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Dark Ocean
A World War II wreck lies beneath the South China Sea. Is her cargo worth killing for?
Marine claims investigator Angus McKinnon is summoned to Hong Kong, his personal city of ghosts, where a local shipowner and his beautiful daughter need his help.
But their claim on a mysterious cargo lost during the War is not as simple as they say, and the cold case abruptly heats up when Angus’s old friend and mentor is violently murdered back in Greece.
Haunted, obstructed and plagued by self-doubt, Angus soon finds himself trapped in a web of international intrigue that draws him to the typhoon-lashed South China Sea and the shocking discovery of a plan to attack Hong Kong and hold Asia Pacific – and the world beyond – to ransom. But the trail doesn’t end there …
Amidst relentless danger, Angus’s resolve is once more tested down to the wire.
In the same maritime tradition as Clive Cussler or David Wood, but Angus McKinnon is more reminiscent of a Len Deighton character than a Dirk Pitt or Dane Maddock.
“Nick Elliott delivers in spades when it comes to fast-paced, intelligent, international thrillers. You feel, smell and touch every authentically crafted location; you’re expertly drawn into a maze of shadows and sinister organizations and characters where nothing is what it seems. This really is thriller writing of the highest calibre.”
Craig Russell, award-winning author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Jan Fabel and Lennox crime thrillers.
Marine claims investigator Angus McKinnon is summoned to Hong Kong, his personal city of ghosts, where a local shipowner and his beautiful daughter need his help.
But their claim on a mysterious cargo lost during the War is not as simple as they say, and the cold case abruptly heats up when Angus’s old friend and mentor is violently murdered back in Greece.
Haunted, obstructed and plagued by self-doubt, Angus soon finds himself trapped in a web of international intrigue that draws him to the typhoon-lashed South China Sea and the shocking discovery of a plan to attack Hong Kong and hold Asia Pacific – and the world beyond – to ransom. But the trail doesn’t end there …
Amidst relentless danger, Angus’s resolve is once more tested down to the wire.
In the same maritime tradition as Clive Cussler or David Wood, but Angus McKinnon is more reminiscent of a Len Deighton character than a Dirk Pitt or Dane Maddock.
“Nick Elliott delivers in spades when it comes to fast-paced, intelligent, international thrillers. You feel, smell and touch every authentically crafted location; you’re expertly drawn into a maze of shadows and sinister organizations and characters where nothing is what it seems. This really is thriller writing of the highest calibre.”
Craig Russell, award-winning author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Jan Fabel and Lennox crime thrillers.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2017
76 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Nick Elliott
11 books25 followers"Nick Elliott delivers in spades when it comes to fast-paced, intelligent, international thrillers. You feel, smell and touch every authentically crafted location; you’re expertly drawn into a maze of shadows and sinister organizations and characters where nothing is what it seems. This really is thriller writing of the highest calibre.” Craig Russell, award-winning author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Jan Fabel and Lennox crime thrillers.
Over an eventful career in international shipping, Nick Elliott has handled dozens of maritime claims, casualties and other assorted mishaps throughout the Far East, the East Med and Black Sea. Many of these cases provide inspiration for his series of Angus McKinnon thrillers.
He worked as a ships agent in Hong Kong and Tokyo for twenty years and Piraeus for a further eight. Along the way he's been sent to the Pacific island of Nauru to quell fears of a typhoid epidemic; hidden in a storm drain during an inter-gang shootout in Guam; investigated the theft of a cargo of ethyl alcohol in Georgia tracing both cargo and the armed gang of thieves to North Ossetia; and oversaw the welfare, disembarkation and migration from Hong Kong to the UK of 1,002 Vietnamese boat people rescued by a British ship in the South China Sea.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and now divides his time between Scotland and Greece.
Dark Ocean, his second thriller in the Angus McKinnon series, was published on Amazon in August 2017: http://amzn.to/2vIPRyJ
Nick’s first book, Sea of Gold, is also available from Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jkQUYT
You can sign up to Nick's newsletter from his website: http://www.nickelliott.org
Over an eventful career in international shipping, Nick Elliott has handled dozens of maritime claims, casualties and other assorted mishaps throughout the Far East, the East Med and Black Sea. Many of these cases provide inspiration for his series of Angus McKinnon thrillers.
