A review by bgleason
The Loch by Steve Alten

3.0

The Loch is a wild romp through the Scottish Highlands blending old Templar Knight Intrigue, Monster lore, court room drama, and present day underwater scientific research into a cohesive whole. At times it may seem that the technicalities get in the way of the story and possibly they do but they are much needed explanations as to what is happening and how. The rich history of Scotland is shown through the eyes of a self proclaimed exile from the United States named Zachary Wallace, a descendent of the great and beloved Sir William Wallace of the Mel Gibson Braveheart variety. He also happens to be the first marine biologist to catch a glimpse of the elusive Architeuthis dux more commonly known as the giant Squid during his expedition to find said creature in the Sargasso Sea. Flash forward Six months we find Zachary’s estranged father accused of murder back home in the Scottish Highlands on the banks of the Great Loch Ness. Strange occurrences and monster sightings intermix with Zachary’s inability to get over his past with something that happened in the Loch 17 years before.

Over the course of 464 pages Steve Alten shows us the world that thrives around the Loch Ness with interesting characters we care about. The story is solid and the science seems sound. The only thing that takes a while to get used to is the Scottish dialect written out from page to page but that is the fun of this book that takes you into the world of Nessie and back out again. For whatever reason you pick up this book just remember one thing that no matter what you think that maybe something is below the depths just waiting for a reason to surface.