The Deep Scuba Novel Series: Deep Roots

A Review of the Caribbean Action-Adventure Thriller Deep Roots

It’s been over a year since COVID hit us, and since these days of lesser travel have rolled around, I figured it was a good time to sit down with a good novel or two. Reading is a nice escape for me while the world has been heavy, and I have been very content living vicariously through the pages and characters of my newfound scuba novel addiction; the Deep Series.

The Book

“In the mangroves of Belize, something ancient lies hidden beneath the roots. And when it surfaces, so too will one of man’s baser inclinations. The root of all evil: GREED.

Boone Fischer and Emily Durand have enjoyed months of quiet on the tiny island of Caye Caulker. After surviving Hurricane Irma and a mountaintop madman, the two divemasters have finally begun to relax. Big mistake. From the offshore cayes to distant lagoons, from tropical rivers to jungle ruins lost in time, Boone and Emily race to untangle themselves from a deadly plot that threatens to shatter their lives.”

Deep Roots – Nick Sullivan: Deep Roots is the third Caribbean action-adventure thriller in The Deep Series. It takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of Belize, from tropical rivers to jungle ruins lost in time. Get your copy on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.

The Author

Nick Sullivan is an author, actor, narrator and avid scuba diver. Born in East Tennessee, he’s spent the bulk of his adult life in New York City, working in theater, television, film and audiobooks. After recording hundreds of books over the last twenty years, Nick decided to write his own novel.

The Deep Series (formerly “Caribbean Dive Adventures”) is a succession of books inspired by decades of scuba travel. The first book Deep Shadow is set in Bonaire, the second on the little Dutch island of Saba and the thirds and fourth focusing on Caye Caulker, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico respectively.

Although Nick still lives in New York City, he tried to sneak off to the Caribbean every chance he gets.

Below the Mangroves in Belize with Deep Roots

Deep Roots is yet another exciting hard-to-put-down thriller by Nick Sullivan. In this third book of the Deep Series, the evolving story of Emily Durand and Boone Fischer finds the couple living and working out of Caye Caulker, Belize. Right off the get go, the plot takes a suspenseful twist as the duo find the body of a mangled scuba diver while doing a clean up in the mangroves. The rest of the story is dedicated to uncovering this mystery.

As per Nick’s previous books, Deep Roots gives us a flavour of diving and life in Belize. We learn about the dive shop, meet a cast of island characters and discover how Boone and Emily are progressing as divers – taking some more technical cave courses to expand their skill set. We also experience a world’s best dive site when Emily and Boone take a group of divers out to the Blue Hole.

I loved this book and I loved the plotline mix of scuba diving paired with archaeological discovery. The writing was smooth and the action kept pressing forward. I was also impressed by the snippets of foreshadowing leading up to his next book Deep Devil. For instance, in the first chapter of the book there is a comparison drawn between Belize’s island “to Mexican tourist destinations like Cancun or Cozumel”. Further in again, there is mention of San Gervasio, the Mayan site in Cozumel. Is this a simple coincidence or will this book’s outcome be the reason the couple jumps islands?

An interesting difference between Deep Roots and Nick’s previous two books was in the way he told the story. This one did not jump back and forth from the protagonist and antagonist viewpoints every few chapters, instead Deep Roots followed Boone and Emily’s story the entire time. While I’m not favorable to one way of writing or the other, this stylistic change a couple books into the series took me by surprise.

One thing I was a little sad about was the short time spent underwater at the Blue Hole. I have never been to the Blue Hole, but having heard and seen videos of this mouth watering marine sinkhole, I would have loved to have more colour and feeling used to illustrate such a monumental place. I was hungry to feel a fiery urge to visit, but didn’t get that strong pull as there were only a few pages dedicated to experiencing diving at this site.

I knew I would regret reading Nick Sullivan’s Deep Roots story too fast and yet I still found it utterly impossible to put down and take my time.

Deep Shadow, Deep Cut and Deep Devil by Nick Sullivan

If you enjoyed reading Deep Roots, this scuba diving author has created the book as part of a larger series. You may have already read the first and second book in the series Deep Shadow and Deep Cut. This collection of adventure books follows dive buddies Boone and Emily as they travel and dive in different locations across the Caribbean. Through the pages of these four thrillers, Boone and Emily accidentally find themselves at the heart of some very unsavoury situations working together to uncover the truth and save the day.

The Deep Series includes; Deep Shadow (2018), Deep Cut (2019), Deep Roots (2020) and his most recent April publication Deep Devil (2021).

Deep Devil – Nick Sullivan: Deep Devil is the fourth action thriller in The Deep Series. In the book, Boone and Emily find themselves immersed in a world of wealth on Cozumel; where jealousy, greed, and deceit can lead down a dark path. Get your copy on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.

You just can not possibly go wrong with Nick Sullivan’s Deep books, they are the perfect escape. They always guarantee to leave me wanting more. I can’t tell you how excited I am that this year Nick has finished Deep Devil – the fourth installment of his book series. And so the Caribbean adventure continues…

Have you had the opportunity to read any of Nick Sullivan’s books yet? Were you as entranced as I was by the plotline, characters and story? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.

Writers Note: This scuba diving book review was sponsored by the book author Nick Sullivan. All novels were provided to Dive Buddies 4 Life by the author in exchange for the review. All comments and thoughts in relation to the book are honest and strictly that of Dive Buddies 4 Life. For more information on the book or to get your copy visit Amazon or the Deep Series website.

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