Suzanne Palmer

"The Shipmakers have convinced Fergus to finally deal with unfinished business he's been avoiding for half his life: Earth. [He] hasn't been back to his homeworld since he was fifteen, when he stole his cousin's motorcycle and ran away. It was his first theft, and nothing he's stolen since has been anywhere near so easy, or weighed so heavily on his conscience. Many years and many jobs later, Fergus reluctantly agrees that now is the time to return the motorcycle and face his family. Unfortunately, someone has gotten to the motorcycle before him"--Publisher marketing.

Driving the Deep

From a Hugo Award-winning author comes the second book in this action-packed sci-fi caper, starring Fergus Ferguson, interstellar repo man and professional finder. As a professional finder, Fergus Ferguson is hired to locate missing objects and steal them back. But it is rarely so simple, especially after his latest job in Cernee. He’s been recovering from that experience in the company of friends, the Shipmakers of Pluto, experts at crafting top-of-the-line AI spaceships. The Shipmakers have convinced Fergus to finally deal with unfinished business he's been avoiding for half his life: Earth. Fergus hasn’t been back to his homeworld since he was fifteen, when he stole his cousin’s motorcycle and ran away. It was his first theft, and nothing he's stolen since has been anywhere near so easy, or weighed so heavily on his conscience. Many years and many jobs later, Fergus reluctantly agrees that now is the time to return the motorcycle and face his family. Unfortunately, someone has gotten to the motorcycle before him. And before he can figure out where it went and why the storage unit that held it is now filled with priceless, stolen art, the Shipyard is attacked. His friends are missing, presumably kidnapped. Accompanied by an untrustworthy detective who suspects Fergus is the art thief and the sole friend who escaped the attack, Fergus must follow the tenuous clues to locate and save his friends. The trail leads them to Enceladus, where Fergus plans to go undercover to the research stations that lie beneath the moon’s thick ice sheet deep in a dark, oppressive ocean. But all movement and personnel are watched, and the limited ways through the thick ice of the moon’s surface are dangerous and highly monitored. Even if Fergus can manage to find proof that his friends are there and alive, getting out again is going to be a lot more complicated than he bargained for.

Didi Chanoch

Suzanne Palmer's Finder was a delightful book, a great space adventure. Driving The Deep is a sequel that is superior in every way. It's deeper, more personal, and more satisfying without sacrificing any of the fun adventure.

4.25 - so much underwater fun (but DEEP underwater, so no aquatic creatures) with lovable characters and story. 

The only caveat: every single meal, beverage, and nap is mentioned (if I'd made a coffee drinking game out of every time a character drank coffee, I'd be a jittery mess now). I hope the editor cuts most of these mentions next time because they get a bit repetitive. That said, the story was still really enjoyable, had good pacing, and I kept regretting when a character left the stage because each one was interesting and had their own unique chemistry (positive or negative) with the protagonist. Another plus for me was that again, the story remained romance-free, and focuses on friendships instead (which was a good fit - a romance would have added a lot of bloat). 

Can't wait to continue the series!

Driving the Deep

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