Deep Shadow

The Deep Series, Book 1

By: Nick Sullivan

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

In the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, something lethal is on the move.

Scuba divers travel from all over the world to visit the little island of Bonaire, with its crystal clear waters and a host of beautiful marine life. After three years in the “Diver's Paradise”, divemaster Boone Fischer thought he’d seen it all, but on a routine afternoon dive, he spots something that will turn his tranquil life upside down.

From the arid shores of the ABC Islands to the tropical jungles of Venezuela, and from the ocean depths of the Southern Caribbean to the lush islands of the Northern Leewards, Deep Shadow takes Boone and the listeners on an action-packed adventure filled with danger and suspense.

"Every damn sentence in Deep Shadow vibrates with authenticity — whether it’s diving at the edge of an abyss, pushing an open fisherman to its limits in a rough sea, or detailing a claustrophobic smuggler submarine. You can smell the sweat on the bad guys, and the good guys (and girls) never seem contrived. Deep Shadow is accurate, paced like an anxious thoroughbred, and highly entertaining. I can’t wait for the next one." - Michael Reisig, best-selling author of The Road to Key West series.

"The age old adage of write what you know, becomes very important when you write about a technical subject like scuba diving. When you get all the details right, and throw in just the right amounts of action, humor, romance, and suspense, you have a novel like this." - Wayne Stinnett, best-selling author of Fallen Out.

“Deep Shadow has it all—Suspense, Thriller… and a little bit of love. Sullivan is obviously a fan of the culture, climate, and diving in the Caribbean. The way he described each island and each dive that they made is painted in this amazing color that I felt like I was there. Overall, Deep Shadow will probably be up there with my Best of 2018 books. 5 out of 5 Stars.” - Brian’s Book Blog.

“I was immediately drawn into the Clancy-esque storyline, but was equally turned on by the romance at the center. Props to this writer for giving us both a male and female heroine, and a romance that works within and amplifies the storyline. A delicious, sexy, action packed maritime adventure that will keep you turning the pages well into the night!" - Gabra Zackman, author of “The Bod Squad” series.

“If you’re planning to island-hop the Caribbean by boat or plane, you couldn’t have a better guide than Nick Sullivan, a great storyteller and a spout of knowledge about (to list a few) craft large and small, sea life, scuba diving, weaponry, hydraulics, geography, navigation, island history, food and drink. But he doesn’t hit you over the head with the research, and it enhances rather than interrupts the tale.”- Peter Johnson, author of Grant’s Indian.

©2018 Nick Sullivan (P)2018 Nick Sullivan

Critic reviews

"Deep Shadow has it all - Suspense, Thriller… and a little bit of love. Sullivan is obviously a fan of the culture, climate, and diving in the Caribbean. The way he described each island and each dive that they made is painted in this amazing color that I felt like I was there. I can also tell that a ton of research (and non-fiction elements) went into Deep Shadow… everything felt incredibly plausible. The characters were likable and easy to root for (especially Boone) - you just wanted them to do well and to come out on top. Overall, Deep Shadow will probably be up there with my Best of 2018 books. 5 out of 5 Stars.” (Brian’s Book Blog)

"Nick Sullivan is the real thing. Every damn sentence in Deep Shadow vibrates with authenticity — whether it’s diving at the edge of an abyss, pushing an open fisherman to its limits in a rough sea, or detailing a claustrophobic smuggler submarine. You can smell the sweat on the bad guys, and the good guys (and girls) never seem contrived. Deep Shadow is accurate, paced like an anxious thoroughbred, and highly entertaining. I can’t wait for the next one." (Michael Reisig, best-selling author of The Road to Key West series)

"The age-old adage of write what you know, becomes very important when you write about a technical subject like scuba diving. When you get all the details right, and throw in just the right amounts of action, humor, romance, and suspense, you have a novel like this." (Wayne Stinnett, best-selling author of Fallen Out)

Great Caribbean Dive Adventure from a new Author!

Great characters you can picture living there. Nick's knowledge of the Caribbean islands is evident and I enjoyed learning more about them. Story has a nice blend of diving, adventure and love interest. I finished and immediately pre ordered his next book in this series!

Suspense and thrills from beginning to end!

Listened to Nick Sullivan for the first time and I'm already hooked! Highly recommend to listen to his stories. They are so authentic and real. He sends the listener on whirlwind trip through the Caribbean with on the edge of your seat suspense and authentic voice characters that one literally feels as if you were also a part of the story. Look forward to hearing more of Nick Sullivan.

Fanciful imagination

Entertaining, but implausible to the point of ridiculous story line detracts from the overall experience. If you can suspend reality, you can enjoy it.

Action-packed (boat) ride!

