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Croc
"The crocodile was racing past him, and Reamers only had time to look up as the beast's mouth opened wide, then closed with a sickening crunching sound around the torso of one of the men."
For years people had heard the rumours about crocodiles and alligators lurking in the sewers of New York -- and for years everyone had laughed about them with scorn, but now...
For years people had heard the rumours about crocodiles and alligators lurking in the sewers of New York -- and for years everyone had laughed about them with scorn, but now...
211 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1976
108 people want to read
About the author
David James
624 books11 followersLibrarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Others:
David 2^ James : Mystery & Thrillers
David 3^ James: GR Author, Travel, Slovakia
David 4^ James: Celtic Crafts & Design
David 5^ James: GR Author, Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy
David 6^ James: Australian author
David 7^ James: GR Author, Young Adult Science Fiction
David 8^ James: Professional Stills Photographer
David 9^ James: Upholstery
David 10^ James: Sports, Football
David 11^ James: Philosophy
David 12^ James: Poetry
David 13^ James: Islamic History
Others:
David 2^ James : Mystery & Thrillers
David 3^ James: GR Author, Travel, Slovakia
David 4^ James: Celtic Crafts & Design
David 5^ James: GR Author, Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy
David 6^ James: Australian author
David 7^ James: GR Author, Young Adult Science Fiction
David 8^ James: Professional Stills Photographer
David 9^ James: Upholstery
David 10^ James: Sports, Football
David 11^ James: Philosophy
David 12^ James: Poetry
David 13^ James: Islamic History
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 16, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5 stars. However, since I love stories about nature kicking ass on us lowly humans, I can give it the bump to 4.
RDCV of plot: a crocodile somehow wound up in the NYC sewers (why is every damn story involving a city based around that dump?) and it has been living there for years. Two sewer workers are down in there investigating a blockage, and the croc chomps one of them. The other guy (Peter Boggs) escapes, and is later talked into going down there to try to shoot the gator with a pistol. He is stuck down there for the rest of the story, and the other characters are cops who become convinced that a croc is in the sewers. They head down to try to rescue the guy, and kill the croc. The End.
Silly plot? Yes, but who cares? You don't read these type of books looking for complex plots or characters pontificating about weighty social issues, such as a solution to the disparity of wealth in our country, or how Trump managed to get elected. You read these books to be ENTERTAINED, and in that aspect, CROC delivers. It moves fast, there is no time wasted deviating from the plot (no secondary plot threads here, you don't need em') and it is exciting. The croc pursuing Boggs is a good chunk of the book, and it was genuinely fun, I really liked the descriptions of misery in the sewers while Boggs tries to escape, yet the croc keeps outmaneuvering him. Three cheers for silly stories like this!
Bottom line: it's fast, fun, and worth reading for a couple hour's escape from reality.
RDCV of plot: a crocodile somehow wound up in the NYC sewers (why is every damn story involving a city based around that dump?) and it has been living there for years. Two sewer workers are down in there investigating a blockage, and the croc chomps one of them. The other guy (Peter Boggs) escapes, and is later talked into going down there to try to shoot the gator with a pistol. He is stuck down there for the rest of the story, and the other characters are cops who become convinced that a croc is in the sewers. They head down to try to rescue the guy, and kill the croc. The End.
Silly plot? Yes, but who cares? You don't read these type of books looking for complex plots or characters pontificating about weighty social issues, such as a solution to the disparity of wealth in our country, or how Trump managed to get elected. You read these books to be ENTERTAINED, and in that aspect, CROC delivers. It moves fast, there is no time wasted deviating from the plot (no secondary plot threads here, you don't need em') and it is exciting. The croc pursuing Boggs is a good chunk of the book, and it was genuinely fun, I really liked the descriptions of misery in the sewers while Boggs tries to escape, yet the croc keeps outmaneuvering him. Three cheers for silly stories like this!
Bottom line: it's fast, fun, and worth reading for a couple hour's escape from reality.
