What do you think?
Rate this book
Deep Water
Real stories. Real teens. Real crimes.
A group of teens traffic drugs between Mexico and California in this start to the brand-new Simon True series.
It’s 1971 in Coronado, a small southern California beach town. For seventeen year-old Eddie Otero, a skilled waterman and avid surfer, life is simple. Then a buddy makes him an offer: Swim an illicit package across the border from Mexico. The intense workout is dangerous. Thrilling. Lucrative. And the beginning of a small business.
When the young entrepreneurs involve their former high school Spanish teacher, the smuggling adventure grows into a $100 million dollar global operation.
Soon they become fugitives. Living on the edge, they vow to return to their normal lives — right after one last run….
A group of teens traffic drugs between Mexico and California in this start to the brand-new Simon True series.
It’s 1971 in Coronado, a small southern California beach town. For seventeen year-old Eddie Otero, a skilled waterman and avid surfer, life is simple. Then a buddy makes him an offer: Swim an illicit package across the border from Mexico. The intense workout is dangerous. Thrilling. Lucrative. And the beginning of a small business.
When the young entrepreneurs involve their former high school Spanish teacher, the smuggling adventure grows into a $100 million dollar global operation.
Soon they become fugitives. Living on the edge, they vow to return to their normal lives — right after one last run….
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 2, 2017
30 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Nichols
3 books20 followersI'm longtime journalist who has contributed to numerous publications, including the magazines for the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle, as well as The Cut/New York Magazine.
I grew up in Coronado, California, riding my bike to and from the library, carting as many books as my basket would hold!
A lifetime of sports and ocean swimming helped me visualize the harrowing water scenes in Deep Water, and my journalism background fueled the research.
I'm currently working on another narrative nonfiction manuscript and several television projects. Thanks for your interest!
A few links:
https://katherinenichols.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katherineni...
https://www.facebook.com/DeepWaterCor...
I grew up in Coronado, California, riding my bike to and from the library, carting as many books as my basket would hold!
A lifetime of sports and ocean swimming helped me visualize the harrowing water scenes in Deep Water, and my journalism background fueled the research.
I'm currently working on another narrative nonfiction manuscript and several television projects. Thanks for your interest!
A few links:
https://katherinenichols.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katherineni...
https://www.facebook.com/DeepWaterCor...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 16, 2017
I loved this book! I saw the author speak at Warwick's in La Jolla, so it was even better after I heard the author talk about it. The book is about the Coronado Company, a group of Coronado high school students and a teacher who started importing marijuana in the early 1970s by swimming pallets across the border and then used their knowledge of water, time and tides to build a huge drug smuggling operation that spanned the globe and continued for 10 years. The author is a Coronado native and she interviewed many of the principals. One of the characters in the book--the lifeguard captain who sold one of the high school students his Porsche--was in the audience at the reading. The book is a quick read- it's written as narrative nonfiction (In Cold Blood being the most famous example of that genre) and really fascinating. I can read it for the category of a book taking place within 100 miles of your location, for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.
August 18, 2017
I've developed a interest in true crime stories so I was curious when this one was sent to me by the publisher. This particular book revolves around the efforts of a group of teenagers and young adults who became drug smugglers. Eddie Otero and Lance Weber started out small, with Eddie swimming packages of drugs from Mexico to the beaches just off their home town of Coronado, California. At first Eddie does it mostly for the thrill, but as the money starts coming in they start recruiting others, including a former teacher, Louis Villar. Villar uses his charm and language skills to quickly take over the operation. Throughout the 1970, the group known as the Coronado company grows in both the amount of drugs smuggled and the amount of money coming in. But excessive spending, hubris, and carelessness, eventually lead the Company into serious trouble and those involved are forced to decide just what they are willing to do stay above water.
Nichols has created a fascinating account of a group of people using their talents to make money without consideration for the effect their actions have on anyone else. Millions of dollars are made and spent while tons of drugs are turned lose on the American public. But as with most things in life, there are consequences to the choices being made. The book covers a couple of decades of choices, made by the smugglers and the DEA agents hunting them. The story of the Coronado Company is a compelling look at choices, accountability, friendship (or the lack thereof), and hubris as well as greed.
