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    Grave Descend: An Early Thriller
    Unavailable
    Grave Descend: An Early Thriller
    Unavailable
    Grave Descend: An Early Thriller
    Ebook176 pages2 hours

    Grave Descend: An Early Thriller

    By Michael Crichton and John Lange

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    An Edgar Award finalist from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Jurassic Park: A diver enters dangerous waters to recover a sunken yacht.
    The Grave Descend lies under more than sixty feet of clear blue Caribbean water, guarded by a coral reef and schools of hungry hammerhead sharks. Raising it would be a near-impossible task, but James McGregor is suited to the impossible. An expert diver, he makes his living exploring sunken ships. But there’s something strange about the wreck of the Grave Descend.

    How did she sink? Why do none of the survivors tell the same story? And what was the cargo inside her hull? To answer these questions, McGregor will have to contend with the deadliest sharks around—both underwater and on land.

    This ebook features an illustrated biography of Michael Crichton including rare images from the author’s estate.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Media
    Release dateAug 27, 2013
    ISBN9781453299296
    Unavailable
    Grave Descend: An Early Thriller
    Author

    Michael Crichton

    Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was the author of the bestselling novels The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure, Prey, State of Fear, Next and Dragon Teeth, among many others. His books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, have been translated into forty languages, and have provided the basis for fifteen feature films. He wrote and directed Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, Runaway, Looker, Coma and created the hit television series ER. Crichton remains the only writer to have a number one book, movie, and TV show in the same year. Daniel H. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen and author of the New York Times bestselling Robopocalypse and its sequel Robogenesis, as well as ten other books. He recently wrote the Earth 2: Society comic book series for DC Comics. Wilson earned a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as master’s degrees in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. He has published over a dozen scientific papers and holds four patents. Wilson lives in Portland, Oregon.

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    Reviews for Grave Descend

    3.5/5

    94 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      There was something naggingly familiar about this book--only afterwards did I realize that John Lange is a pen name for Michael Crichton. The book is fast and focused with a series of setups that stretch the imagination. The resolution was a bit lacking, especially the last double-cross that was particularly weak. Crichton's penchant for research shows in this early work, as he describes life in Ocho Rios. Good for completists of Crichton or the Hard Case series.
    • 3/5
      Hard Case Crime is reissuing several early Michael Crichton novels written under the pseudonym John Lange. (Well, they have already reissued them once, but now they're doing it again with Crichton's name attached). This one was apparently nominated for an Edgar Award.This one is set in Jamaica. Diver James McGregor is approached for a salvage operation, but his suspicions are aroused because none of the details make any sense. What follows is a complicated game of misdirection. (I half suspect the only reason he wrote the novel was to make use of various Samuel Johnson quotes.)It's fine as a crime/suspense novel for its time. It's certainly better written than much of Crichton's later novels, but at the same time it makes you appreciate the work of a master like Elmore Leonard or Richard Stark/Donald Westlake. There is some decent island flavor, which I think Crichton could've expanded on, or else used McGregor and Jamaica in future books. Not bad as a subway read.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Despite being a quick and easy read with a uncomplicated plot, this bit of pulp fiction is enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      Very Captivating I Liked It Very Much Could Read Again
    • 5/5
      I thought that the pacing and plot of this book was very good.
    • 2/5
      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.