Book review for Currents Deep and Deadly

Book Town member Mary Deal reviews Currents Deep and Deadly
After reading "Currents Deep and Deadly" by Arleen Alleman, if I ever take a sea cruise and see anyone on board who even vaguely resembles any of the antagonists in this story, I will disembark without thinking twice, and forget that I ever bought a ticket. Alleman's characters are well-drawn, from their backstory to their deep psychological personalities. Even so, I was not prepared for some of the metamorphoses of each character as the plot built to a crescendo.

Alleman's ability to tell a story is incredible. Numerous characters people this plot. How their lives entwine, unbeknownst to each of them, is not resolved until the shocking wrap-up. So many unexpected twists and turns happen, it made me wonder what else could, and I shouldn't have wondered.

Alleman's writing ability in developing such an intricate plot and pulling it off is superb. In the ending, she neatly wraps up all loose ends of the many threads - for this story, that is. The ending is satisfying and stunningly more than expected. But then, things aren't really wrapped up at all. The conclusion is actually fodder for the sequel. With these characters' lives so entwined, I need to know what happens to them after the ending. I'll be reading the sequel, too, and highly recommend this one first so you, the reader, have a solid grasp of what brought these people to the places and predicaments in life in which they find themselves when the sequel begins.

Mary Deal
Mystery/thriller Author