In terms of content, the book is definitely high school and above because of the following content: drugs and drinking (there is lots of this, although it isn't described in detail, the author focuses on the actions of the smugglers rather than their debauchery), sex and promiscuous behavior is mentioned throughout the story (Lou Villar is rather a ladies man) but not graphically described, and there is quite a bit of swearing and profanity.
Nichols has created a fascinating account of a group of people using their talents to make money without consideration for the effect their actions have on anyone else. Millions of dollars are made and spent while tons of drugs are turned lose on the American public. But as with most things in life, there are consequences to the choices being made. The book covers a couple of decades of choices, made by the smugglers and the DEA agents hunting them. The story of the Coronado Company is a compelling look at choices, accountability, friendship (or the lack thereof), and hubris as well as greed.
In terms of content, the book is definitely high school and above because of the following content: drugs and drinking (there is lots of this, although it isn't described in detail, the author focuses on the actions of the smugglers rather than their debauchery), sex and promiscuous behavior is mentioned throughout the story (Lou Villar is rather a ladies man) but not graphically described, and there is quite a bit of swearing and profanity.
February 27, 2017
Review forthcoming.
December 20, 2019
I was pleasantly surprised by Deep Water by Katherine Nichols, as it did a lot of things I didn’t expect. This book takes on a unique story that focuses our main characters into drug smuggling during the war on drugs. I like that this book took risks, as the story was unorthodox, and many of the decisions made were surprising. The introduction of the police was in my opinion quite early, and the ending fate of the characters carried weight, and a sense of realism. The reward of not playing it safe definitely shows in the text, as I really enjoyed reading it. At first glance, this seems like a typical cops vs. robbers tale, but what separates this book is the effective humanization of these hardcore criminals. We see that these are still genuine, rational people, and we can’t help but sympathize with them. While they spend their time committing major criminal offenses, we also see them enjoying normal things in life. They have fun at parties and festivities, and bond with friends and family. We even see these characters expel compassion and generosity with their increased wealth. Eddie, our main protagonist, uses some of his drug money to help friends with financial troubles throughout the novel. I really enjoyed when the book began to explain each of the character’s justifications for their actions, as this added depth to the character development, and depth to the book’s humanization as a whole. One of our characters, nicknamed Lou, had the typical reasoning of wanting to get ahead and retire early, but Eddie began questioning his actions and the effect of his actions throughout the book. This deviated the characters well and created interesting and meaningful character development. Unfortunately, I did not like that the book often brought in new characters and quickly dismissed them, or sent them to the backburner. In my opinion, this was a missed opportunity to create a more lush story and better character development. This also flared up a bunch of unnecessary confusion, as readers will constantly wonder what happened to ‘that one guy back there.’ While the core character growth was fantastic, it was at the expense of the supporting characters. Finally, I enjoyed the pace of the novel. While not rushing, it kept a fast pace to mirror the topic of the book itself, and kept me engaged, page after page after page. It was a perfect style choice, and really shined through when I was reading it. I recommend this novel to anyone who wants something that’s not afraid to be bold and unique, which is easily this book’s strongest trait.
October 6, 2021
This book is about a Senior at Coronado High School who is offered money to swim 25 pounds of weed across the US/Mexico border. He ends up becoming one of the 3 major partners in the Coronado Company, a large drug distribution company in the 70s. The company takes off and spreads across the world, with each shipment brings in higher and higher risks. It is the story of the members of the company across 15 years.
Skip this next paragraph if you plan on reading the book.
One of my favorite chapters in the book was when one of the members of the company has a close call with the police. The author does a really good job of building suspense and giving you the feeling that something isn't right. One line of the chapter goes, "When he approached the car however he thought he saw someone moving in his direction. Had the pit boss called the police? The briefcase in his hand was bad enough, but the money in the trunk? More difficult to explain." There were a few really good parts like this in the book, but sadly not as many as I would have hoped.
