Deep Tow

It’s 1979 and near the end of the International Decade of Ocean Exploration. In San Diego, marine science technician Neil Bricker chafes at having missed out on the deep-sea discovery of a lifetime. On a university training cruise, he finds traces of another major discovery on the seafloor: a massive new energy source that could transform the nation’s economy. Journalism student Cate Rosario witnesses the event and decides to write the story. Neil joins a private expedition to validate the find, and they become unwitting participants in a criminal conspiracy. As Cate investigates the scheme and shares her evidence with Neil, each must decide what to believe, whom to trust, and how to avoid disaster. The final reckoning leaves its mark in the deep. The story highlights three local enterprises that helped put San Diego on the map—ocean research, tuna fishing, and the Navy. On a human level, the novel explores the cost of ambition and the unpredictability of love.