I normally shun serial-killer fiction, with its endless variations on the same basic plot and gratuitous violence. But The Moon Pool's premise (a mythology-emulating villain operating in the depths of a flooded mining town) was original enough to attract my interest. I'm glad it did.
Against his better judgment, Richard "Don't-Call-Me-Dick" Dahlgren (possibly the world's only underwater forensic investigator) gets caught up in the hunt for the killer and quest to free the latest victim from her underwater prison. The dangers of diving in a labyrinth of tunnels at up to four-hundred-foot depths are amplified by Dahlgren's haunting memories of a decade-old cave-diving accident that claimed his first love.

In addition to the original concept and setting, the author uses his knowledge of scuba diving and technology to maintain the believability of the somewhat far-fetched plot. He also focuses more on the beauty of the underwater setting than on the hateful violence dispensed by the killer. My only criticisms are that the scientific scuba details were a bit overwhelming and esoteric at times and that the author seemed to rush through some of the key action sequences building to the climax.

But all in all, this was a fascinating novel with beautiful imagery that will play as well on the big screen as it does on the page.

-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion maker" ( )