Barracuda is a fast-paced thriller which will be enjoyed by readers who appreciate the aquatic action of Jaws, the mob intrigue of The Godfather, and the police procedural sense of The Onion Field.
Recovering from a gunshot wound he’d received while in the line of duty, NYPD Detective Mick O’Shaughnessy is in need of some relaxing time away from the big city. A vacation in the peaceful, scenic Bikini Atoll, a scuba diver’s paradise, could be the panacea to heal his wounded leg as well as his shattered nerves. Then again, maybe it isn’t. The Majestic Resort Hotel, unfortunately, does not turn out to be the bastion of tranquility Mick had hoped to enjoy. Immediately upon arrival, Mick inadvertently finds himself dropped in the middle of an international money laundering operation, a territorial feud between the island natives and the resort developers, and an impending mob war between the Russian Mafia and the Japanese Yakuza. If that weren’t nerve-wracking enough, the many years of nuclear testing that had taken place in Bikini Atoll after World War II have had an unusual effect on the sea life in the lagoon—and the freakishly large mutant barracuda who dwells there perceives all scuba-diving tourists as lunch meat.
Barracuda is a fast-paced story in which international intrigue, environmental catastrophe, and the sense of cultural pride collide. Even on vacation, Mick O’Shaughnessy is a detective at heart, and he refuses to fly away from the chaos in this island paradise until all questions are answered and feelings of safety and justice take over the atoll.
The historical significance of the location and the underwater depictions in Barracuda are well researched, with the story incorporating the history of Bikini Atoll in the years after World War II, authentic scuba-diving knowledge, and proper police procedure into its plot, characters, and scenic detail.
Professional Reviews
Barracuda book review
By ellen m george
Last edited: Saturday, July 19, 2008
Posted: Friday, July 18, 2008
Barracuda by Mike Monahan, ISBN 978-1-4196-8402-9, BookSurge, review by ellen george
New edition to be released in August.
Mike Monahan's book Barracuda makes Jaws look like a sardine!
Barracuda has it all - A cop on vacation to a paradise-like resort, Russian Mafia, Japanese Yakuza, murder, money laundering, mayhem, and lots of excitement! Oh yeah - there is this humongous barracuda spawned from the radiated waters of the Bikini Atoll...
Mike O'Shaunghnessy is a NYPD officer recuperating from an on the job injury. He is offered a ridiculously cheap diving trip to the Bikini Atoll - Great resort, clear waters, great diving - now that's a vacation!
But it turns out this is no vacation - Micko, as Mike is called, falls into a money laundering scheme, and finds there is this mutant huge barracuda that is eating everything in sight - smaller fish, boats, people...
Micko uses his street smarts and cop radar to figure out what needs to be done. The action becomes non-stop - wild fight scenes and amazing diving scenes - it is clear Monahan is an ex-cop and master diver - the actions are accurately described and beautifully handled.
But the star of the show is 'It' - the big bad barracuda! It is BFITO - big fish in the ocean! and means to keep it that way! It attacks everything in sight and has a survival instinct that is uncanny.
There are a lot of great scenes - a liaison between Micko and a Russian baddie, Tanya, is hilarious - worth the price of the book just to experience that scene. Stunning underwater scenes that put you right there next to the diver.
This book would be a super movie - Of course it would be compared with Jaws, but it is a most different battle between man and beast.
Fun, espionage, romance, sex, tension, violence etc - a great recipe for an excellent read.
Monahan's expertise being an ex-cop, and a master diver add to the action of the book. It is a great read. Realistic diving experiences, the beauty of the ocean paired with the terror of a monster. Excellent!