Audio book review. In Deep Shadow, prepare to live vicariously via the stunning setting of the Caribbean islands: there’s the laid-back vibe of the beach side bar and a sunset cocktail; there’s the calm, crystal-clear water calling for exploration; there’s the underwater and otherworldly sea life to amaze and enchant. But this is no travelogue. Quite literally, beneath the tranquil surface lurks danger and ugliness – and these are the things that make author Nick Sullivan’s Deep Shadow a real page-turner.

Sullivan has done his research and knows his stuff. Readers will learn about the processes of diving, how sound travels, and how size is distorted in water; about submarines and sub-machine guns; about drug trafficking and drug lords. What’s great is that all the details and factoids come about organically within the story without being preachy or info-dumpy. These details move the story forward, making it reminiscent of The Deep by Peter Benchley (including a wicked moray eel).

There are layers to Deep Shadow, which make the story more interesting. There are different bad guys with different motivations and plans for getting what they want – violently and without remorse. All the while, there is this team of happy-go-lucky divers (including main character Boone Fischer) who just want a good day in the water, but who step-up when those waters are muddied by blood and greed. A lot of the story is spent building to the certain collision of the good with the bad. Readers know it’s coming, but they don’t know when, how, or what it will mean in the grand scheme of things.

Deep Shadow is primarily action with the narrative alternating chapters told from the terrorists’ viewpoints and Boone’s. This format, along with the relationship blooming between Boone and Emily, provide a respite from the tension and terror brought through the international field of bad guys. (Side note: it’s difficult to get a handle on the names of these characters when reading with your ears.) Emily brings levity to the story – she’s a hoot – and it’s fun to watch Boone ignoring the signals and denying his feelings for her. There are not a lot of females in the story, but Emily’s personality fills that gap, and it will be interesting to see if future installments in the Caribbean Dive Adventures series flesh-out her character. It feels like there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Author Nick Sullivan is also the audio book narrator of Deep Shadow. His pacing is even, and he is consistent in voicing the numerous characters so that listeners can tell them apart. I don’t know if his accents are accurate, but Sullivan manages to keep the Russian distinct from the Venezuelan distinct from the middle-eastern (I missed where the ISIS terrorist was from). The voicing of Emily is also consistent, but I am not a fan. Every time she speaks, it feels Monty Python-ish to me – an exaggerated accent that sounds like a man trying to sound like a woman. And though the word choices are correct and delightfully British, the accent is off. To be fair, there is mention in the story that Emily is from a specific area of London, so it’s possible that area has a distinct dialect (like Cockney), and the accent is spot-on. Fortunately, Emily is such a larger-than-life character, that it’s easy to roll with it.

Since I read with my ears, I cannot speak to the editing, but the writing is engaging. Dialogue is natural, place and characters are vibrant, tension is high. There are a few sequencing issues that create a little confusion in the story, and some scenes could use more development, but these are not deal breakers. The author’s Afterword provides some interesting back-story and information about the research process, so that’s worth a listen, too. Overall, Deep Shadow is an action-packed (boat) ride with a plot and setting that transports you to another place. I will tune-in for the next installment (because Boone’s gotta find those dolphins, right?).

Thank you to the author and Audiobookworm promotions for providing me a audio download in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. This full review and more features on Hall Ways Blog.

perfect entertainment

action, scenery. romance, meal descriptions, cover all my favorite escapism I would recommend to anyone who wants to re ad the required 15 word review!!

Great Story about Island Paradise

I enjoyed the story.
Lots of fun stuff and tge story teller does a great job at the characters voices.

Also felt like I was right there in the story.

Wow

A fun adventure. Thoroughly entertaining. It is a bit cheeky too. Don’t pass it by.

Interesting and Fun

Very enjoyable read (or listen). Nick did a great job of narrating and writing. As a fairly accomplished and experienced diver, the description of dive procedures and theory was a touch basic, but accurate and perfect for the non and beginner diver alike.

Enjoyed it!

My boyfriend and I listened to it while on a road trip and he has been to Bonaire and found it very interesting! He knew a few of the same places mentioned and wants to take me diving there so we both listened intently.

DIVERS must read new fun series

I have over 5,000 dives and this is the only novel i'v found where the author does not butcher the diving realities. It even captures the fun little real things like an u/w photographer so focused on a macro shot that they miss a sub pass by them. I've seen photographers miss whale sharks while focusing on a macro shot.
The only weak spot, but it is a new series, is the 'heroin' is portrayed too flakey; however she is fun and has potential to mature. The plot potential for this series i unlimited, nad they can also be truer than readers will believe.
If Nick is not careful in a few years, people will be saying Clive Cussler and NIck Sullivan are.....