Deadly Cargo

by Steven J. Taylor

Catching the beast is one thing. Smuggling it safely out of Indonesia is something else altogether.

Whisked overseas for a mystery job, Australian Park Ranger and dangerous animal expert Matt Sanders finds himself presented with the opportunity of a to find and capture a uniquely dangerous cryptid long hidden by the thick rainforests of Java. It is an opportunity too exciting to turn down.

Teamed with an eccentric local lead and a pair of specialists, Matt quickly embraces the challenge of the ultimate catch. But the brutal killing efficiency of this voracious predator is well known. In a land of extremist views, there are those who see the lethal potential in controlling such a beast, and seek to steal it from them. In a perilous mission where failure would put more than their own lives in jeopardy, Matt and his team will need to be prepared to risk everything to stop these sinister forces from taking hold of their deadly cargo.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction

229 pages, Paperback

Published December 30, 2021

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected. Upon seeing the cover and reading the premise, I figured it would be a creature feature on the high seas. And in some ways it was, however, the bulk of the book was not focused on the Horse Serpent. Much of it was about the relationship dynamics between Dowers and O’Mara, Mr Cheong’s background, pirates, alliances and betrayal, etc so there was no lack of action and plot depth. The cryptid did get some good time on these pages, and I would have liked to see more, but this story concludes with an opening for future installments. So I can’t say that this needed more creature time, because I’m not sure what subsequent books in this series will cover. One thing that I didn’t think fit into the plot at all was the subplot about Sanders and O’Mara flirting with a romance, with Dowers waiting in the wings. It didn’t amount to anything and just felt forced. So I could have done without that. I also had some trouble differentiating between some of the more exotic character names, which were very similar to each other. But beyond that, I did enjoy each of the characters, the writing quality is solid, and the story was good. I just wish that this kept its plot a little less busy and worked with some of the more interesting concepts.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were parts of it that were okay, at best, but they didn't hold up for the majority that was lackluster, long-winded, and kind of pointless. I wanted to see more of the creature, but instead I got a lot of stuff about betrayal, politics, and relationship muddling. I really didn't like it, and I kind of wish I did. Honestly, I skimmed the majority of the novel, and only read when Sanders was doing something, or Cheong was talking, or the creature was mentioned. I ignored the ENTIRE section with the pirates, because there were too many names that were too much alike and too much double crossing and it all got very muddled for me.

And I hated the ending, #sorrynotsorry

[Cujo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but to me the description was a little misleading. I thought this would be about a creature that would be caught smuggled, somehow get loose, run amuck, and thus kill almost everyone. Instead I get a story about a cryptid that seems to know only to attack the "bad guys". Just like Godzilla in the 666666 cartoon from the 70s

[Claudia A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an adventure

I have not read this author before and the title intrigued me. It was a good solid story. Saunders was my favorite character. Good story line, a little gory in places but done well. Nice mix of adventure with some scare and heart. I will definitely read more from this author. I hope these characters Jess, Simon, and Saunders come back.

[MIKE OKELLEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book confused me greatly. I could not decide if it was a cryptid monster book, pirate book, rant against racism, or tale like the lion and the thorn. But i enjoyed it anyway and think you will too. blood and gore at times but still a good read that you will get into, great characters. big twist at the end.

[Thibaldo Manrique · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice cryptid story

A fantastic animal whispered to exist, savage and vicious when encountered by hunters. An Australian Ranger, experienced in capture and care of wild dangerous animals. A rare animal expert. An experienced veterinarian. Definitely a mix for a great story. Flawlessly told, this is a very nice book.

It has elements borrowed heavily from other successful stories, such as Crocodile Dundee and Captain Phillips. This does not take away from the original sections of the tale.

I enjoyed it a lot, it didn't feel slow at any point and the characters were reasonably well fleshed out.

A good weekend by the pool read.

