Customer Reviews

THE DEEP

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Secretly, I think all of us want to find sunken pirate treasure. Am I wrong? Benchley tells another ocean oriented story about a married couple on their honeymoon who happen upon something very interesting while on a routine wreck dive. There are many myths about what this ship was carrying, and now there is a race to confirm the whereabouts of the long lost treasure.
There are no typical monsters (as we are used to seeing from Benchley) however, when we see how people can act when gold is at stake, we see a monster more fearsome than anything seen in Jaws or The Beast.
Buy this book, its a hidden treasure to be sure...

Relic113

After reading some of the other reviews, I was shocked at how some people responded. This book is just as good as Jaws. In fact, I think this is one of his greatest books. While it may have been a little slow paced at times, most of the book was riveting. For example, for the last 50 pages, I did not want to put the book down, Benchely held my interest throughout the whole book.

Peter Benchley's yarn is about a vacationing couple who plumb the coral reefs near Bermuda looking for treasure and find something else that puts their lives in great danger. A cache of morphine from the hold of a sunken military supply ship circa 1943 is found by accident and the discovery comes to the attention of drug dealers who want to profit from the lucrative sale of heroin the refined morphine will bring. A gruff, seaworthy islander comes to the couple's rescue and the drama eventually plays out beneath the sea near the coral reefs. A movie was produced in 1977 based on the book and, though not the success "Jaws" was, turned out to be better than Benchley's novel.

"The Deep" has all the trappings of a great suspense story: exotic locations, dangerous cults, buried treasure, scary wildlife, etc. But somehow it only half delivers on its promise. I don't mind suspending my belief for this kind of wild stuff, as long as the characters are sufficiently believable in context. That's where this book falls short. Frankly, I did not believe that the characters would really have acted the way they did in this book.

**SPOILER WARNING** I mean, when a woman is attacked by a voodoo cult, she's gonna do more than just cry a bit and then say "Well, I guess it wasn't *so* bad..." **END OF SPOILER**

Also, unlike in his "Jaws," the writing here seems strangely casual. I never really felt a sense of urgency in the writing, which is not a good sign in a book that's supposed to be a thriller.

Still, all in all the book is entertaining enough (except for the rushed ending) and isn't bad for a quick read. If you liked "Jaws" you'll enjoy the atmosphere of this book as well.

Incidentally, anyone who likes this book should seek out some of the old CBS Radio Mystery theater shows. This book could have been an episode in the series: the 1970s setting, the thrills and chills, etc.

From the author that brought you Jaws, Benchley takes you deep into the ocean for an intense, terrifying adventure that incriminates the mind with violent ideas, infecting each inch of your entire body. Although the book was an excellent horrifc tale of the deep sea, it seemed to end to quick. It all came together very well, but when I was finished I was looking for more. Add another 100 pages or so, and you would be a definite five stars!

Two shipwrecks, two priceless cargoes, two teams of divers working against one another to claim treasure. One team is willing to kill to get it. Peter Benchley's follow up to Jaws is a crackling good adventure novel, but those expecting another sea monster yarn might be disappointed. Don't be, this one is a keeper. Recommended.

as with all of the Benchley books I've read this was fantastic! but as with all of the others, the movie was better than the book.

Peter Benchley is still read mainly because of the Steven Spielberg film adaptation of his book Jaws. Truth be told, Jaws the film is better than Jaws the book, and Jaws the book is better than any other Benchley book. His superstar author reputation is largely undeserved, as readers will quickly discern if they endeavor to read work like "The Deep".

"The Deep" features a trio of characters that are mostly undefined--a married couple with a man who is motivated by some vague desire for adventure and a woman who is completely bereft of emotion, as well as a guy they meet in Bermuda who is some kind of professional treasure hunter. Then there are some drug dealers and and some voodoo rites and secret buried Spanish treasure...and none of it is very compelling. It's not that someone couldn't turn these elements into a satisfying popcorn thriller, but Benchley seems like he was barely able to stay awake long enough to finish this book.

The ending is thrown together in the last page and half of the story, and it is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of a disappointing read. I'm sure it was difficult for Benchley to reach beyond the genre he established himself in with "Jaws", but this book would have been no help at all. He should have taken some time and worked through a couple more drafts, because as it stands, it is well within the shadow of the shark.

I thought the book was interesting. It had many twist and turns. I thought the book would be about sharks but it wasn't. It had alot of action, romance, and a little bit of scary. It was an all around book. The couple in this book is an odd couple. The man is alot older, but she still likes him. They met scuba diving while the guy was still married. His divorce was finalized and the girl preposed.To me that is odd because i think a guy should prepose. One of my favorite books. The author should be pleased with himself.

By that, I mean, although this book is well written and entertaining, it is definately not Jaws! So, don't buy this book expecting to read something as frightening and gripping as Peter Benchley's Jaws which as you know, was a blockbuster book! The Deep, although sometimes slow in sections, is a story about two people (a man and a woman) who are deep sea diving for treasure. While on the ocean bed, searching for artifacts which they've heard are supposed to be down there, they accidently come across thousands of little glass vials which seem to be filled with some kind of fluid. From there, the story is more of an action movie between the good guys and the bad guys. Yes, it is written in the same Benchley style as his other books but it just doesn't have the kind of 'pull' that Jaw's did. Even so, I would still recommend it as I would all of Benchley's books.