I did really enjoy Tenacity, it has all of the ingredients for an edge of your seat thriller, but I'm not familiar with job roles on a submarine so I found I got slightly bogged down with terms such as 'Coxswain' and 'Chief Stoker' and which character they actually related to. For this reason, and this alone, I gave Tenacity 4 stars rather than 5.

Danielle (Dan) is a woman in a man's world. She has been sent on board HMS Tenacity to investigate an apparent suicide of one of the crew. Walker has apparently committed suicide after being informed of his wife's murder and Dan is tasked with finding out if there's more to it than meets the eye. Of course there is more to it, ensuring that the pages turn faster than you can say 'up periscope'.

I felt quite claustrophobic when Dan was on Tenacity, there simultaneously seems like nowhere to hide yet sometimes feeling all alone. The crew were unsurprisingly suspicious of her and all were ready to stick a metaphorical knife in her back, leaving me wondering if there was anybody she could trust. The captain, known as the Old Man, had no intention of helping Dan with her investigation and saw her as a nuisance on his ship.

Tenacity really is a page turner and I look forward to reading more about Danielle Lewis. I struggled a little bit with matching characters' forenames to their jobs so I wasn't always sure who I was reading about when names like 'Chief Stoker' were mentioned, however, the story was fast paced enough to overlook this minor gripe. Tenacity is an amazing debut from J.S. Law with a spunky heroine from whom I'm sure we'll be hearing lots more.

I received this book from the publisher, Headline, via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review. ( )

4.5 - This was a ride! It was well written, fast paced, exciting and atmospheric. Law does an excellent job of ensuring the reader is right there with Dan during her investigation. I was truly drawn in to a different world. I would recommend, and I'll be reading more by this author. ( )

This is a promising start to a new series that will appeal to those who want a big dose of military mixed in with their crime/mystery/thriller. Specifically, the Royal Navy. Author J.S. Law knows his stuff from first-hand experience, and the details of the naval submarine are endless and visceral. I particularly like how the author refuses to wrap his mystery up with a neat bow - instead, this first book about Lieutenant Danielle "Dan" Lewis ends dark and gritty. I did not ultimately embrace the female protagonist (hence the 3-star rating) like I expected to when I read the cover description and the first few chapters, but I have no doubt that others will find this series engaging and entertaining *This was a Goodreads First Reads win.* ( )

I just couldn't get into this one. Too much background not made clear from the get go. A tad predictable. ( )

My husband served in the Royal Navy aboard a nuclear submarine, so I started with a vested interest in this book. I'd read very few pages before that incentive disappeared-- sucked into a fast-paced and fascinating narrative that I didn't want to put down.

The book's title also describes Dan Lewis. Once she gets an idea into her head not even dynamite is going to dislodge it. Her upbringing-- being a part of "Clan Lewis"-- has given her bad habits. Her family is an extremely competitive one that believes itself to be just that little bit better than the rest. This has made Dan almost incapable of asking for help and unable to be a real part of a team outside her family. She's the only truly fleshed out character in the book, and I found her to be both mesmerizing and completely infuriating. A previous investigation into a killer named Hamilton blew up in Dan's face, and no one really wants to work with her except her present partner, John Granger. But will Dan accept his help, his knowledge? No. Just like the Hamilton case, she insists on going alone into a deadly situation aboard the submarine. For a so-called brilliant investigator, Dan can plumb the depths of stupidity. But no matter how angry this character made me, I could not stop reading.

Yes, I wanted to know more about why Dan became the person she is, but I was also drawn into the portrait J.S. Law painted of life aboard a hot, smelly, claustrophobic submarine. He proves to be quite adept at knowing just how much information to impart to add real depth and verisimilitude to the story without bogging down the pace.

Dan and the life of submariners weren't the only draws in Tenacity. The mystery kept me guessing all the way through. Dan may be the only fully realized character, but don't dismiss the others as two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. Not all the jerks are bad guys, and not all the good guys are heroes. By the time I'd finished reading the last page, I was looking forward to Dan's next investigation. Bring it on! ( )