My rating of this book is a 3.5, but GoodReads doesn't do decimals so I rounded up, I would recommend this book to people who are relatively fast readers. If you are someone who can get through a book in a couple of weeks I think this book has enough great parts in it for it to be worth it. There were many stretches of the book where it was incredible, but other parts got a bit confusing and long. One thing I like about books is when you finish good ones it leaves you with a kind of sad feeling, and you need some time to think about what you've read. Well, this book did that for me so that is a major positive. However, if you take a while to read books, around a couple of months or longer, I would say this book probably doesn't have enough to keep you interested in the middle section of the book. And many parts got a bit confusing and forced me to reread many pages. While I don't think this is an amazing book, I do think it is worth a read to anyone who enjoys reading.
Skip this next paragraph if you plan on reading the book.
One of my favorite chapters in the book was when one of the members of the company has a close call with the police. The author does a really good job of building suspense and giving you the feeling that something isn't right. One line of the chapter goes, "When he approached the car however he thought he saw someone moving in his direction. Had the pit boss called the police? The briefcase in his hand was bad enough, but the money in the trunk? More difficult to explain." There were a few really good parts like this in the book, but sadly not as many as I would have hoped.
My rating of this book is a 3.5, but GoodReads doesn't do decimals so I rounded up, I would recommend this book to people who are relatively fast readers. If you are someone who can get through a book in a couple of weeks I think this book has enough great parts in it for it to be worth it. There were many stretches of the book where it was incredible, but other parts got a bit confusing and long. One thing I like about books is when you finish good ones it leaves you with a kind of sad feeling, and you need some time to think about what you've read. Well, this book did that for me so that is a major positive. However, if you take a while to read books, around a couple of months or longer, I would say this book probably doesn't have enough to keep you interested in the middle section of the book. And many parts got a bit confusing and forced me to reread many pages. While I don't think this is an amazing book, I do think it is worth a read to anyone who enjoys reading.
October 19, 2017
Deep Water is one of the first two releases in the new Simon True series for young adults, which publishes accounts of real teens involved in real crimes. Deep Water tells the story of the Coronado Company, a drug smuggling operation that began in California in the 1970s with a teacher and some students. The story begins with Eddie Otero, a high school senior and star swimmer, who is recruited by a friend to swim a package of marijuana from Tijuana into California. From there, the operation grows exponentially, and as the years pass we see the Company evolve from a small town gig to a multinational syndicate, complete with sports cars, cash, parties, and the drama that comes with these.
Unfortunately, the interesting story here is mired down in dense writing that focuses very heavily on mundane details and descriptors instead of plot or character development. The story, spanning nearly two decades, suffers from pacing difficulties that leave the reader to fill in pieces of the plot as it leaps forward by months at a time. The author also straddles an unclear line between narrative nonfiction and historical fiction, with stilted dialogue injected awkwardly amongst basic exposition. Reluctant readers may find this book a struggle, while strong readers may simply lose interest, making this a decent choice where true crime is popular with teens, strictly as a supplemental addition.
**Originally published in VOYA, April 2017**
Unfortunately, the interesting story here is mired down in dense writing that focuses very heavily on mundane details and descriptors instead of plot or character development. The story, spanning nearly two decades, suffers from pacing difficulties that leave the reader to fill in pieces of the plot as it leaps forward by months at a time. The author also straddles an unclear line between narrative nonfiction and historical fiction, with stilted dialogue injected awkwardly amongst basic exposition. Reluctant readers may find this book a struggle, while strong readers may simply lose interest, making this a decent choice where true crime is popular with teens, strictly as a supplemental addition.
**Originally published in VOYA, April 2017**
October 9, 2023
Exploring ‘Deep Water’ by Katherine Nichols Journey below the surface.
