Book Review: Chimera Island by Martin Roy Hill

 Chimera Island

by

Martin Roy Hill

 

Publisher: 32-32 North

Publication date: 1st November 2021

 

Series: USCG DSF-PAPA

 

Genre: SciFi Thriller

 

Pages: 303

 

Format read: Kindle copy

 

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

About the book

 

A transport plane sent to Chimera to evacuate frightened scientists from a climate research station on the island disappears, along with a Chinese spy ship prowling nearby waters. The U.S. Coast Guard sends its most secret team to investigate, Deployable Specialized Force-P—the P is said to stand for phenomenon.

DSF-Papa, led by Lieutenant Commander Douglas Munro Gates, discovers there is more to the legend of Chimera Island than rumors and folklore. The climate research station is wrecked. Strange creatures skulk through the jungle overgrowth. And reality may not be as it seems. Worse, someone - or something - is determined to stop the Coasties from discovering the truth about the island.

With evacuation impossible, DSF-Papa must discover the secret of Chimera Island or become part of its legend.

 

My review

 

My favourite investigative team is back again in this science fiction, mystery novel. The US Coast Guard Deployable Special Force is sent to investigate the disappearance of twelve people  from a climate change research station on Chimera Island.

The six strong team from the US Coast Guard are  a well developed crew, each has their own specific specialty and combine to make a well oiled team complementing and looking out for each other.

 

The team of six is joined by USN retired officer Dr David Handley who was assigned to the case due to his knowledge of Chimera. Once on the island Handley is immediately on the offensive and, as they investigate, the use of the facility comes into question and strange things begin to happen.

 

Chimera Island is a riveting read! A mystery with an all encompassing eerie atmosphere. As the mystery of the island intensifies a science fiction element is introduced with spectrums, lightforms, electromagnetic fields, strange phenomena and thought transference.

Snippets of humour are included as breaks between the intensity of the plot.

 

Hill melds fact and fiction to create a story that is not wholly unbelievable. Strange disappearances do happen all over the world. 

 

The suspense is real as the team find themselves in a life or death race to get off the island. And, of course, there is the explosive ending I have come to expect. Hill loves to blow things up!

 

Hill delivers time and time again! I would highly recommend all of Martin Roy Hill's novels.

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Martin Roy Hill is the author of the Linus Schag, NCIS, thrillers, the Peter Brandt thrillers, DUTY: Suspense and Mystery Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, Polar Melt: A Novel, and EDEN: A Sci-Fi Novella. His latest Linus Schag thriller, The Butcher's Bill, received the Best Mystery/Suspense Novel of 2017 from the Best Independent Book Awards, the Clue Award for Best Suspense Thriller, the Silver Medal for Thrillers from the Readers Favorite Book Awards, and the award for Adult Fiction from the California Author Project. His latest Peter Brandt mystery, The Fourth Rising, was named Best Mystery of 2020 by the Best Independent Books Awards, 2020 Best Crime Thriller by the American Fiction Awards, and the 2020 Clue Award for Best Suspense Thriller by the Chanticleer International Book Awards. 

 

https://www.martinroyhill.com/