Review - Undercurrents

I reviewed the first book in the series, Endangered (click here) and the second book, Bear Bait (click here) as well as interviewed the author (click here.)  I eagerly anticipate each new release and this is quickly becoming a favorite series.  For this installment, we travel to Ecuador for a suspenseful underwater adventure. 

Author: Pamela Beason

Copyright: April 2013 (Berkley) 336 pgs

Series: 3rd in Summer Westin Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense

Main Characters: Summer Westin, Wildlife biologist on short-term internet reporter job

Setting: Modern day, Galapagos Islands

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Sam (Summer) jumps at a short term assignment that will pay her a healthy salary for a week of work in the historic Galapagos Islands. She has to quickly take scuba lessons, because her assignment is to cover a marine survey (accessing marine life numbers), take pictures and video, then write online posts from two different aspects.  It sounds like an easy way to make some good money, practically a vacation.  Well....

Sam barely lands and she is whisked out to sea to begin her assignment for "Out There" with Dr. Daniel Kazaki of the Natural Planet Foundation (NPF), diving amidst giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea cucumbers, territorial sea lions, and schooling hammerheads.  But Dr. Kazaki's air supply was polluted with carbon monoxide that an inexperienced Sam is challenged to save him.  When they return from the near fatal first dive together, they are kicked out of their lodgings. Sam pushes until Dr. Kazaki admits that there is fierce resentment from the fishing industry against any environmental groups. He shrugs off the contaminated air and loss of rooms and finds them other arrangements on a large luxury yacht catering to a handful of tourists. But Sam soon feels that everyone on board has some ties to dangerous anti-environmentalists. 

Sam is required to make her internet posts as herself and also as a fictional identity of "Zing."  She posts a video of carnage to multitudes of sharks as Zing and quickly gets threatening messages in reply.  Apparently, sea cucumbers and shark fins are valuable commodities in the Asian market. She is glad to have a level of anonymity when locals are actually looking for Zing and threatening Sam. While Sam is experiencing her own drama, love interest Chase is undercover for the FBI to infiltrate an extremist hate group at the border.  He is close to death at every turn but his mind is on Summer's online posts and the danger he realizes she must be in.

Sam is stretched to her physical and psychological limits in this addition to the series. She finds herself isolated in a foreign country with no help, even from the embassy.  She is determined and reaches new heights of nerve and steel in the face of a murder that could easily have been her.  FBI agent Chase Perez struggles between his dangerous career and wanting a more picture-perfect life with Summer.  Will his mind being on Summer put his life in danger during this volatile sting operation? Dr. Daniel Kazaki is a break out character that the reader quickly grows fond of.  Dr. Juanita Jane (JJ) Bradley appears about two-thirds of the way into the book, but her mythic strength of character and sheer grit are memorable.  Maya, a troubled youth from the Bear Bait novel, is present in this book briefly.  I enjoy Maya's addition and look forward to her developing in the books as well.  Then there is Sam's task-master from "Out There", Tad Wyatt.  He is single-minded in gaining readers and what will profit "Out There", but in the end he comes through.

The Galapagos Islands in Ecuador and the underwater menagerie are vividly portrayed.  Because of the plot revolving around preserving a historic region of wildlife versus opportunistic international fishing interests, the reader needed to experience the wonder of the marine life that is at stake.  The area is painted in its wonder and stark reality both. You felt like you were diving with Summer and marveling at the underwater mystery and glory along with her.  Kudos - particularly since I have such a fear of being trapped underwater that I questioned if I could stand to read an underwater adventure.  The portions that are following Chase in the harsh desert are equally well painted.

The plotting was tight and the pacing kept a steady tempo. It could be a bit jarring to swap from Summer to Chase, or vise versa.  But I also appreciated knowing what was happening on both fronts.  In the end, it added to the suspense with a cliff hanger about Chase that the reader doesn't know what happened until Summer finds out. 

The suspense steadily built up to the climax.  The reveal of the killer was unique and I felt very well done.  The wrap-up leaves the reader practically aching for more.

I have to say that each book seems to best the prior one.  This is the most outstanding one yet, and I loved the previous two.  This should be in hardback and promoted more, it is that good - in my opinion.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 



Here is a short video clip of diving in the Galapagos to set the scene for the book.

Review - Bear Bait

I reviewed the debut of this series, the book Endangered (click here), and I interviewed the author (click here).  This is the second book in the series.  Let's see if it measures up to the first book.

Author: Pamela Beason

Copyright: October 2012 (Berkley) 320 pgs

Series: 2nd in Summer Westin Mysteries

Sensuality: sex scenes

Mystery Sub-genre: Suspense, amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Wildlife biologist Summer Westin

Setting: Modern day, Olympic National Park in the
Pacific Northwest
 
Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Summer is on a twelve-week project for the National Park Service at Olympic National Park, writing a management report to join new land into the park.  She also helps out as a volunteer fire-watcher, which is how she hears an explosion and calls in a fire.  After the fire is put out, they discover a park trail crew member, a young woman named Lisa Glass, who is badly burned and hanging onto life by a thread.  They also discover a hole blown in the earth uncovering an old forgotten mine.  There is local resistance to the adding of land to the park service because hunting is stopped.  Signs pop up throughout the new park land defying the new park management rules, which hints at an underground resistance to the Park Service management and authority.  Summer is confronted by an armed camo-wearing man outside any hunting season, which doesn't look good for a newly introduced bear into the park.   

A parallel subplot is Summer's relationship with FBI Agent Chase Perez that is sporatic with their busy schedules, but is taken to the next level during this book.  Agent Perez and his partner are in the area traking down robbers which may cross over into the activities Summer is facing.  There is another subplot of Ranger Joe Choi asking Summer to help with his thirteen year old daughter Lili who may be getting in over her head with a teacher and a clique that share the same tattoos as the burned trail crew member.

Summer is a passionate wildlife biologist who is stubborn, has a hard time taking orders, is vulnerable, and yet tough.  We find out more about Summer's precarious relationship with her authoritarian father, and her fear that her vagabond wilderness lifestyle is not agreeable to a long-term relationship.

Olympic National Park in the Pacific Northwest is a beautiful setting and you understand Summer's love of the park through the moonlit lake and lookout sunsets.  The author makes the park an integral player in the story, not just a backdrop.  The realities of Park Service management, wildlife conservation, and good old boy hunters thrown together are realistically portrayed.

The plot builds suspense by revealing more to the reader to keep you a few steps ahead of Summer and Agent Perez.  But the full scope of the true motivations and ultimate goal is slowly revealed even with the reader being more "in-the-know."  This builds the suspense to an edge of the seat climax where Summer is specifically in the cross-hairs.  The wrap up leaves the reader anxious to read the next book in the series.

This is a great second book with a solid suspenseful plot and pacing that will likely keep the reader up all night turning pages.  I feel it tops the debut book, which is a challenge for every author.  It is hard to not compare this series to Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series because of the theme of wildlife and parks, but the character of Summer Westin and the unique writing style carves a niche out all its own.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.