Mark of the Devil - Book Review

This book is an excellent read. It hooks the reader early on and is hard to put down once the action begins. Diving off the coast at Jacksonville, Florida, Navy Special Warfare officer Matt Berkeley finds a corpse-filled German U-boat, lost since WWII.

Berkeley travels from Jacksonville, Florida to Charleston, to Germany, and Washington DC in his quest for answers to questions about a sunken WWII submarine. Some very powerful people are racing Matt for the sunken sub's secrets.

Matt Berkeley and his friend, Steve Park, are very likable characters. They seem to be able to handle incredible beatings, car wrecks and a gunshot wound or two and still pursue their quest by diving the following day. Antagonists are well developed and are powerful, malicious, greedy and violent.

There is no shortage of suspense and the twists and turns in plot will keep the reader up late, following Berkeley's travels. Clues are dropped just often enough to hold the reader's interest and raise more questions.

Like most intriguing stories, the reader and the main characters are unsure of who can be trusted. There is plenty of suspicion to go around.

The story is reminiscent of Clive Cussler's NUMA adventure books. If it has a little more violence than I'm comfortable with, it is probably necessary to advance the plot and ramp up the excitement.  If you've enjoyed Cussler's books, you will probably like Mark of the Devil.   

My grade: A  

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers.

This book was sent to me by www.Ijustfinished.com to review.  It has not yet been released for publication, but will be available February 1, 2009.  See their site for more reviews of new books.

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Medallion Press (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-1934755532

About the Author:

William Kerr is a former liaison to the United States Congress for the Chief of Naval Operations. He is the recipient of various citations, among which were the Legion of Merit and the Navy Commendation Medal. He is the author of The Collector, Death's Bright Angel, and Judgment Call. He lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida.