Customer Reviews

Crash Dive

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John McKinna, who also writes WWII thrillers under the pen name "John Mannock", really produced a winner with this first novel in his seagoing thriller trilogy featuring intrepid, globe-trotting commercial diver Ben Gannon. Superior writing and a dry sense of humor are what distinguish CRASH DIVE and its two companion novels, TIGER REEF and SHARK LAKE. As a recreational diver myself, I found McKinna's technical knowledge (he was a commercial deep-sea diver himself for nearly 20 years) and characterizations (he's a genuinely gifted writer--more like Patrick O'Brian or Nicholas Monsarrat than some pulp hack) to be far better than those of, say, the ubiquitous Clive Cussler. McKinna's hero Ben Gannon is far more believable than Cussler's Dirk Pitt, who is something of a superman in skin-tight black rubber. Gannon is a regular guy with an uncommon amount of resourcefulness and adaptability, which makes him a good stand-in for the reader: you can easily imagine yourself in the dilemmas Gannon encounters, and enjoy beating the odds with him. McKinna's CRASH DIVE anticipated the terrorist attack on America by several years, the target in the novel being an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Prescient. The other two Gannon novels examine, with thrilling dramatic license, modern piracy in the Java Sea (TIGER REEF) and the violent dissolution of a small African country in the throes of revolution (SHARK LAKE). All are excellent reading. In addition, McKinna's IRON COFFIN (also available on Amazon), written under the pen name "John Mannock", is a superb WWII novel about a damaged German U-boat that occupied the Top Fifty Paperback Bestseller's List in the U.S. in the winter of 2004. If you want to read an excellent modern author's debut books, you can't go wrong with the Ben Gannon diving series. McKinna/"Mannock" is one of the very best.

This book is about a tough guy in a tough situation. It's a great summer read...nothing fancy...just a fun adventure to get involved in. If you like books about the ocean, diving and intrigue, this is one to add to your list. I plan on reading all the Ben Gannon books when I get a chance.

I hope every person with an interest in diving discovers John McKinna's excellent, realistic adventure trilogy about commercial oilfield diver Ben Gannon. This novel, "Crash Dive", is the first in the series, and the first of the 3 that I read. I was really impressed with the author's storytelling skills, his wry way of expressing himself, and his in-depth knowledge of offshore diving. Not surprising since he's a veteran commercial diver himself. "Crash Dive" is amazingly prophetic--written in 1999, it's about an Arab terrorist attack on an American oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Fast-paced, full of black humor (like the other Ben Gannon books, "Tiger Reef" and "Shark Lake", and surprisingly heart-tugging for this type of novel...you really like the characters. In fact, along with twists, turns, and pacing, the expert characterization is what really makes John McKinna's books stand out, in my opinion. They really grab you and pull you in, and you hate it when they're over. I highly recommend "Crash Dive" and the other two Ben Gannon novels--as an adventure writer, author McKinna is definitely a cut above the rest of the pack.

This book has it all. I've read the series backwards but it doesn't matter. It all makes sense in a flash. John McKinna is one really great author. He throws you into the adventure right away in all three books. Get all three at the same time because once you get into one of them you'll be done with it in a day at the most and you will instantly want to read the second and third one's just as fast. GO AND BUY ALL THREE BOOKS AND READ THEM ONE AFTER ANOTHER AND THEN READ THEM ALL AGAIN!!!!!

Crash Dive is hard to put down once you have started. The author is a master story teller. I am going to buy his other books.

This is my first McKinna book. I love his style. Fast paced yet detailed. Even the most experienced diver will enjoy this. Should be a movie!

I just really liked this. I'm the kind of girl who likes outdoor activities, including diving, so I really got into Crash Dive. The author clearly knows what he's talking about, and has a knack for description, 'specially underwater. Very exciting and kind of relevant since we just got hit by terrorists for real. An exciting read that makes you think. This writer has another fan.

This is the first novel by John McKinna who was a commercial diver before he began writing.This is a good action novel. I'm a big Cussler fan but I don't think McKinna is quite there yet.If you are interested in what goes on around commercial dive sites {and most divers are} I think you'll enjoy this book.

You know it's good when you can't stop smiling! This is one of those books that can keep you up all night long, forget dinner, forget television, you are there peering over Ben Gannon's shoulders. You don't have to be a diver to understand it, although you will enjoy it even more if you are. I find myself having to translate the book into Spanish for my friends in Spain, fellow divers, and for my Dad in the Caribbean. A free effort, I wouldn't even dream of it if I didn't think it was worth it. Once again, thanks for the great job Mr. McKinna!

Fantast--Well, see my review for the other book in this diving series, TIGER REEF!