Driving the Deep

Close to 3,75 stars.
It is not a light novel, nor a beach novel. Rather, it's a novel that could be included in the group to which authors such as Marko Kloos, Michael Mammay, Joel Shepherd or Megan O'Keef belong.
Did I waste my money or my time? Absolutely not.
Will I read her next novel? Yes, and some of her short novels as well.
I can't say the same for certain established authors who are read by a million people and get 5 stars for novels with stupid plots and sappy characters.

Have a nice life!!

The humor and the storytelling of this series reminds me of [b:The Atrocity Archives 101869 The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files, #1) Charles Stross https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440461724l/101869.SY75.jpg 322252] and the Laundry Files series. Good flow to the plot, characters you can like and dislike, no sidetracking from the storyline, no jumping back-n-forth between plots, all things I like when I'm reading.Definitely will continue to the next in the series.

This is the sequel to [b:Finder 40796392 Finder (Finder Chronicles, #1) Suzanne Palmer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543385033l/40796392.SY75.jpg 63522653], and it's another page-turner: I finished it the same day that I bought it. Palmer's story-telling ability is alive and well.This time the setting is more unusual and original: much of the story takes place at the bottom of the ocean on Enceladus, the sixth-largest moon of Saturn, where there is a scientific research settlement. (Yes, Enceladus is a real moon, and it really has an ocean.)I like this book well enough, but somewhat less than I liked [b:Finder 40796392 Finder (Finder Chronicles, #1) Suzanne Palmer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543385033l/40796392.SY75.jpg 63522653], because I find the setting and the story rather oppressive and uncongenial. Any story has to contain some adversity, some difficulties to overcome, but I enjoy a story more if it has some pleasant aspects, some moments of happiness and/or comedy. In this story, Detective Zacker is occasionally somewhat amusing, and the ending is sufficiently positive, but that's about it.Palmer's writing has moments of levity, and her hero Fergus has a sense of humour, but outright comedy isn't really an ingredient here.

The adventures of Fergus Ferguson (I call him Double-F) continue in this book. After his close shave with eternity in his previous recovery job in Cernee, you would think he would take a rest. That of course is not to be.
The story starts with Fergus heading to Earth to resolve some unfinished business. There here runs into a retired Cop with whom he forms an uneasy alliance. (Read the cover text for more about that.) But almost immediately he must head back to Pluto to help friends who are under attack. He discovers that most of his friends have been abducted. Fergus must use his skills as a finder to find and rescue his friends.
He and the Cop and one remaining friend concoct a plan to do that. It will be difficult, perhaps impossible, but try they must.
The peril is very real. There are multiple mysteries to solve and a deep conspiracy to uncover. Fergus will find himself in mortal danger, and will have to make heavy use of the alien bioware that was implanted in him during his Cernee adventure.
A fast SF action-mystery adventure. Solid 4 stars.

This is one of those books where I'll be missing the characters like old friends.

The first book in this series was really good. This second book was fantastic. The plot took some seriously right angled turns that I wasn't expecting, with a mystery that had just the right amount of mystery to it - no sudden rabbits from hats, just old fashioned clues and red herrings, well distributed.

The bit I loved the most was the great characters, especially the main character Fergus. While the universe is pretty dark and gritty, Fergus is just a genuinely good guy who really doesn't want to hurt anyone, and when he does (even if he has to) he feels really bad about it. You can't help cheering him on because he's so human, he's not especially great at fighting, he can whip up a plan really quick, but they never go to plan. In fact his greatest skill seems to be being a long suffering punch bag - but he'll stick by his friends no matter what and I can't wait to spend more time with him.

I'm so looking forward to book 3!