The Moon Pool [Audio CD]

Max McCoy (Author), Read by Reed McColm (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mystery and mythology collide in this intelligent thriller, which is set largely in the uncharted depths of an underwater mining city beneath Bonne Terre, Mo. McCoy (who has written several Indiana Jones novels) draws on his experiences as an investigative journalist and an Advanced Open Water scuba diver to tell the tale of a serial killer bent on reenacting the abduction of the Greek mythological figure Persephone. To preserve the beauty of his young, red-haired victims, the killer stores their naked bodies in Mineral City, a former mining town now overrun with water up to 400 feet deep in some areas. Richard Dahlgren, a private underwater crime scene investigator haunted by a tragic past, commands the extraordinary investigation. As more bodies turn up, investigators discover a decades-old killing pattern and call on a renowned forensic expert who eventually emerges as the chief suspect. The novel starts slowly, with divergent plots, and it's rife with scientific details and analysis. But readers who have an interest in science, particularly the science of cave diving, and outdoor thrill sports should have no problem navigating the jargon. Tightly drawn characters, a vile villain and a satisfying, thought-provoking conclusion make this a compelling read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Books In Motion (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605481483
• ISBN-13: 978-1605481487
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,355,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Max McCoy is an award-winning novelist and journalist. He is best known for his westerns (which have been described as "western noir") and his original Indiana Jones adventures.

He won the Spur award in 2008 from the Western Writers of America for his novel, "Hellfire Canyon." It's the story of a 13-year-old boy and his mother who walk across Missouri during the Civil War and become part of the gang led by Alf Bolin, the notorious Ozark serial killer. "Hellfire Canyon" was also named a Kansas 2008 Notable Book.

McCoy is the author of sixteen other books, including four original Indiana Jones adventures for LucasFilm and the novelization of Steven Spielberg's epic miniseries, "Into the West."

His fiction debut, "The Sixth Rider," about the 1892 raid on Coffeyville's banks by the Dalton Gang, was published by Doubleday and won the Spur/Medicine Pipe Award for Best First Novel by the Western Writers of America.

USA Today has described his writing as "powerful." In addition to westerns and historical fiction, McCoy also writes contemporary adventures. Publishers Weekly called his novel, "The Moon Pool," an "intelligent thriller... tightly drawn characters, a vile villain and a satisfying, thought-provoking conclusion make this a compelling read."

McCoy grew up in Baxter Springs and most of his books are set in Kansas or Missouri. He began his career in journalism at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and writing for pulp magazines such as True Detective and Front-Page Detective. Most recently, he was the investigative writer for The Joplin Globe. He has won first-place awards in investigative journalism for his stories on serial killers and hate groups.

His latest book is "Canyon Diablo," a sequel to "Hellfire Canyon." McCoy's an assistant professor of journalism at Emporia State University. His newest book, "Damnation Road, will be released in September 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From a guy that's been to the mine., September 8, 2009

By 

densbtly "densbtly" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moon Pool (Mass Market Paperback)

The plot of the book, and descriptions of its characters have been covered pretty well already so I'll skip that.
I'm not a diver, nor have I ever cared to be one. I bought this book because of the story's location. I live just twenty or so minutes from the town of Bonne Terre, Mo, the location of the story's mine. Though the mine's name is changed in McCoy's fictional work, very much about the location is dead on. The Bonne Terre Mine is indeed filled with water and divers routinely train and explore there. As for me, an avid non-swimmer, I took the walking tour. The vastness of the rooms, blasted and carved out by thousands of men for nearly a hundred years is completely overwhelming. The great majority of the vast depth and breadth of the mine, with nearly eighty miles of passages and rooms is under water; crystal clear, current-less and virtually lifeless. (no sea lion, sorry, but there is a fish, a bass I think, but just one)
In this book, McCoy captured the darkness, the immensity and the cold, dripping loneliness of the mine beautifully. The seemingly endless lightless passages could very well indeed hide a secret nearly forever.
McCoy's descriptions of the regions were very accurate, and respectful. I truly appreciated the author not taking the easy low road, locals as rural rubes and hicks. Certainly there are some here at the eastern tip of the Ozarks, but no more than you would find in New Jersey or California. Yes there is one stereotypical racist and womanizing deputy, but I don't think that this would be hard to find in nearly every police force in the nation, rural or urban.
My hat is off to Mr. McCoy for treating the region and its denizens fairly, respectfully, and accurately.
As to the story itself, it was truly engaging. It is a splendid thriller, not at all like most of the popular boilerplate serial-murder novels. There's little blood splatter, contrived shock or overwhelming violence. It is the story that makes this book.
The heroes and villains were human and believable; the technology discussions were informative and not overpowering or tedious. You will learn things from this book, things that you might not otherwise come to know. Not that you NEED to learn them if like me you never plan to strap a pressurized tank of gas (or gasses) to your back and jump into a dark underground lake the size of a city, but the brain does get stimulated by new knowledge.
The victims are also treated with respect and value, not hapless giggling idiots. They have families and pasts and futures cut far too short.
I recommend this book to anyone looking to cut away from the typical blockbuster big-city shock-thrillers that litter the shelves in bookstores. Aside from being just a really good read, and a marvelous story it is a refreshing glimpse of a part of America where real people live; that vast, rarely mentioned (in literature) and often exotic land somewhere between LA and New York City.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Moon Pool, July 3, 2004

By 

L. Hobson (Palmdale California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Moon Pool (Mass Market Paperback)

Max McCoy will hold you on the edge of your chair as you journey into not only an under water grave site but the mind and body of a serial killer. At 400 feet deep you will find the victims hidden in what use to be an mining town that now finds itself covered with water and only a part of the past. The killing seems to have gone on for a very long time and a underwater crime scene investigator Richard Dahlgren is called in to handle the investigation. Where the story goes from here is where you come in, by reading this story, it will open your mind and you will enter the mind of a serial killer. Larry Hobson- Author "The Day Of The Rose"

5.0 out of 5 stars Moon Pool Rocks!, August 11, 2011

By 

Betsy Randolph (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Moon Pool (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second of Mr. McCoy's books that I have read. His writing style and characters are so captivating that when I started reading, I could hardly stop. When I wasn't reading Moon Pool, I was wondering what the characters were doing while I was away...yes, it's THAT good! Get it!