Wired Kingdom | Rick Chesler

When internet tv show Wired Kingdom broadcats a murder from it's whale cam suddenly everyone wants to find the whale and extract the camera and it's hard drive. The producers of the show, the FBI and the unknown employer of the mexican divers all want the undamaged data and some of them will kill to get it.

Honestly a wired whale seemed an odd premise for a thriller, but it works really well allowing lots of sea based action and confrontations between divers, eco terrorists, FBI and any one else with a vested interest in the footage or the whale. There is some Moby Dick style obsession and of course, eventually, a harpoon gun (awesome, I was biting my nails at this point).

The characters are largely not very likeable, though they don't need to be and FBI agent Tara Shore is engaging. Chesler's background in marine science comes through making the blue whale a living creature rather than just a plot device and the moments when events are focussed on the whale's experience rather than the human characters give both insight into the creatures life and some quieter moments.

Chesler delivered a good, fun thriller, easily as entertaining as any of the Cussler's i've read. If there were flaws I was far too busy enjoying the book to notice them.An excellent debut and i look forward to seeing what Chesler does next.