Fan favorite 'Soc' Socarides is alive and well in Paul Kemprecos’ new Cape Cod mystery

Winter on Cape Cod can bring welcome adventures, such as a visit with Dennis author Paul Kemprecos whose new mystery, “The God in the Sea,” is the ninth featuring the exploits of his local detective, Aristotle “Soc” Socarides, a fictional Cape Codder at work since the 1990s.

Kemprecos will talk about his writing career and his latest book, which features many Cape locales, at 11 a.m. Feb. 24 at Dennis Public Library, 5 Hall St., Dennis Port. The event, which includes a book signing, refreshments and raffles, is free; advance registration optional, at 508-760-6219 or dennispubliclibrary.org/.

The latest Soc book has all the danger and adventure that have drawn fans to life on the edge with the salty fisherman-turned-charter-boat-captain. The god in question is an ancient bronze statue of the Greek god Poseidon, which lies beneath the waves on the sea floor in Cape Cod Bay. The statue, complete with the sea god’s famous trident, may have been commissioned more than 2,000 years earlier by one Alexander the Great, during his world-conquering heyday ― eventually traveling the world to end up shipwrecked off the Cape Cod coast.

In the current day, Soc gets drawn into shady conspiracies surrounding the underwater deity, when the statue’s long-unknown location may have been spotted and profiteers, shady museum types and smugglers arrive to try and grab the ancient underwater prize. The race to raise the statue from its watery grave may be a treasure hunt as well ― Poseidon is rumored to contain a cache of riches―plunder from Alexander’s world-wide exploits, hidden inside the statue to evade discovery by the conqueror’s enemies.

'Soc' helped create a bestselling Clive Cussler series

When the first Soc book, “Cool Blue Tomb,” premiered back in 1991, the feisty Greek detective ended up taking Kemprecos’ career in an unexpected direction. Soc helped launch additional adventures when Kemprecos was hired to create a new spinoff series for bestselling adventure novelist Clive Cussler during the first decade of the 2000s.

As Kemprecos was completing “Cool Blue Tomb,” his publisher turned to blockbuster author Clive Cussler for a book jacket blurb to help promote the fledgling author. Not only did Cussler provide the book blurb (“Absolutely the best private eye mystery I’ve read”), but soon after he contacted Kemprecos personally ― “called me out of the blue” ― to praise Soc and talk business. Soon there was a collaboration under way. Cussler hired Kemprecos to help envision his new series character of Steve Austin, and according to Kemprecos, Cussler’s spinoff “was sold to publishers on the basis of the Soc character.”

Cussler provided Kemprecos with outline bios of four prospective characters for the new “NUMA Files” series, featuring marine adventurer Austin, who displayed similarities to Soc in his lifestyle and tastes. Kemprecos developed the cast of characters, and for the next decade he completed a book a year in the successful collaboration.

"All eight NUMA Files books I wrote in collaboration with Clive Cussler were on the NYTimes list. 'Polar Shift' made #1, bumping 'The DaVinci Code' which had held first place for months," Kemprecos emailed after his interview.

Each year Kemprecos travelled to Arizona, staying as a guest at Cussler’s residence, where the two would develop and rework the NUMA Files book in progress. If Kemprecos got “stuck” on a plot device, he said Cussler would simply remind him to just “think Soc.”

“He was a good teacher and very much involved with the process,” said Kemprecos. As yearly guests at the Cussler residence, Kemprecos and his wife, Christi, got to know Cussler and his family, and over the years, they have stayed in touch, including since Cussler’s death in 2020.

The collaboration “was good timing for both of us,” said Kemprecos. At that juncture, “I was ready to quit writing books, and he needed a change, too.”

A durable hero for Cape Cod fans

In a recent interview, Kemprecos reflected on Soc’s staying power with fans. “Soc’s a good guy who tries to do right,” even though he doesn’t always succeed, he said. “He remains sympathetic to the little guy.” Readers are also attracted to the side stories about Soc’s on-and-off relationship with his enterprising Greek family, and Kemprecos hints that there may be some changes in the wind on that front, as Soc begins to “resolve some of the family issues” that have surfaced throughout the series.

Kemprecos noted that Soc’s character is “changed by his experiences.” And, he said, Soc’s not a superhero, but “he is often a catalyst. By being in the story, he changes lives.”

Kemprecos is self-publishing “God in the Sea” via his newly created Thalassa Imprints, releasing it through Amazon. He plans promotions this spring, working with a former publisher to reissue the eight earlier Soc novels, and he’s taking advantage of his long-term connection with Cussler fans to promote the titles to Cussler’s readers.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Salty Cape Cod detective searches for Poseidon treasure in 9th book