The story took place in 1971 in Coronado, when Eddie Otero, the main character, is Senior at his high school. Eddie doesn't have a lot of money so he looks up to his Spanish teacher and starts questioning how he has all the things he ever wanted. Eddie got offered to smuggle drugs to the border of Mexico. The author Katherine Nichols, reveals some important insight about how Eddie overcame his fear and swam across the border of Mexico to deliver a package of drugs showing how much he wanted money and a life like his Spanish teacher. In my opinion this is a good book to read because of how intriguing it is on how the main character’s role model took advantage of their trust to push him and his friends further down the road to smuggle drugs for him so he will not get his hand dirty. Another reason why I really like this book is how the author delivers the theme on how the characters work together to make money, they choose friendship over money and their loyalty to each other makes smuggling drugs into the country possible for them to make a lot of money.
The story took place in 1971 in Coronado, when Eddie Otero, the main character, is Senior at his high school. Eddie doesn't have a lot of money so he looks up to his Spanish teacher and starts questioning how he has all the things he ever wanted. Eddie got offered to smuggle drugs to the border of Mexico. The author Katherine Nichols, reveals some important insight about how Eddie overcame his fear and swam across the border of Mexico to deliver a package of drugs showing how much he wanted money and a life like his Spanish teacher. In my opinion this is a good book to read because of how intriguing it is on how the main character’s role model took advantage of their trust to push him and his friends further down the road to smuggle drugs for him so he will not get his hand dirty. Another reason why I really like this book is how the author delivers the theme on how the characters work together to make money, they choose friendship over money and their loyalty to each other makes smuggling drugs into the country possible for them to make a lot of money.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2018
Taking place in Colorado, 1971, this book is written by Katherine Nichols. Throughout this book, she conveys a very good illustration of the book. Through the eyes of Eddie Otero, we see his high school life and how shy he is at school. While having small amounts of friends, his one friend on the swim team is someone he can go to if he needs to talk about something. Though this “friend” seems to care about him, he offers Eddie a deal: to swim a mysterious package across the border from Mexico. Being scared, he invites his high school Spanish teacher to join his adventure.
Through the dangerous, multi-million-dollar adventure, Eddie vows to become a new person. He wishes to go back to his normal life and return to the way it used to be. He hates being scared and stalked by people all over the country. As the mission, comes to an end, he makes a crazy move that may affect his future. Decisions are what make up your fate, so make them cautiously.
Through the dangerous, multi-million-dollar adventure, Eddie vows to become a new person. He wishes to go back to his normal life and return to the way it used to be. He hates being scared and stalked by people all over the country. As the mission, comes to an end, he makes a crazy move that may affect his future. Decisions are what make up your fate, so make them cautiously.
April 4, 2022
(No spoilers until the last paragraph)
This was a fun read that I recommend to anyone who likes stories of drug running, pirates, or beach settings. I had been looking for a good page turner for months while coming up short everytime until this one.
I was hesitant since I don't care for YA, but this didn't have the usual YA nonsense like cringy romance and attempts at being profound. It was just a fun ride over about a decade of drug smuggling from the Coronado Company's formation onward.
My only complaint was the shift from Eddie's POV to Dave's, which happened out of nowhere and lasted far too long. It was fine at first but certainly less exciting than Eddie's adventures and attitude. Instead, we missed out on Eddie's experiences with various cultures around the globe and his transition to the big leagues, and I'm sure a 100 stories therein. I'm sure the author had a reason for this, which I may have missed somewhere.
I also would've liked more details on their experiences in the prison system. It felt like consequences were going to be a big part of the novel, and while more details were given than typical in these types of stories, it felt like we missed out on an important part of the Company members' stories. This could have been an extra hundred or so pages without feeling too long or drawn out.
This was a fun read that I recommend to anyone who likes stories of drug running, pirates, or beach settings. I had been looking for a good page turner for months while coming up short everytime until this one.
I was hesitant since I don't care for YA, but this didn't have the usual YA nonsense like cringy romance and attempts at being profound. It was just a fun ride over about a decade of drug smuggling from the Coronado Company's formation onward.