The new edition of Barracuda will be released in August. It is worth waiting for!!
ellen george
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Reviews for "Barracuda"
Reviewed by dave brandin
1/23/2018
The earlier reviews give you the main plot points. The fish scenes are pretty good. The cover photo of a shark is a little misleading since the villain is a barracuda, which is a really mean looking fish with a snout like a chain saw. As a master scuba diver I would prefer more detail on the fish, genetics, and diving techniques, especially for the extreme depths the story covers, but the novel had to be written for a general audience of readers. The Bikini Nuke tests are interesting. I'd like more nuclear feedback, info on genetics and mutations. Dates aren't specified. The idea of spawning a mutated fish trapped in a giant captive volume is very novel and serves as the perfect setting for an antagonist. A parallel subplot of greed and betrayal works to overlay the main plot line [the mutation] and gives the protagonist, the wounded NYPD hero, almost superhuman odds to overcome. There were a few too many characters to track, but the story did have a set of complex twists. The final action scenes in the resolution are rather exciting. The use of the actual weapon used to overcome the antagonist could be more developed and the event seemed a little abbreviated. However, the story has a happy ending, punctuated at the end by a foreshadow that fish lay lots of eggs sometimes. I'm going to read the rest of the books in the series.
Reviewed by eugene geminiano
1/2/2010
Great I love fishes especially those which are suitable in an aquarium, but not barracudas. Thanks a lot for the share!
and you might never scuba dive again...at least not shortly after you finish Mike Monahan's frightening piece of literature.
In Monahan's thriller `Barracuda' New York homicide detective Mick O'Shaughnessy jets to the Bikini Atoll to recover from a gun shot which almost ended his live prematurely. Looking forward to a quiet couple of weeks diving the Atoll's majestic underwater world and relaxing at a beautiful and brand new scuba diving resort, Micko - as his friends call him - quickly encounters evidence of a money laundering ring he can not ignore for long.
Internal feuds between rivaling resorts and a bunch of blood thirsty members of the Red Mafyia and the Japanese Yakuza, who are willing to do anything to keep their mob business `in business', are just the beginning of Micko's problems.
When people start to disappear and divers get killed mysteriously, Micko's own life is once again on the line, this time threatened by a huge fish; a mutant Barracuda - the ultimate predator which seems to be unstoppable. Or is he?
Barracuda is more than just a thriller. It is the product of Mike Monahan's extensive research on the after effects of atomic testing done by the U.S. government in the Marshall Islands some fifty years ago. The environmental catastrophe and human dilemmas inflicted by these tests are food for an outstanding plot.
Monahan is blessed with the great ability to weave his research and his own job experience as a cop, into a thrilling ride - or dive - which is hard to put down until read to the very last page.
Personally, I would have enjoyed the story just as much with less research material but I can appreciate the heart Monahan has put into his book. His sense of carefully explaining the technicalities of scuba diving without sounding technical is additional proof, that Mike Monahan has found his calling as the composer of this great, four star, adventurous thriller.
You don't need to be a police officer, a scuba diver expert or a fisherman to enjoy this one, folks. It doesn't matter if you are male or female. What you do need is to set aside your time, have your meals for the day already prepared and find a comfortable seat. Let the answering machine answer your calls.
Mike Monahan brings us from New York to an island on the South Pacific, filled with history, conspiracies, money laundering, greed, danger and a very big fish with an even bigger attitude.
There really isn't much more that I can say on this one. "Barracuda" hooked me from the start and just never let go. I highly recommend it. Hook, line and sinker. Case closed.
A satisfyingly complex plot with lots of explicit action
Mike Monahan's "Barracuda" deftly weaves together the storylines of a mutant barracuda, a convalescing NYPD detective, an uneasy alliance between branches of the Russian Mafia and Japanese Yakuza, a brand-spanking-new diving resort, extreme Aussie divers, a couple of geeky scientists, and Bikinian terrorists.
When the above characters all meet up at a Bikini Atoll diving resort, mayhem and bedlam erupt. You have to hang onto your seat, bite your nails, and promise yourself to stay away from the water to get through this fast-moving tale.
Monahan's book is full of explicit action: fighting, diving, terror, and sex. His characters are full-bodied and sympathetic (including the fish) and are faced with plenty of conflict. I especially enjoyed "Professor Two-Times", "Professor Two-Times".
I look forward to more thrilling rides from Monahan's books.
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