The ‘Grave Descend’ (“a hell of a name for a ship”) is a boat, a sunken boat. In Jamaican territorial waters. Jim Mcgregor, a salvage diver, is hired to find out why it went down. But, as his friend Sylvie says, “It is very peculiar that they would hire you to salvage a yacht which is afloat.” Peculiar indeed!

A very quick read, that has a nice crisp pace! Lots of shady dealings, and double crossing, and action! And nasty ocelots! This definitely could have had a sequel or two! Just watch out for those hammerheads!

“The curious fish,” Yeoman said, “gets the hook.” (Yeoman was my favorite character in this book!) ( )

Any book with Michael Crichton's name associated with it will get One Extra Star from me, irrespective of its quality: that is how big a fan I am of this great writer. Imagine my happiness when I discovered that there are several books written by him under the pseudonym John Lange which were not accessible to me earlier. Grave Descend is one such thriller, more of a pulpy nature compared to his other, eerily realistic, hi-tech thrillers for which he is famous. It is a quick read, with a simple plot and a lot of action. The characters are intriguing, though there is not much space for their development. Far different from his other works, Grave Descend is an excellent example of the versatility of my favourite author. Though not very realistic, this one is a perfectly light read for a lazy day. ( )

James McGregor is hired to dive off the Jamaican coast to the sunken yacht Grave Descend and bring up a statue and the safe. It seems like easy money until McGregor investigates conflicting stories given by the survivors of the Grave Descend, which causes McGregor to begin checking out his employers. He discovers that the people who hired him are not who they say they are and he witnesses the sinking of Grave Descend two days after it was supposed to be on the bottom of the ocean. The deeper he gets involved, the more he realizes that the easy money he thought he was getting may cost him his life.

Grave Descend was written by Michael Crichton under the name John Lange. Originally published in 1970, it is somewhat dated, but is still packed with lots of action, adventure, and mystery. The lack of character development detracts from the story, but the focus of the book is the plot and the scenes that create it. Overall, this is quick, easy read with just enough story to keep it interesting. ( )

This is a short, fast-moving, pulpy page-turner, set in Jamaica, where the world-weary Jim McGregor is living the good life and earning a living as a diver. When he's hired by Arthur Wayne, a marine insurance rep, to make an exploratory dive onto the wreck of the Grave Descend, which sunk the previous day in mysterious circumstances, McGregor suddenly finds himself thrust into a murderous tale of Nazi loot, mob diamonds and beautiful, deadly women. "Grave Descend" is a hugely enjoyable read that moves along at a cracking pace. The plot is well-constructed and logical and is spiced up with decent action set-pieces before arriving at a nice wee twist at the end. Crichton keeps the focus tightly on Jim McGregor and avoids any extraneous plotlines or any form of narrative meanderings. So fast and efficient is the storytelling, however, there is little time to flesh out the personality of McGregor and any of the other characters, leaving him feeling slightly hollow as a character. There is none of the research heavy exposition that became the trademark of Crichton's later blockbuster techno-thrillers and the story is all the better for that. "Grave Descend" is a very short novel at only 150 pages, but they are 150 completely irresistible pages that turn at a cracking and propulsive pace. It is a beautifully compelling slice of pure pulp mystery adventure. ( )

James McGregor is a diver. He is the best at what he does. This is why when a multimillon dollar ship sinks, James is the go to man. The mission is simple...dive down to the site of the sunken ship and figure out why it sunk. However nothing is as simple as it seems at first glance. What is the ship owner hiding?James will have to hope that he gets out alive and not be turned into shark bait.

I flew through this book. It reminded me of the old, classic mystery stories that I grew up reading that made me fall in love with this genre. While the mystery is there, there are no real surprises to the storyline. However for me it was not so much about the story or who the famous author was but it was the characters. Instantly I connected with James. He is a quick thinker. He is like MacGyver.

Also I have to take a moment to comment on the book cover. I don't usually talk about book covers as they are not really what is important to me when it comes to choosing a book. It is all about the content. However the artwork for this book is like a piece of art. Looking at it online does not do it justice. You have to pick up a copy of this book to see it up close and personal. Grave Descend is a deep sea adventure of a read. ( )