Book Review: Feed by Michael Bray

Tyler Matthews is desperate for change. Sick of his life and plagued by alcoholism, he makes the decision to divorce his wife, sell everything he owns and travel the world to try and find focus and rid himself of his addiction. Eventually arriving on the sun drenched shores of Australia and still plagued by his demons, he has spent all his savings and is facing the prospect of having to return to his old life. It is here that he meets two men with an outlandish story about a horde of sunken drug money in an area known as the Devil’s Triangle – Australia’s answer to its Bermuda namesake and said to be the lair of a terrifying monster of the deep. Offered a share of the fortune if he helps retrieve it, Tyler agrees to go with the men to the location, sceptical and thinking only of prolonging his journey of self discovery.

He will learn, however, that this particular urban legend is real, and they encounter a giant of the seas, the previously thought to be extinct Megalodon which makes its home within the area of the Devil’s triangle.

Barely escaping with their lives, the three men wash up on an isolated island – no more than a rocky outcrop with no vegetation, fresh water of food sources. As desperation to survive intensifies, horrifying decisions will be made that will illustrate how man is sometimes the most violent predator on earth and when left with no option will do anything, even the unthinkable, in order to survive. 

My Review: 
Tyler is an alcoholic who has finally broken free of his dominating wife Amy and the life she chose for him and is bumming his way from place to place as his money runs out. Finding himself in Australia, a chance encounter with a couple of locals who want to look for legendary gold guarded by a giant shark, which others have gone missing searching for. Now the three men are on a mission to get the gold but the shark awaits them and a free dinner.

This was my first book by the author and it was a decent read. The MC Tyler has had a life run by his wife Amy, who got him a job with her brother that he didn't want, stopped him seeing his friends, then left him for another man. The book starts with Amy leaving the other man and trying to get Tyler to take her back and return to his job, but he is tired of her manipulations and wants to go travelling and enjoy himself until his money runs out. Two years later, he finds himself in Australia, enjoying the coastal resort of Devil's Island, drinking too much. It is here that he meets Scott and his brother Paul who are planning a dive for the gold.

Scott and his friend Karl heard the rumours about the gold and the shark that attacks anyone going for it. Scott does find a gold bar and decides not to tell Karl about it, instead telling his brother so they can claim all the gold for themselves. However, what they find instead is that the shark is real. Nash also has an encounter with the shark which he barely survives but nobody seems to believe his story. He decides to research and watch, waiting for evidence that the shark exists. He does find a gold bar in the water and realises that the legend is true. He and his son Liam decide to employ Tyler to help them get the gold despite the shark being there. Tyler is attracted by the payday but has no idea how badly planned this expedition is and what will happen to them.

I'm not a huge fan of alcoholic or drug addicted MCs in my books but Tyler was ok. Having being married to Amy you can understand why he has a drink problem. She is the manipulative bitch from hell and I'm so glad he didn't cave in to her and take her back. The secondary characters are ok, typical of the shark fodder that you get in these books but interesting enough for the plot. Of course I love the shark! There isn't a ton of action but there are a few good tense shark encounters. Things take a different turn when they get stranded on the island and it turns out that the shark is not the deadliest thing that Tyler needs to fear.  

I can never resist getting my hands on a scary shark adventure and this is an author that I really wanted to try. I mean, look at that amazing cover! If that doesn't make you want to grab the book then nothing will! Megalodons fascinate me because of the pure size of the beasts and who knows what could be lurking in the depths of these deep underwater trenches? The thought of this thing in the water makes me want to stay away from islands and boats forever! I have plans to try other horror books by the author and see what they are like. Overall it was a decent shark story for megalodon fans.

Read September 2018
3 stars.