Boone is a dive master at a scuba shop in Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles. While diving, he spies a submarine built by a Venezuela drug cartel but hijacked by terrorists. Along with dive customers who happen to be well connected with the appropriate branches of government, he finds he is the only one who can stop the sub from blowing up cruise ships anchoring in a Caribbean island port. The author is an actor who turned writer focused on his favorite childhood vacations, the Caribbean, and his love of scuba diving. On the one hand, the level of detail actually makes this far-fetched plot very realistic. On the other, it makes for a slow start and gets a bit tedious. I enjoyed the book and its descriptions of the islands. I’d be happy to read the next in the series. ( )

It’s a submarine drug taxi! Deep Shadow was a fun ride and I’m really hoping Nick Sullivan gives us more Boone and Emily adventures. The setting was lush and very well done. I’ve never been to the Caribbean nor scuba diving but the descriptions put me in the place of the main characters. Drug cartels using submarines to traffic drugs was a great central plot point that hooked my attention right away. Then Sullivan takes it a step further by tossing in some terrorists who have different plans for that submarine. The plot thickens.

The banter between dive masters Emily and Boone provided a little levity to what would otherwise be a pretty serious action flick. I also enjoyed the sexual tension between the two as they spend the entire book figuring out if they are interested in one another. Emily is a well-rounded character with her own background, skills, and life goals. Most of the story is told through Boone’s eyes and he’s also a likable character. He’s not a muscle bound hero as we see in so many action flicks. Rather he has a lean build, only knows a little about guns, and chose to learn a martial art that suits his frame.

My one grump about this story is that there’s basically only 2 female characters. There’s Emily and then there’s Anna (a drug cartel lord’s adult daughter). Both these ladies are well written and have their own distinct personalities. There’s also a brief appearance by a female hotel owner and there might even be a 4th female character somewhere in here. There are plenty of male characters with names, lines, and goals. So I would liked things to be a bit more balanced in this regard.

There’s always some type of action. Sometimes it’s merely the excitement of a tourist dive, sometimes dealing with the drug cartel, sometimes tracking a submarine, sometimes a high-speed chase. It was never a dull moment with this book. I also liked that Nick Sullivan provided a personal note at the end of the book about his motivations for this story. 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Nick Sullivan did a fine job of narrating his own story. He provided plenty of accents and his female character voices were feminine. He also reflected the mood of the moment in his narration: a touch of excitement, hint of hesitancy, hope when Boone puts his heart on the line, etc. Emily’s accent did sound more Australian rather than English to my untrained ear (so that could totally be me) but the accent was consistent throughout the story. 5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Nick Sullivan. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. ( )

My original Deep Shadow audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Boone Fischer is a divemaster on the Bonaire island. Living the life, he teaches scuba diving and enjoys the Divers Paradise. Until one day out on a typical dive he captures a photo of a camouflage sub. Of course, it is believed to belong to the drug Cartel but what is inside is way more explosive than drugs! Boone’s world just got tangled up, tossed upside down, and completely out of whack in a terrifying tale that is extremely realistic. Action packed, the edge of your seat thriller!

The author and narrator, Nick Sullivan is very thorough and provides graphic details in an accurate and engaging style. Sullivan is a powerful wordsmith which allows the listener to actually visualize the islands and beauty he is describing. His plot is well executed with no holes, his character development is complete. Sullivan’s powerful writing makes the story flow.

As the narrator, Sullivan has “personal” insight (as the author) and projects each character and storyline in such a way that makes the listening even more captivating. He moves the story along with the use of his voice eliciting excitement and wonder. His voice is strong and resonates. As a narrator turned writer, Sullivan knows just how to work a nuance thus capturing his audiences attention!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am not one for terrorism stories but this one was very well done! This is just the first in what I hope is a long series!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author. ( )