100 Fathoms Below

August 6, 2018
At the height of the Cold War, the crew of the submarine USS Roanoke are about to play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with not only the Soviet navy, but also a sinister killer lurking aboard in Kent (The Clone Apocalypse) and Kaufman’s (Die and Stay Dead) chilling, tension-driven thriller. Tim Spicer is a sonar tech aboard the Roanoke, and the captain has given him a special job: befriend and keep tabs on Jerry White, a sailor with a checkered past who has just transferred aboard. What neither man knows is that fellow crewmate Warren Stubic went for a prelaunch celebration in a dark corner of Waikiki, was turned into a vampire, and now, back aboard the submarine, is on the hunt for blood. As the sub dives deeper and into Soviet waters in pursuit of a new Soviet submarine, Stubic’s legion grows. It will be up to Spicer and White to regain control and rescue the ship. The perfect blend of suspenseful political thriller and creepy horror is sure to please fans of both genres. Readers will not be able to turn away.

September 15, 2018

It's 1983, and the USS Roanoke is headed on a reconnaissance mission into Soviet waters. Soon, one of the officers begins behaving strangely; his symptoms, including fever and aversion to light, spread to others. When officers start to go missing, then return with a taste for human blood, crew members Tim Spicer and Jerry White realize there's an outbreak of vampirism on board. The remaining human crew plan to fight back--but the limited supplies on the submarine, plus the inability to escape, make this difficult. Meanwhile, the threat of Soviet attack quite literally looms overhead. Kent ("Rogue Clone" series) and Kaufmann (In the Shadow of the Axe) deliver a well-developed cast of characters and a plot that keeps readers turning pages. Descriptions of life on a submarine are deftly handled and enhance the eerie atmosphere. VERDICT A solid pick for readers who prefer their horror with acute tension and psychological thrills rather than intense gore.--Anitra Gates, Erie Cty. P.L., PA

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018
For those who serve aboard a U.S. Navy sub, there's nothing scarier than the possibility of sinking, starving to death on the pitch-black ocean floor. An entirely new nightmare unfolds aboard the USS Roanoke just weeks after it begins its journey into Soviet territory. The year is 1983, and tensions are running high between the U.S. and Russia. The crew members aboard the USS Roanoke don't know it at the start, but their supposed reconnaissance operation is actually a highly classified spy mission beyond enemy lines. As the danger of challenging Soviet submarines mounts and the men begin to understand their three-month voyage's true purpose, a much more terrifying enemy emerges among the ranks. Crew members are becoming inexplicably sick with something that's compelling them to violently attack one another, and it quickly becomes clear that a force much more malevolent than Russia is hunting the men aboard the submarine. Between potential attacks from enemy boats and the paranormal danger lurking among the crew, readers will wonder which will destroy the USS Roanoke first.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)