August 1, 2021
Love the cover of this old paperback. Thirty foot crocodile lurking in a NY sewer. A fast paced and quick read. Nothing better than a reptile devouring flesh.
September 9, 2023
Well, I picked this one up on a whim as it had been sitting on my shelf for quite a while, and I bloody loved it.
Straight out of the gate this one pulls you through the sewers of New York. There is no preamble, it starts with a bang and doesn’t let up for it’s 157 pages. It’s a creature feature, and that creature is a massive saltwater Crocodile which has somehow gotten into the sewers and causing havoc and filling its stomach with those poor, unfortunate, sewer workers.
The story develops into somewhat of a cat and mouse game with the Croc and our reluctant hero, and I honestly felt a little claustrophobic whilst reading it, and my heart rate was spiked on numerous occasions.
With a small cast of characters James really makes you feel for each of their individual plights, and that I feel - the small cast of characters - is where the story excels.
There’s scares and thrills and a lot of blood and guts and attacks - this was a fast paced story which does exactly what is says on the tin.
Croc - yep, a huge croc in the sewers - don’t expect this to be a classy, literary event, it is not, it’s more pulp… and that’s why I enjoyed it so much!
If you don’t ask too many questions, and just sit back and enjoy the ride, you’ll find it reads like an action / thriller!
Straight out of the gate this one pulls you through the sewers of New York. There is no preamble, it starts with a bang and doesn’t let up for it’s 157 pages. It’s a creature feature, and that creature is a massive saltwater Crocodile which has somehow gotten into the sewers and causing havoc and filling its stomach with those poor, unfortunate, sewer workers.
The story develops into somewhat of a cat and mouse game with the Croc and our reluctant hero, and I honestly felt a little claustrophobic whilst reading it, and my heart rate was spiked on numerous occasions.
With a small cast of characters James really makes you feel for each of their individual plights, and that I feel - the small cast of characters - is where the story excels.
There’s scares and thrills and a lot of blood and guts and attacks - this was a fast paced story which does exactly what is says on the tin.
Croc - yep, a huge croc in the sewers - don’t expect this to be a classy, literary event, it is not, it’s more pulp… and that’s why I enjoyed it so much!
If you don’t ask too many questions, and just sit back and enjoy the ride, you’ll find it reads like an action / thriller!
January 9, 2016
This is a fun quick read. It doesn't come close to the master of giant creatures (Guy N Smith) but is still great fun if you like this sort of thing (which I do, obviously). Not brilliant but, believe me, there are a lot worse out there.
June 28, 2024
Two sewer workers go down looking for a blockage and one is brutally killed by a crocodile lurking there. The remaining worker, Peter Boggs, finds himself being herded by the beast through the sewers.
It’s a race against time for Boggs trying to outpace the croc while an Officer Stapleton and reporter Reamers find themselves following in what they initially think is a wild goose chase.
An exciting take on the alligators in the sewers urban legend of New York. It’s fast paced, throws you into the action immediately and surprisingly has some good character development, something rarely found in a creature feature.
It’s a race against time for Boggs trying to outpace the croc while an Officer Stapleton and reporter Reamers find themselves following in what they initially think is a wild goose chase.
An exciting take on the alligators in the sewers urban legend of New York. It’s fast paced, throws you into the action immediately and surprisingly has some good character development, something rarely found in a creature feature.
May 16, 2022
Yet another creature gone haywire book to add to my collection
Great book
Great book
July 17, 2025
Three-dimensional, lived-in characters (who have arcs!).
Fantastic mood.
Effortless world-building.
Do not write this off as pulp or schlock.
This is horror fiction as its finest.
Fantastic mood.
Effortless world-building.
Do not write this off as pulp or schlock.
This is horror fiction as its finest.
August 1, 2025
it was thrilling, but had the typical "woman written by a man" trope.
August 11, 2024
Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a very good book, but a guy does get eaten by a crocodile in the first 11 pages. Swings and roundabouts.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews