If you want a good read, get this one.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it ginormously. Thanks for the hours of gory mayhem.

[Courtney Saari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly cheesy

Terribly cheesy. So hokey. Seems like it was written in hopes of being turned into a syfy tv movie. And numerous typos.