Dark Fathom

by Tom Morrisey

'Morrisey may be the Clive Cussler of the Christian market. Beck Easton is the kind of hero readers love to love, and his well plotted, exciting adventures lack nothing.' Romantic Times Book Club Magazine Software architect Beck Easton is a secret member of the National Security Agency. He is also ready to give up his double life when an unexpected assignment---and the captivating Angela Brower---change his plans. Following the trail of an Al-Quaeda operative, Beck uncovers a plot that could kill thousands. Suddenly an already perilous assignment turns into a race against time, complicated by Angela's presence and Beck's growing attraction to her. Caught in a web of intrigue and danger, Angela and Beck must join forces to stop a deadly enemy before it is too late. In this taut page-turner, Dark Fathom takes you deep into a world of espionage, ocean diving adventure, and faith lived out in the face of deadly high stakes.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Christian Fiction, Religion, Action, Christian

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2005

About the author

Tom Morrisey is the author of six novels and short stories, is a world-renowned adventure-travel writer whose work has appeared in Outside, Sport Diver (where he serves as Editor at Large) and other leading magazines. He holds an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Toledo and an MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University. He lives in Orlando, Florida. Visit Tom's Web site at www.tommorrisey.com

Reviews

[Jayna Baas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Morrisey’s writing style, and the characters and storyline drew me in. I was thrilled to find a Christian suspense novel that didn’t include a lot of graphic onscreen violence. Unfortunately, the story fell apart for me about three-quarters of the way through. I was genuinely excited about a book that acknowledged God’s clear command that believers should not pursue romance with nonbelievers—so I was genuinely disappointed when the character then did an abrupt one-eighty, completely ignored that command, and went ahead with the relationship because it was somehow okay at that point (for reasons that were never clearly explained). Then, after that abrupt shift, the original storyline wrapped up…but the book went on with another storyline that apparently existed only to set up the next book, wrap up the spiritual loose ends, and wreak havoc on the happily-ever-after. Honestly, I felt cheated—and sad. If the book had been minus the tacked-on extra ending and unbiblical relationship, I would have loved it. And I did love the style enough to give the author another try, so hopefully I will have better things to report next time.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beck Easton is leading a double life. Most know him as a partner in software company Blue Corner Technologies. Few know him as a member of the National Security Agency. Instead of a supposed business trip for Blue Corner, he's actually on assignment in Columbia assassinating a couple of drug dealers at the opening of Dark Fathom. But he's tired of his double life and ready to cash in. As soon as Blue Corner goes public, he plans to retire and leave his NSA days far behind.

Unbeknownst to Beck, a sinister Al-Qaida plot is quickly falling into place that could kill thousands. The government calls on Beck to do them one last favor--find Ahmed bin Saleen, who they believe is the plot's mastermind. No big deal, his superior tries to persuade him. You won't even need to bring a gun. Beck reluctantly agrees to tackle the job. His search takes him from Berlin to Canandaigua, NY, where he discovers a man murdered and floating beneath the lake's thick ice. Apparently bin Saleen means business.

But it's in Bermuda where the pieces fall into place. According to Dark Fathom's premise, during World War II a Nazi plane carrying a plutonium bomb intended for New York City crashed in the Bermuda Triangle before delivering its "cargo." Ahmed bin Saleen will stop at nothing to find that bomb, and neither will Beck. Armed with the latest underwater searching technology, he and his friends comb the waters for the missing plane as bin Saleen stealthily follows. Will they find the bomb before the terrorists?

Morrisey's definitely done his homework in Dark Fathom, a prequel to his previous novel Deep Blue. Straight from the prologue he had me wondering if Germany really did have a flying-wing jet bomber like the one described (they didn't, according to the author notes), and his sharp eye for specific details brought the story to life. He even personally drew the maps at the beginning of each section.

Beck Easton is an ocean-diving Indiana Jones. The guy's been to sniper school, can fly or drive just about anything, is an accomplished diver, and speaks German, Spanish and French. We watch him put most of these skills to good use in Dark Fathom. Some of the technical descriptions of diving equipment got a little tedious, and the romance subplot might seem a bit tacked on, but neither of these hindered my enjoyment of this bold adventure novel. Perfect for Clive Cussler fans and all those who savor page-turning action.

[Gracie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for about three quarters. It really went downhill for me for the last bit. The story abruptly changes and was very rushed, and I found myself scrambling to switch to the totally new direction the book was taking. The ending was also not great at all.
I was also quite unimpressed that Angela dates Beck even though he's not a Christian. Throughout most of the book, Angela is debating whether or not to date him because he doesn't share her faith. It feels like she compromises in the end when she chooses to be a relationship with him.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

"This is the second book I've read featuring Beck Easton (the first was this book's sequel) and it is an improvement in the diving/technical categories. Here, Easton contemplates leaving government service (he's an NSA agent) for good, but is drawn back in when intelligence reports reveal that an al-Qaeda operative is on U.S. soil and possibly planning an attack with a dirty bomb from World War II.

There is a lot of technical diving information as well as WWII history here, and the author clearly has done his research. The only parts of the book that dragged involved the romantic subplot between Easton and Angela Brower, a Christian. Angela attempts to convert Beck but fails.

What bothered me was the romantic subplot. Christians aren't supposed to entertain the idea of dating nonbelievers, and Angela's actions reflect this. Yet, somehow, she dates him and marries him anyway. Come on. If you're going to write an ostensibly Christian novel, at least have the Christians stick to biblical principles and not follow their hormones all the time.

I finished the book in a day. It's not exactly a light read, but it's quite engrossing and its sequel is also very good."

[Coki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ohh Christian Fiction - you are so far not as bad as I anticipated but the qualifying phrases in your reviews "even a non-Christian would enjoy it" make me hate you nonetheless! Totally reading you on work time otherwise it will never happen.

*** okay - so it was as bad as I thought it would be when the romantic couple kept using the Bible like a ouija board to solve problems. How that helps find an atomic bomb from Nazi Germany in Bermuda I don't know. Why must the publishers let this happen?!?! you wanna write or read an adventure story then do so - not sure that you have to awkwardly shoehorn in Bible verses or refrain from creating multidimensional characters to "keep the faith"