A novel (1984). After receiving news that his brother Mark has died in suspicious circumstances in the Pacific, marine biologist Mike Trevelyan discovers that Mark′s latest research may have discovered a lucrative source of manganese beneath the sea. With only two clues — a notebook in code and a lump of deep–sea rock — Mike's investigations trigger the start of a hazardous marine expedition and a violent confrontation far from civilisation.
Desmond Bagley (1923–1983) was a British journalist and novelist principally known for a series of best-selling thrillers. Along with fellow British writers such as Hammond Innes and Alistair MacLean, Bagley established the basic conventions of the genre: a tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary hero pitted against villains determined to sow destruction and chaos in order to advance their agenda.