Heard: "The Deep" by Nick Cutter

Heard: The Deep by Nick Cutter, 2014 (or 2015 I'm not going to hunt down the American release date), downloaded from Overdrive.com.

Nick Cutter is Craig Davidson. I like Davidson's Davidson novels and read his first Cutter horror novel, The Troop, a year or two ago. Davidson newest book (released this autumn or winter)  is a memoir of driving a school bus in 2008 when he really needed the dough.

Anyhoo. A mysterious disease is spreading around the world. The Getts, is similar to Alzheimer's in that people start forgetting things and eventually go comatose and die. Iowa City veterinarian Luke is brother to a famous scientist. That scientist is one of three scientists 8 miles down in the ocean exploring the possibility of a cure. The giant floating platform above the deep sea station gets a video message from Jake's Brother asking for Jake. What can Jake do but accept the government offer, fly to Guam, and head down?

Jake finds out one of the three submerged scientists has died. He came back to the service and is completely covered in long red scars from cuts.  Everyone says, "What the hell?" Jake and a Naval Officer, WhatsHerName, head down with WhatsHerName piloting the submersible. Jake and WhatsHerName's submersible connects to the massive underwater station that is analogous to a large spider or octopus with tubes connecting the different buildings.

Jake is getting a little claustrophobic. Jake still suffers nightmares as he wonders what or who took his missing son several years ago in Iowa. Jake finds that one of the remaining scientists is locked into his lab and will not talk to anyone. Jake's brother is still a bit of a sociopath and only concerned with his research. Jake's Brother doesn't care too much about the dead scientist and the loony scientist - less competition for scientific achievement anyway.

Jake starts hearing things. Jack starts seeing things. Jack starts sleep walking. WhatsHerName says, "Hey, it's OK. That is the standard looniness that sometimes affects submariners and we are even deeper." Well, no, things are not okay because this is a horror novel and soon the substance that the scientists are there to study shows signs of intelligence, and deviousness, and violence.

Comments:
1. A good book but I think it went on a bit too long. I thought Cutter/Davidson was rehashing a few things along the way.
2. Only a few characters and the flashbacks scenes to Luke's insane mother were very creepy.
3. The dog character was a nice choice and Cutter used that and a couple other animal related scenes to creep me out.