Heavy Oceans

Jones (Burn the Plans) draws readers into this cosmic horror story as irresistibly as the mysterious undertow that pulls the protagonists “deeper and deeper into the dark” of the ocean. After Jamie Fletcher’s girlfriend, the mother of his infant son, kicks him out, Jamie heads to Hawaii, where his older brother, Eric, works on a small fishing boat. Eric has always been troubled, having grown up taking the brunt of their deadbeat father’s abuse. When a night of drinking takes a violent turn, Jamie winds up on a fishing boat with Eric, ship’s captain Ed, and Ed’s adult son, Matty, on a grim mission to hide a body in the middle of the Pacific. Alone out on the water, the four men discover something unnatural and terrifying in the depths that turns their worlds upside down—and has striking implications for the evolutionary path of life on Earth. Wretched and thrilling, this fast-paced outing explores the horrors of humanity, the ocean, and the unknown all at once. Horror enthusiasts looking for deep-sea monsters, a cosmic sense of awe, or just old-fashioned disemboweling will find plenty to sink their teeth into. Agent: Elizabeth Copps, Copps Literary. (Oct.)