My only complaint was the shift from Eddie's POV to Dave's, which happened out of nowhere and lasted far too long. It was fine at first but certainly less exciting than Eddie's adventures and attitude. Instead, we missed out on Eddie's experiences with various cultures around the globe and his transition to the big leagues, and I'm sure a 100 stories therein. I'm sure the author had a reason for this, which I may have missed somewhere.
I also would've liked more details on their experiences in the prison system. It felt like consequences were going to be a big part of the novel, and while more details were given than typical in these types of stories, it felt like we missed out on an important part of the Company members' stories. This could have been an extra hundred or so pages without feeling too long or drawn out.
May 11, 2023
I think this book was pretty interesting to me because of the dangers of the usage of the drugs. The Coronado company sounded like a pretty much dangerous group and Lance was the one that pretty much started all this and co-founded the company. Phil Demassa, The attorney, sounded like one of those people that tried the keep the troubling at bay, as shown in the book. I also think Paul Acree did the right thing by reporting most of the evidence to the Officers. In my opinion, I think the worst of all was Eddie because he didn't think all of this stuff was bad. The IRS and the DEA pretty much did the right thing by busting the Coronado company due to them selling drugs. In the end, We should know that we never should join a group that is known for selling drugs, because something bad will happen if you do.
March 2, 2023
This is the summary of lives of privilège gone amok - some white Kids from Coronado in the 60’s who built an insane empire importing marijuana in the 60’s and 70’s. The descriptions of San Diego at that time are fascinating and make this story worth reading, even if the rest of the story reads a bit superficially and no one cares about Lou, the teacher-come-mafia don, and Dave, the details-focused employee who never makes as good as the others. Eddie Otero is here described as a man of adventure and circumstance, sort of victim of time and place; while Lou Villars, his former teacher, is made out to be a narcissistic don who sucks the life out of others. I mostly enjoyed this romp through local history, though I doubt it made me a better person for having read it.
September 24, 2017
Read this book as the September book club pick. True crime stories are very big right now, and the synopsis definitely piqued my interest. However, I couldn’t quite get into the story. Many times it felt as though the narrative was choppy and I would have to go back a page to make sure I was following the story. Keeping in mind it is a true crime story, overall it felt as though this was just a very basic telling of the story. I never felt as though I knew the “characters” enough to want to root for them.
February 10, 2018
This book held a lot of interest for me because I live in the town where this all started. It’s always fun to know the actual locations and places referenced in the book. The author has done her research and it’s a compelling story of a time when politics over drugs was very different. With today’s technology, I’m not sure the characters in the book could have lived so large in anonymity.
January 18, 2021
From Coronado to prison
Following a group of young men from idyllic Coronado Island and high school to a multimillion dollar drug smuggling organization, you’ll find yourself totally immersed in how each decision changes lives. The characters are varied and each personality is examined in detail. Fast paced and descriptive, this is a great read.
Following a group of young men from idyllic Coronado Island and high school to a multimillion dollar drug smuggling organization, you’ll find yourself totally immersed in how each decision changes lives. The characters are varied and each personality is examined in detail. Fast paced and descriptive, this is a great read.
Read
May 11, 2023This book is good, because it was all about Eddie, Lou and his brothers. Eddie used to live until 2013, but now, he died. Lou used to be the DEA, but now he retired. Bob found the way to escape jail because he didn't want to go to jail. DeMassa died after he used to live. Paul was retired being a DEA as well.
August 31, 2024
I got this book in San Diego from a local author based a true story of Coronado. A super easy read that was very interesting to learn about how they operated and expanded their business. It also gave some context of what was going on in the country politically and economically during the 60s-80s and how that affected their operation.
May 30, 2017
Descriptive narrative with probable conversations between members of the Coronado Co. makes for easy reading. That the author was a Coronado resident and has legal affiliations underscores several skills of interviewing, research and storytelling.
October 26, 2017
Really thought this book would be more captivating. It wasn’t very fluid, all over the place. Did not enjoy the writing. It held so much promise. Documentaries in relation to Narcos have it right. This one just didn’t cut it for me, even if I do enjoy a good local story.
May 12, 2017
Really enjoyed it. Well written account of Coronado Company - a major upstart smuggling ring started by high school kids. Great story and very entertaining.
