Deep Storm by Lincoln Child

"Deep Storm" by  Lincoln Child. This book is published by Random House USA in 2008 and has 419 pages. It's a science fiction.

Dr Peter Crane is engaged on a short, special and secret assignment by US government. He is taken to an oil platform called Storm King, in Atlantic. He finds out that the platform is not managed by oil company but by US Navy (Headed by Admiral Spartan) and scientists (Headed by Dr. Asher). After signing secrecy agreements, he is taken to a facility located below the platform embedded in the ocean bed. The facility is called Deep Storm and is 12 storey deep. He is given an indication that they have found Atlantis. Deep storm is drilling into Earth's crust to reach Mohorovicic discontinuity and retrieve something that is transmitting signals. While drilling they encounter small discs that float in air, at the center of the room they are in, and emit light. They are called centinels.

Inhabitants of Deep Storm are facing medical problems ranging from vomiting to lack of concentration to insomnia to psychological issues. Dr. Crane is tasked to find out the root cause. His experience as diagnostician of mysterious deceases under stressful circumstances is considered his unique qualification. There is an attempted sabotage that would destroy Deep Storm under ocean water pressure.

Dr. Asher is close to decoding the message transmitted by centinels. He succeeds but his chamber catches fire and he dies, his laptop burned.

Is this a sabotage too? What is the message? Can Dr Crane find it? Does he get help? Will this drilling help humanity? What is the buried secret?

The book fantasizes about other world civilizations that are far more advanced than humans. Lincoln Child has lured the readers into the realm of sci-fi easily. Unless you know, you do not recognize the story as sci-fi in the beginning. It may also be because the writing style at the start of the book is Clive Cusslerish.

With the way this story was poised at half way mark, there were numerous possibilities to take the story to a different level of imagination, but the author appears to have taken less imaginative route. Thus the climax does not live upto the heightened expectations of readers. The book falters towards the end. It is a Sci-fi and happens under water, so there is a lot of medical and technical jargon. Authors research in that matter is evident.

An OK book. You can give it a miss.