Diving instructor Michael Gannon, the hero of this contrived thriller from bestseller Ledwidge (the Michael Bennett series with James Patterson), is fishing off an island in the Bahamas when he sees a corporate jet crash into the water. Gannon discovers a fortune in uncut diamonds and American dollars in the downed plane, along with the bodies of six men. Unable to report the tragedy because of a broken antenna, Gannon decides to hold onto the loot, which he guesses is related to a drug deal. Eventually, it becomes clear that among the victims were some highly important people and a cover-up is involved. Gannon ends up partnering with an attractive U.S. Navy lieutenant, Ruby Everett, who investigates the crash, and a journalist, Eric Wheldon, who lost his State Department job after exposing government corruption. Gannon and his allies must dodge multiple perils en route to a predictable conclusion. Action sequences, rather than characterizations, are Ledwidge's strength. Fans of unsophisticated page-turners will be entertained. Agent: Josh Getzler, Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency. (Mar.)

Coauthor of several novels with James Patterson, Ledwidge debuts his own series starring diving instructor and retired covert agent Michael Gannon. He's fishing in the Bahamas when he witnesses a plane crash. He arrives at the site and finds everyone on board dead, with some of the victims showing signs of dying before the plane hit the ocean. He also finds a fortune in cash and uncut diamonds on board and pockets the booty, figuring it's his lucky day. Bad decision. People with connections soon learn that he has what they want and come after him. Ledwidge knows how to tell a fast-paced story, and he has created an appealing maverick hero. In addition, one of the other characters, Navy Lieutenant Ruby Everett, is every bit as compelling as Gannon and could star in a separate series on her own. Give this one to those who remember and still love John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee, the mystery genre's first boating ""salvage consultant.""--Jeff Ayers Copyright 2020 Booklist