He worked as a ships agent in Hong Kong and Tokyo for twenty years and Piraeus for a further eight. Along the way he's been sent to the Pacific island of Nauru to quell fears of a typhoid epidemic; hidden in a storm drain during an inter-gang shootout in Guam; investigated the theft of a cargo of ethyl alcohol in Georgia tracing both cargo and the armed gang of thieves to North Ossetia; and oversaw the welfare, disembarkation and migration from Hong Kong to the UK of 1,002 Vietnamese boat people rescued by a British ship in the South China Sea.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and now divides his time between Scotland and Greece.
Dark Ocean, his second thriller in the Angus McKinnon series, was published on Amazon in August 2017: http://amzn.to/2vIPRyJ
Nick’s first book, Sea of Gold, is also available from Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jkQUYT
You can sign up to Nick's newsletter from his website: http://www.nickelliott.org
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 16, 2018
Dark Ocean hit many landmarks with which I am familiar (Kowloon and Hong Kong), and I loved all the interesting tidbits of shipping detail, description of ports, and customs of the locals, including the exchange of commerce with Japan. This book grabs your attention immediately then quickly widens to that of international intrigue that includes the collusion of a major cabal in what might be a hostile takeover--a far-reaching takeover. The threatening organization is deeply rooted and far ranging and has Angus flying to retrieve information from sources he thought well buried in his past--only to have to retrieve, relive, and sort. But as with any good thriller, a piece of the puzzle only leads to hints of acquiring the next piece.
The book is a well plotted, multi-layered suspense with slightly rogue alpha male management style being ever more deeply entangled in MI6 as they coordinate between agencies. There is so much (fictional?) information here reading as gospel that it becomes scary. The dialogue works very well, whether speaking with Chinese, Japanese, or English and Scottish, usually alluded to speaking in clipped accents, but not reduced to having been written in accent.
Protagonist Angus is well fleshed. Peripheral characters are described sufficiently enough to imagine threat without getting into unnecessary histories. Mr. Elliott's stories are certainly unique, intelligent, and exhibit a keen knowledge of his subject matter and world locations. I downloaded this as a gift book in exchange for an honest review and can recommend as an international thriller, crime, intrigue, and suspense tale that you'll enjoy.
The book is a well plotted, multi-layered suspense with slightly rogue alpha male management style being ever more deeply entangled in MI6 as they coordinate between agencies. There is so much (fictional?) information here reading as gospel that it becomes scary. The dialogue works very well, whether speaking with Chinese, Japanese, or English and Scottish, usually alluded to speaking in clipped accents, but not reduced to having been written in accent.
Protagonist Angus is well fleshed. Peripheral characters are described sufficiently enough to imagine threat without getting into unnecessary histories. Mr. Elliott's stories are certainly unique, intelligent, and exhibit a keen knowledge of his subject matter and world locations. I downloaded this as a gift book in exchange for an honest review and can recommend as an international thriller, crime, intrigue, and suspense tale that you'll enjoy.
April 12, 2018
Good story
...but badly edited and proofread, which was a bit distracting. Overall, however, a tale well told and interesting, particularly since it concerns the shipping industry.
...but badly edited and proofread, which was a bit distracting. Overall, however, a tale well told and interesting, particularly since it concerns the shipping industry.
May 22, 2020
Easy read.
Looking forward to read the other books in the series. Love the ocean and all that goes with it. Sunken treasure is definitely exciting with mystery and intrigue.
Looking forward to read the other books in the series. Love the ocean and all that goes with it. Sunken treasure is definitely exciting with mystery and intrigue.
August 4, 2020
A good read.....set in Hong Kong--always fascinating for me. Enjoyed it.
January 22, 2019
This book is a fast-paced thriller in which the action takes place in several countries, much of it in or around Hong Kong. Angus McKinnon is brought in to assist with the location of a ship that sank during World War II, along with many POWs and a large object of considerable value. However, they are not the only people hunting for it, a trail of conspiracy and death ensues, and the city of Hong Kong is in great danger.
I had some difficulty connecting with the characters, who all seemed too similar, especially in their dialogue. The emphasis on telling rather than showing contributed to the fast pace, yet I felt that it took a little from the flow of the prose.
I had some difficulty connecting with the characters, who all seemed too similar, especially in their dialogue. The emphasis on telling rather than showing contributed to the fast pace, yet I felt that it took a little from the flow of the prose.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews