Living and working underwater can be a dangerous thing. First the bulkheads sweat, then there's a trickle of water . . .
. . . and then in an instant you're gone. The only thing left is a bloody pulp in the dark water and crushed bone fragments on the seafloor.
And you can't bolt to the surface in an emergency. . . . The bends will get you.
But that's not the worst. When you're living underwater and also working as a spy for your city, that's when things get really dangerous.
Truman McClusky has been out of the intelligence business for years, working the kelp farms and helping his city Trieste flourish on the shallow continental shelf just off the coast of Florida. Until his former partner shows up, that is, steals a piece of valuable new technology and makes a mad dash into the Atlantic. Before he knows it, Mac ends up back in the game, chasing the spy to not only recapture the tech, but to kill his former friend.
But when he learns the grim truth behind the theft, it sends his stable life into turmoil and plunges him into an even deadlier mission: evade the submarines of hostile foreign powers, escape assassins, and forge through the world's oceans at breakneck pace on a daring quest to survive, with more lethal secrets than he thought possible in his pocket.
The future of the city depends on McClusky . . . if he can make it back home.

Timothy S. Johnston's profile page

"A great concept of cities under the seas and the writing was so cinematic that I felt like I was there, in the seacar. It felt a little hard to breathe at times, which was the writer's intention and it was very well done! Fast-paced, good old-fashioned Cold War espionage set underwater in 2099, this book offers a great escape!"
— The Minerva Reader

"When global warming gives reality to the currently existing concerns about rising sea levels, humankind begins adapting by building cities beneath the sea. Vastly superior submarines of various sizes and capabilities are the common mode of transport. But if there's one thing that never changes, it's the competition between nations to be the best and the fastest in every field. To do that, each major country has its spies everywhere. . . sit back, start reading and enjoy a deep sea dive into the future. . . One very riveting, intelligent read! Rated FIVE STARS!"
— Readers' Favorite

"The War Beneath is a thrill ride from beginning to end, with several heart-stopping scenes that clearly illustrate the boundaries of underwater living and warfare. . . Sometimes I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I waited for Mac and his team to figure out how to live through their next quandary.
"The environment is well-described to the point where I nearly had to hold my breath for the entire book, something I find myself doing in underwater scenes in movies. The politics are sharp and twisty. What I really enjoyed about the story, though, was the evolution of Mac, himself. The plot challenges his past, present and future and he has to decide not only who he is, but who he wants to be. He has to balance his wish for a safe future for his city against the future of all the underwater cities and he has the legacy of his father and his relationship with his sister to consider as well.
"All in all, I really enjoyed The War Beneath. This novel is everything I've come to expect from Timothy S. Johnston and a promising start to a new series and one I look forward to following."
— SF Crowsnest