cover image Dead Weight

Dead Weight

Diane Sherlock. Smashwords, $4.95 e-book (192p) ISBN 978-1-4659-8001-4

When Tommi finally decides to leave alcoholic husband Doug and make some serious changes in her life, she takes up scuba diving. This becomes an outlet for her frustrations and an opportunity to meet new people. But it also leads to an unexpected opportunity. Scuba instructors Jason and Rick are interested in hunting sunken treasure and persuade their class to join them in an expedition to Fiji. The class finds the wreck%E2%80%94which contains enough treasure to make them all wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. But the treasure leads to greed and eventually death. Sherlock's novel begins as the story of a woman recovering from a divorce, but becomes a well-paced action thriller%E2%80%94and the change is one readers will enjoy. And while the characters could be better developed and the treasure hunt is a bit implausible, Tommi's transformation and adventures are compelling.