'Pressure' – Brian Keene (Thomas Dunne Books)

I really enjoyed the 'Reader Recession Relief Readalong' that I did, for Brian Keene's books that were the weekly deal, so I thought I'd keep reading his books and see where I ended up. No rhyme or reason this time round, just me and whichever of his books happened to catch my eye.

This time round, the book that caught my eye was 'Pressure', a 2016 release that I never got round to picking up because, well... 2016 was fucking dreadful and I was barely holding it together (I didn't read a lot at all). But anyway... 'Pressure' was a big hole in my Brian Keene reading so I figured now was the time to do something about that. And that's just what I've been doing over the last week or so, let me tell you about it.

Off the coast of tropical Mauritius, an ecological catastrophe with global implications is occurring. The ocean's floor is collapsing at a rapid rate. World-champion free diver and marine biologist Carrie Anderson joins a scientific expedition determined to discover the cause-and how to stop it. But what they uncover is even more horrific. Deep beneath the surface, something is awake. Something hungry. Something...cold. Now, the pressure builds as Carrie and her colleagues must contend with the murderous operatives of a corrupt corporation, an unnatural disaster that grows bigger by the day, and a monstrous predator that may spell the extinction of all mankind.

I don't read an awful lot of thrillers and I don't believe I've ever read a Brian Keene book that wasn't horror/weird fiction so picking up 'Pressure' felt a bit odd, like I didn't have a clue what was coming. I shouldn't have worried though. 'Pressure' may not be troubling my 'Top Five Favourite Keene Books' list but it's still a solid example of what Keene can do, seemingly no matter what genre you drop him into; tell an engaging tale with characters that you want to root for. Carrie Anderson may not be a Jim Thurmond or Frankie but she has the skillset to get things done and the drive to make sure it happens. That's all you want from a heroine really and Keene makes sure that the challenges that Carrie faces are appropriately high stakes enough, not only for Carrie but also to keep us reading. The mystery of what is lurking underneath the water is teased out gradually and I particularly enjoyed how Keene flirts with the horror here (particularly when he hearkens back to a favourite of mine) before his big reveal later on. There are some nice little nods for those horror fans who have picked up 'Pressure' to complete a collection etc.

The set piece moments are as good as Keene's ever written (and he's a man who knows his 'creature features', if the fight with the mercenary ship is anything to go by) but I would question where they're positioned, it didn't work for me as they were. In real life, I get that you fight your fights as they come but in a book? It felt to me like the big fight came too soon and that impacted on the closing chapters of the book. That didn't stop me enjoying those moments, when they came, though.

Like I said, 'Pressure' won't become a favourite read of mine but it knows what it's there to do and does exactly that, hitting the targets that it aims for (not bull's-eye's for me but your mileage will inevitably vary). It was fun and that will do me just fine.