Stevie‘s review of Hell or High Water (The Deep Six, Book 1) by Julie Ann Walker
Contemporary Military Romantic Suspense published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 07 Jul 15
I’ve been enjoying Julie Ann Walker’s Black Knights, Inc. stories, and I’m interested in marine archaeology and salvage from a purely armchair viewpoint, so the premise of this new series – retired Navy Seals with a salvage business get called back to duty by an attractive CIA agent – sounded right up my street. Admittedly I’m more about the idea of archaeology for the sake of historical knowledge than about recovery of vast riches, but I wanted to know what the guys and gal would find when they got out there.
This novel takes place in the same setting as the Black Knights, Inc. stories – the other lot are mentioned in passing, but this is the wrong sort of job for them to be hired on – and once again involves covert ops to fight terrorists and track down traitors. Another hallmark of Walker’s books that I’ve noticed is that the bad guys are portrayed as just as complex and three-dimensional a group of characters as the heroes, and there’s no blaming of entire national, religious, or ethnic groups for the actions of a few fanatics.
Olivia is the CIA agent who worked with Leo and his men on their last mission before retirement – the one in which one of their number was killed. Olivia carries with her the guilt that it was her actions which led to that death, while Leo has always been reluctant to get involved with her because of the risky nature of their jobs. However, eighteen months after he last saw Olivia, Leo is still reluctant to go off picking up strange women in the bars his fellow salvagers frequent, and would rather drown his sorrows with his uncle while hoping that they’ll have enough money to carry on the family quest until they find a fabled sunken treasure ship.
Then Olivia turns up asking for help. Leo and the guys are reluctant at first, but she promises them enough money to keep the operation going for a while longer. An attempt to flush out a mole in the CIA has resulted in the theft of chemical weapons which are now at the bottom of the ocean, and it will take all Leo and co’s equipment and expertise to recover them before the remaining bad guys return with equipment of their own.
This is a fast-paced adventure, mostly taking place over the course of one day, but a lot of plots and subplots get fitted into it, including a secondary almost-romance between another of Leo’s crew and the heiress whose yacht gets hijacked by the bad guys. There are times when I felt the women are a little wishy-washy, especially Olivia – although the explanation of her backstory towards the end did make me understand a little better how she’d ended up doing the job she does. I’ll be interested to see how her character develops in the aftermath of this story, and also in seeing whether that secondary romance goes any further.
All in all, a promising introduction to a new series and to an intriguing new ensemble of heroes and heroines.
Grade: B
Summary:
A brand new romantic suspense series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Black Knights, Inc. series, THE DEEP SIX features six former SEALS on super-secret black ops, and feisty heroines who know how to handle both lethal weapons and alpha men.
Only two things could make former Navy SEAL Leo Anderson return to the world of weapons and warfare. First, a capsule of chemical weapons lost on the ocean floor, and second, a plea for assistance from the one woman he can’t seem to forget-CIA Agent Olivia Mortier.
Now, working together to race against the clock and a deadly terrorist faction, Leo and Olivia must find the missing capsule, all the while battling the intense desire burning between them. If they can survive, can their growing attraction become more than just a momentary flare?
Read an excerpt.
