When men working on an oil rig in the North Atlantic experience symptoms of a mysterious illness, former naval doctor Peter Crane is called in to diagnose. Forced to sign an oath of secrecy before he can start, Crane learns that the true source of the sickness lies miles beneath the water's surface in a state-of-the-art research laboratory called Deep Storm. A major discovery that the scientists are investigating at the bottom of the ocean will change the history of humankind forever. Crane must work through the secrecy and deception if he is going to save the lives of everyone on the rig. Never predictable and always fascinating, Child's (Death Match ) thriller will be remembered as one of the best of the year. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/06.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Best known as the coauthor (with Douglas Preston) of such bestselling thrillers as Dance of Death , Child delivers a well-crafted and literate science fiction thriller, his third solo effort (after 2004's Death Match ). Peter Crane, a former naval doctor, faces the challenge of his career when he investigates a mysterious illness that has broken out on a North Atlantic oil rig. Sworn to secrecy, Crane is transported from the rig to an amazing undersea habitat run by the military that's apparently pursuing evidence that Atlantis exists. Psychotic episodes among the scientific staff as well as the activities of a saboteur that threatens the project's safety keep Crane busy, even as some of the staff members confront him with concerns that exploring the Earth's core could be fatal to all life on earth. Crisp writing energizes a familiar plot, which builds to an unsettling climax with echoes of Child and Preston's The Ice Limit . Author tour. (Jan.)