Dig Down
In this action-driven thriller, the antihero lead gets what he deserves, much to the audience’s delight.
Damian Myron’s high-tension action thriller Dig Down is the story of Robbie Moore, an American financial advisor who’s on the run from drug cartel hit men, bounty hunters, people whose lives he has ruined, and the police.
Insider trading, prostitution, bribery, stock manipulation, drug smuggling: you name it, and Moore stands accused of it, including by the senators who were once his clients and who, in the wake of a scandal, are closing ranks and eliminating loose ends. The reasons for Moore’s danger unveil themselves piece by piece, keeping interest and the stakes high. In the course of the story, Moore enlists help from his father and police officers. In the climactic final showdown, he tries to turn those who are after him against each other instead.
The chapters alternate between two time frames, both in the same day but one earlier and one later. This leads to immediate questions; there is only about an hour’s gap between the two starting points, but it is obvious that much has happened in that missing time. At the end of the novel the two narratives converge, answering questions and changing the perception of exactly what kind of person Robbie Moore is.
Moore is presented skillfully, revealed layer by layer in every chapter until finally his true nature and true story are revealed. This generates sympathy for him at points and revulsion for him at others; he is a nuanced lead. Other characters aren’t built with the same level of detail, existing more as stereotypical action thriller characters: cartel hit men, a drug kingpin no one has ever seen, a long-suffering workaholic father, an ex-wife, and a barely legal coke-fiend heiress girlfriend. They function as little more than set pieces, emerging as obstacles and goals.
The writing is clean and befits the story’s tone. Nothing is too described; the pace stays quick and frenzied thanks to straightforward, if sometimes predictable, storytelling. Dialogue is limited; most of the story takes place in Moore’s head as he narrates his actions. Moore’s conversations with his father are sometimes poignant and deep, but other conversations are driven by the action of the plot, filled with threats of violence or exposition related to Moore’s situation or negotiations. Such exchanges don’t add much.
Dig Down is an action thriller with an antihero lead who gets what he deserves, to the audience’s enjoyment.
Reviewed by
Shana Creaney
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