[raggs0208 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed the story line. Characters were well defined in both personality and character. Best of all- an entertaining book with plot, scenarios, action and flowing dialogue. BESTEST of all- no nasty F-bombs !!!
I am not a prude or a goody two shoes, but when every other word is a profanity, it gets kind of old. If a writer has to use the F bomb as a noun, pronoun, adjective and verb and are unable to come up with other words, I start to rethink the intellect of the author.
SO CONGRATULATIONS FOR BEING AN EXEMPLARY WRITER WITH A VOCABULARY- I LOOK FORWARD TO READING MORE OF YOUR BOOKS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHOWING YOUR TALENT AND ETHICS😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊🙃🙃

[Ella De · Rating 1 out of 5]

Three specialists from Australia are hired to capture a mysterious creature and ship it to a very special zoo.

This novel sounded so great and it had an absolutely unique creature to evolve around, the Sipatahunan Cave Horse Serpent and the author completely wasted this pontential. It is a lame story with flat, uninteresting characters. The action is flat and the most interesting part, the cryptid, isn't muc more than a mcguffin for the story. Most of the book is about pirates trying to steal the creature (without exactly knowing what they are hunting for).

[Donna Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was an alright horror book. The characters were very diverse in their various personalities. A lot of the book was not set in the water/ocean, when the description and cover gave the illusion it would be focused there. The creature itself was very unsettling in its vivid description and actions against people. This horror book was definitely interesting, though lackluster in its supposed setting of deep-sea terror.

[Amanda Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cast of characters

This story has great potential for a series. I really hope they get sent to capture another cryptid soon. I read the whole book in a day and a half. I couldn't put it down. Lots of story twists and surprises. Nicely written and edited too!m

[Carol J. Bechman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lover of Cripteds

This was definitely different from the beginning. I liked almost everything about the book except the pirates. What I really liked was what happened to the pirates. I liked how it ended the best.

[Valerie Smales · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid STORYLINE

I enjoyed the book, but felt it could have had more momentum. It had good characters and content, just no page turner...too predictable! Hopefully the next book will be more of a what happens next 😊

[April Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love an intelligent monster

Good read, keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. Disappointed in the book cover, the horse serpent is not a sea creature, so the cover is misleading. I hope there is a sequel, good mix of characters.

[James Wrye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read. *spoiler*

Tons of action from great characters, AND monsters!!!!!!!! I seriously hope there's more with these characters. The ending did leave an opening for a sequel so I'm crossing my fingers!

[Mamie Burnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Well thought out and we'll written. I highly recommend this fantastic book. If the people in Hollywood don 't pick this up for a movie then it is their loss. I would very much like to see on the big screen. Mr. Taylor, you are a great author.

[Carmen Swindell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indescribable

From the time I started reading this book it held me enthralled. I couldn't put it down. The whole storyline was so unexpected and truly interesting. I will most likely read it again sometime in the future.

[Jesse Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

more please!

I love lake monsters and all cryptids, and this was a new one for me. I will definitely be reading anything else this author writes!

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun cryptid adventure. This is one animal that I had never heard of before and this thrills me. The characters were really good, some likeable, some detestable, the creature divine and the settings both in the jungle and at sea were great. I can see new adventures for some of these people in the future and I will be there to read about them if there is more.

[Pixiegirl67 · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

Enjoyed the story and the variation of characters. Will be interesting to see if there are additional stories following this one.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of action

Though the ending was a bit hokey. But I still recommend this book and I did enjoyed the main characters.

[Kathy Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been a lot shorter.

[Sabrina Bright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read

I love monster books. I liked this one, but too much of the book didn’t have a monster in it. I would have preferred they spent more time on the monster itself.

[Gevera Piedmont · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of an action adventure than a creature horror book, which is what I was looking for.
Also 4 characters had names beginning with S.

[henry smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

[Paige Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great, but not bad.

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it was a movie…it would be straight to a streaming ser ice. It’s entertaining, quick read and very predictable with a big grain of salt. But the emphasis is on: entertaining..

[Crystal Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much amd glad that I chose it for my first book to read in 2923. I Instantly connected with the characters and was constant action. I
For me, it was one of those rare books that I could not wait to see what happens next. As a bonus, this can be a standalone read or can easily have a sequel to.

I’m officially following this author to see what is in store for us next!

[MaG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down!