Bodies suddenly turn up at an alarming rate and a pattern amidst this serial killing chaos forms that the murders have been going on for years. Richard, haunted by his own tragic failure a decade ago, hopes he can do better with the abducted Jolene and with the Goddess seemingly filling his head he might succeed. She meanwhile knows Richard is her only chance of surviving so naked and wearing only a cross she prays that she somehow survives the ordeal rather than become the latest victim in a long running Greek tragedy.

This deep intelligent thriller takes the time to introduce readers to several subplots using scientific and technical vernacular, but worth the energy of those who appreciate a strong tale. The cast is solid whether they are the hero, the victim, the villain, the mythological figures or other support players. The various subplots cleverly merge over the course of the exciting story line in which the circles of murder and mythos overlap so that fans will treasure diving into the invigorating THE MOON POOL.

Harriet Klausner


cool read   June 24, 2004
 1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I liked this book. It was really cool to learn about cave diving and at the same time have a pretty good mystery. I would have liked to have learned more about the victims and the histories of the main character & the villian, but it was still an interesting read.


Original Underwater Thriller   June 21, 2004
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

I normally shun serial-killer fiction, with its endless variations on the same basic plot and gratuitous violence. But The Moon Pool's premise (a mythology-emulating villain operating in the depths of a flooded mining town) was original enough to attract my interest. I'm glad it did.

Against his better judgment, Richard "Don't-Call-Me-Dick" Dahlgren (possibly the world's only underwater forensic investigator) gets caught up in the hunt for the killer and quest to free the latest victim from her underwater prison. The dangers of diving in a labyrinth of tunnels at up to four-hundred-foot depths are amplified by Dahlgren's haunting memories of a decade-old cave-diving accident that claimed his first love.

In addition to the original concept and setting, the author uses his knowledge of scuba diving and technology to maintain the believability of the somewhat far-fetched plot. He also focuses more on the beauty of the underwater setting than on the hateful violence dispensed by the killer. My only criticisms are that the scientific scuba details were a bit overwhelming and esoteric at times and that the author seemed to rush through some of the key action sequences building to the climax.

But all in all, this was a fascinating novel with beautiful imagery that will play as well on the big screen as it does on the page.