Customer Reviews

The Moon Pool

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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"

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!

I enjoy The Moon Pool so much that I've re-read it. Too bad that it's out of print. Well known for his Indiana Jones series and his Western subjects, Max McCoy has written a masterful interweave of science, scuba diving, archetypes, mythology, and murder that does not disappoint. I first heard him read an excerpt from The Moon Pool at the Ozark Creative Writers Conference and was hooked by McCoy's elegance. Bringing the setting to life, he draws the the reader into The Moon Pool's dark world inhabited by an even darker villain.

I bought this book without very high expectations, because it was apparently published originally as a mass-market paperback. But I'd been told it had a hi-tech cave-diving theme, and it did turn out to mention several cave-divers I know. (But the scene is really a flooded mine.) It's not a mystery; you find out whodunit on the first page of the first chapter. I guess it's a suspense thriller. I found it readable, but the author's inclusion of lots of unnecessary facts in an effort to show off his research skills did get a bit tiresome. The author is better at technology than character development.

From the first sentence, I was hooked. McCoy raises the bar with this smart thriller. He shows regard for his audience by not talking down to us. His use of detail put me in the scenes, hoping and fearing for the very real characters. I wonder who'll play Dahlgren in the movie?

In homage to the mythology's Persephone, every twenty-eight days, he captures a red haired beauty, takes his victims underwater to the ruins of Mineral City, and at the full moon completes the circle by killing his prey. An official missing person's investigation has led to the need of a specialized expert so underwater crime scene investigator Richard Dahlgren leads the inquiries.

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

Just finished "The Moon Pool" and just had to leave a brief comment. I am not normally a "thriller" reader but this one grabbed me from the very begining. I particularly enjoyed the technical detail that was included. If you enjoy "thrillers", read it! If you want to understand and get a insight into cave diving, read it!

I for one, will be looking forward to any new contemporary thrillers by Max McCoy!

Both my husband and I read this book. It's a whole new concept in murder mystery. A refreshing change from the ordinary serial killer thriller. We highly recommend it!

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.