Official Review: Dead in the Water by AJ Basinski

Post by **bookowlie** » 10 Mar 2015, 14:49

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dead in the Water" by AJ Basinski.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Dead in the Water by A. J. Basinski is a crime/mystery novel set on a cruise ship with the Mariner cruise line. I was immediately drawn to this book because I like books with a unique setting and I have always wanted to go on a cruise! A newlywed, Robert Weigand, reports his wife Linda missing on the Mardi Gras ship, where they are on their honeymoon. Lieutenant Morales, the ship’s chief of security, is woken up to this news. He is annoyed to discover that his deputy, Sgt. Boudreaux, had already started investigating and questioning people, before waking him and thus deferring to his supervision. Morales is a former Los Angeles homicide detective and is a stickler for the rules of criminal investigation.

The Weigands’ boss, Joe Hugo, is also on the ship, which is odd considering that the couple is on their honeymoon. Mr. Weigand and Hugo give conflicting stories of what happened the night Linda went missing, each claiming they heard either noise or an argument coming from their adjoining suites. Hugo also tells Morales that he is in the process of buying the Mariner cruise company, which is going into bankruptcy. Footage surfaces of a black bag being thrown overboard that night. The FBI and Miami-Dade Police Department take over the investigation, and Hugo is arrested. Morales is not convinced of Hugo's guilt and continues to unofficially investigate Linda's disappearance. The plot thickens as curious tidbits pop up during Morales’ investigation. There have already been several “fishy” occurrences on Mariner’s cruise ships, such as a fire, drowning, etc.; rumors were already swirling that these incidents were not accidents. Add in an investigative reporter, Ken Hendricks, already on board the Mardi Gras covering a story about problems on cruise ships, and you have all the ingredients for a first-rate mystery.

Bud Gorley is a high-profile attorney in South Florida. He is one of those celebrity-type lawyers that is always either advertising on TV for people needing an injury lawyer, a “talking head” on talk shows, or the first one to jump in as the defense attorney on a high-profile case. He reminds me of a combination of Johnnie Cochran from the O.J. Simpson trial, and Mark Geragos from the Scott Peterson trial (the one who murdered his pregnant wife). He takes on a client, Yao Lin, who is the assistant Chinese trade ambassador and CEO of a company called Shanghai Blue. Yao Lin offers Gorley $5 million, with $1 million upfront, to handle unspecified dealings with the Marina cruise line. Gorley accepts the offer, even though he is not informed of the details
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I enjoyed reading this book. The author has a real talent for creating interesting characters. All of the characters are vividly described, especially Lt. Morales and Bud Gorley. Gorley is a hoot, yet realistically depicted as a lawyer who often skirts the rules for money and power. Morales reminds me of the sleuths from classic murder mysteries, in his approach to investigating the crime. I particularly liked reading about the Miami neighborhood where Morales lived, and his backstory when he worked in Los Angeles. The author really painted a picture for me of Morales’ personal life. I also liked the plot device where the reporter is already on board the ship doing an investigative piece about cruise lines. He and Morales eventually work together to investigate Linda’s disappearance.

The book has a light, zany feel to it. There are small little details that add a wacky flavor to the story. The passage about Joe Hugo paying for the Weigands' wedding is creative, since Hugo held the wedding at his car dealership. He did this to promote car sales, and, in fact, sold many cars that day. I was laughing while picturing a wedding taking place at a car dealership, while cars are being sold.

This is one of those books that just keeps getting better as you turn the pages. The story has many layers, and some of the characters are connected in ways that may or may not relate to Linda’s disappearance. At one point, Morales thinks to himself that “nothing in this case seemed to follow the obvious path”. This observation is certainly true and makes the book hard to put down.

As good as the plot is throughout the book, the ending is superb. There are a few twists toward the end that made my jaw drop. Well, maybe my jaw didn’t literally drop, but I was extremely surprised. I pride myself on figuring out mysteries well before the ending. I thought I had figured out parts of the story, but I was still caught unaware by the climax.

There are some grammatical and spelling errors in the book, such as missing or extra words, and misspellings. These errors were relatively minor and didn’t distract from the story.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Even with the grammatical errors, I absolutely loved this book. The characters, particularly Morales, were wonderful, and the plot kept me guessing right up until the end. This is the author’s debut novel. I was happy to discover that he is working on a 2nd Lieutenant Morales mystery. I would like to mention that the Kindle e-book format is available on Amazon, for the discounted price of only 99 cents! I think this is a phenomenal price for such a good book. Of course, that is the sale price right now and prices can change at any time.

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Dead in the Water
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Amheiser · Post by **Amheiser** » 10 Mar 2015, 23:16

Thank you for your review of this book. It seems like a very interesting book and I am looking forward to checking into getting this book so I can read it. I love mysteries and according to your review this one has all the right ingredients to make it a very good read. I like that it has humor in it too.

Post by **bookowlie** » 10 Mar 2015, 23:26

Thanks for the compliment! This book has just the right mix of character development, great plot, and wackiness. The best part is that the author is working on a 2nd Lt. Morales mystery!

gali · Post by **gali** » 10 Mar 2015, 23:30

Sounds great. I saw the book isn't that long either (187 pg).

Thanks for the lovely review.

Post by **bookowlie** » 10 Mar 2015, 23:34

Actually, the book is approximately 245 pages. I only know that because it's one of the few e-books that had the page numbers at the top of each page.

gali · Post by **gali** » 10 Mar 2015, 23:39

bookowlie wrote:Actually, the book is approximately 245 pages. I only know that because it's one of the few e-books that had the page numbers at the top of each page.

That sounds better and the price is reasonable, so I just bought the ebook.

Post by **bookowlie** » 10 Mar 2015, 23:45

I was happy Scott felt it was ok to post the e-book price in my review (I checked beforehand). What a steal! It's the author's debut novel and I am hoping the great price will spur extra sales. He wrote a really good book, so he deserves it.

gali · Post by **gali** » 10 Mar 2015, 23:54

bookowlie wrote:I was happy Scott felt it was ok to post the e-book price in my review (I checked beforehand). What a steal! It's the author's debut novel and I am hoping the great price will spur extra sales. He wrote a really good book, so he deserves it.

Yes, I saw you asked. Anyway, I always check the price if the book is to my taste.

It is a great price for a debut novel book indeed. The last book I reviewed also had a reasonable price ($1.99) and the book was great as well.

Post by **bookowlie** » 11 Mar 2015, 00:05

I will have to look at your recent review.

It's hard to pass up a good book for $1.99!

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 11 Mar 2015, 08:09

Wow, sounds like a great book! You have a knack for picking books with interesting settings!

Post by **bookowlie** » 11 Mar 2015, 10:16

Thank you. I am going to have to change pace with my next selection. Maybe I'll look for a book that is in "Anywhere, USA".

Jojowrites4All · Post by **Jojowrites4All** » 11 Mar 2015, 14:25

Kudos on an excellent critique. Thanks for pointing out the imperfections didn't distract from the story.

Post by **bookowlie** » 11 Mar 2015, 19:06

Jojowrites4all - Thanks for the kind words. I was so absorbed in the story that the minor errors were almost invisible.

TammyO · Post by **TammyO** » 12 Mar 2015, 15:44

Great review, bookowlie. This sounds really interesting. I love mysteries and this sounds like one I would really enjoy. And the price is amazing as well!