June 28, 2017
Beachy read
Read for bookclub, surprisingly easy read, would have enjoyed more depth (even totally imagined) to the interpersonal relationships. Would recommend.
Read for bookclub, surprisingly easy read, would have enjoyed more depth (even totally imagined) to the interpersonal relationships. Would recommend.
October 21, 2017
I love this book. I wish I could have had more time to read it. I feel that with the time I had i was rushing through. I will probably be rereading this book.
August 22, 2018
Fascinating true account of regular teenagers and their former high school teacher getting caught up in a massive drug smuggling trade. Brilliantly written, had me hooked to the end.
May 31, 2019
This was a real page turner I could not put it down! It took place near where I grew up in San Diego and also in Maine where I now live. Each page kept me on the edge of my seat. Wonderful read!
March 27, 2020
Deep Water was an interesting take on real life drug smuggling. It was a pretty good action book for average high school readers.
June 23, 2021
Follows the true life stories of several high school buddies who create a multi-million dollar drug running company based in Southern California.
November 1, 2022
Cenzo is reading this for history, so I thought I would read along. It wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if it didn't take place in Coronado.
September 14, 2024
Interesting but has nothing to do with "teens" so not sure why it's tagged that way
January 13, 2018
This book is well written. In fact, one of my favorite parts of the book was the narrative fiction aspect; I have a pre-notion of nonfiction being into-dumpey, but this didn’t feel like that at all. I also really liked the way she described the multitude of settings and her characters were really interesting. You didn’t like their personalities because you knew what they were doing was wrong, but at the same time, you kind of wanted to root for them because nobody took them seriously since they were high-schoolers. Really well done.
My main issue with it was that the book dragged a lot. It was slow to pick up, the middle rushed through, and the ending was kind of abrupt. I felt like she should have expanded on the behind the scenes of the company a little more. I also felt like the way she described each drug deal was a little repetitive. They just seemed to keep adding new things, like the first time they would add a surfboard clip, then the next time a boat, then the next time new crew members, but ultimately it was just a lot of semi-boring traveling. She should have focused less on the traveling of the transactions and more on how each drug deal got them more and more reckless and closer to collapse.
I had to read a nonfiction book of choice for summer reading and I chose this one. For what it was, it was enjoyable, mainly because of the characters and narrative writing. However, unless you legitimately needed a nonfiction book like I did, I probably would not recommend to you as a free read. Overall, I’d rate a solid 3.5/5.
My main issue with it was that the book dragged a lot. It was slow to pick up, the middle rushed through, and the ending was kind of abrupt. I felt like she should have expanded on the behind the scenes of the company a little more. I also felt like the way she described each drug deal was a little repetitive. They just seemed to keep adding new things, like the first time they would add a surfboard clip, then the next time a boat, then the next time new crew members, but ultimately it was just a lot of semi-boring traveling. She should have focused less on the traveling of the transactions and more on how each drug deal got them more and more reckless and closer to collapse.
I had to read a nonfiction book of choice for summer reading and I chose this one. For what it was, it was enjoyable, mainly because of the characters and narrative writing. However, unless you legitimately needed a nonfiction book like I did, I probably would not recommend to you as a free read. Overall, I’d rate a solid 3.5/5.
April 11, 2024
Deep Water sucks you right in. Even if you didn't swim in high school, didn't smoke weed in the 70's, and aren't from San Diego, you'll immediately feel like you're part of something exciting and illicit. It's so well written that it's hard to believe it's based on a wild true story - people actually did this! The book is a fast and easy read that you won't want to put down. You'll fall in love with the characters even as they make poor decisions and fall deeper into criminal activity because they're beautifully written and really come to life. It would make for an excellent movie or series.
October 24, 2017
This was the first true crime novel I've read, and I enjoyed how it read more like a novel than non-fiction. I was especially drawn in by how Nichols portrayed the various personalities and the group dynamics. By the end of the book, I felt fully invested in the fate of the Coronado Company.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews