Editorial Content for Sea Storm

Former illusionist Andrew Mayne could not have chosen a better sideline career than fiction writing --- especially mysteries and thrillers in which he constantly has something up his sleeve. A perfect example of this is SEA STORM, the third entry in his Underwater Investigation Unit series set in Florida.

Sloan McPherson and her Underwater Investigation Unit focus on crimes that take place below the surface of the water. This time, she and her partner, Scott Hughes, are met with something they have never seen before: a full cruise ship slowly sinking off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, its many-colored lights reflecting off the top of the Atlantic Ocean like a carnival ride. Decades earlier, this sight may have called to mind the Titanic as it went under. Thankfully, there is no iceberg in sight and plenty of time to rescue all those on board, even though this is all taking place in the middle of the night.

"SEA STORM is another atmospheric ride into the face of a literary Florida hurricane. With Andrew Mayne as your guide, anything can happen."

Smoke is coming out of the portholes, but they still need someone to go below the waterline and find the actual cause of the sinking. The Sea of Dreams has become a nightmare for its passengers, and Sloan and Scott are determined to get some answers. Jagged metal at the sunken part of the bridge indicates that a handful of crew members are trapped two levels below the water behind a door that is jammed shut.

Twenty-four hours after the rescue, Sloan, Scott and their boss George Solar are sitting in a large conference room going over everything that has transpired. The bottom line is that no one wants anything like this to happen again, especially to a civilian ship. Which begs the question: Was this an isolated incident or part of something much larger? The fact that there is proof of an explosion shows that some sort of tampering was involved. The investigation now needs to veer into different territory surrounding intent.

To that end, one of the items found by Sloan’s team is a drone, which could have been used to fire or place an explosive device. It is not long before those responsible rear their ugly heads with the following note: THE FOLLY MUST STOP. WE CAN’T KEEP POLLUTING THE SEAS WITH OUR HUMAN GARBAGE. THE SEA OF DREAMS WAS JUST A WARNING. WATCH THE STARS.

Watch the stars, of course, was not dropped in there by accident, and it isn’t long before the next targeted ship, The Sea of Stars, is identified. However, Sloan, who has been hunting down looters and others who have popped up in the wake of the original sinking, believes that they are up against more than just ecoterrorists. Sure, these people may be using those types of groups as cover, but she and her colleagues fear that there is something else at play here. If the individual Sloan is pinpointing as the primary guilty party is indeed the culprit, then she is putting herself in the crosshairs of someone with limitless resources who will not think twice about squashing her and the UIU like a bug under their shoe.

SEA STORM is another atmospheric ride into the face of a literary Florida hurricane. With Andrew Mayne as your guide, anything can happen.