Tenacity

Lt. Danielle “Dan” Lewis, the prickly, pig-headed heroine of British author Law’s promising but flawed debut, investigates the apparent suicide of sailor Stewart Walker aboard HMS Tenacity, a nuclear submarine. Though the powers that be are eager to have no more than a rubber-stamped suicide finding so that the sub can sail on patrol, Lewis has her doubts, especially because Walker’s wife was raped and murdered two days before. When the sub’s commander moves up its departure before Lewis can question anyone, she finds herself trapped 200 meters below sea level with a misogynistic, sadistic crew, who at best resent her and at worst appear ready to take any measures necessary to kill her inquiry. Law, a former senior nuclear engineer in the Royal Navy Submarine Service, capitalizes on his intimate knowledge to turn the sub into a terrifying setting. But by choosing to delay information that would make his off-putting protagonist more sympathetic, he overestimates the average reader’s tenacity. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (Nov.)