Book Review: WIRED KINGDOM by Rick Chesler

When a blue whale tagged with a web-cam designated with stolen defense technology broadcasts a brutal murder at sea as part of a television nature program, Special Agent Tara Shores finds herself navigating an ocean of maniupulation and deceit in a deadly race to reach the 100-ton creature romaing the Pacific before an unknown killer can destroy the digital evidence it carriers.  (book blurb from the paperback by Deviation Books, a division of Variance, LLC)

From the moment this book began, it hooked me.  The complex plot maintained its pacing and suspense, keeping me turning the pages and anxious to discover what would happen next.  And, whatever did happen next was always a surprise and well-motiviated.  Not a single coincidence in this book.  Chesler tied everything together and created sympathetic characters--even the bad guys.

I found myself oddly drawn to the whale, who, although she is central to the story, didn't share a single thought.  She did, however, experience a multitude of challenges and death-defying experiences that left me rooting for her 100% of the way.  In one chapter, I was sure she'd survive.  In the next, I was convinced the bad guys were not only going to kill her, but do so in one or more gruesome ways.  You have to read the book to learn the fate of the magnificent blue whale.

Rick Chesler holds a B.S. in Marine Biology and, while he educates his readers throughout the story, he does so in a way that is not intrusive or technical.  I found myself intrigued by the underwater world he portrayed so well and equally as enthralled by the people and technology who study and live in it.

Wired Kingdom is a must-read.  If I had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 10.

You can visit Rick Chesler at http://rickchesler.com/.