At the bottom of the ocean, a former special forces pilot, of the most advanced diving suit ever developed, possesses skills that are still much in demand. However, at bottom of a beer glass there is only a blessed oblivion to drive the memories away. The face of a murdered daughter, the corpses of friends, and the last glimpse of a happy life as the light slowly dims. Corin Hayes has nothing left, nothing to live for, and no one to share his misery. Nothing, that is, except a stubborn streak wider than the ocean and sarcasm sharper than a scalpel.
But all good things must come to an end and in the sacred solitude of his favourite drinking hole a beautiful woman presents him with an offer he’d be a fool to turn down.
Perhaps a job, the chance to earn real money, the opportunity to be useful once more might redeem his life and self-respect. However, in the world beneath the waves there is no such thing as an easy life and Hayes is about to discover that some jobs can be real killers.
This omnibus edition collects books 1 to 3 of the Corin Hayes series in one volume.
Silent City, Book 1
Corin is forced to watch his friends die. Revenge drives him on, but it may not be enough.
Nothing Is Ever Simple, Book 2
A simple job, easy money, but nothing is ever that simple. Can Hayes clear his name and bring down those who want to see him dead?
Three Times the Trouble, Book 3
With danger coming from every direction, can he save the lives of two children as well as his own?
The Corin Hayes series is one of those rare finds that sneaks up on you, hooks you hard, and then leaves you mildly annoyed when it ends because you would quite happily stay in this world for another few hundred pages.
Set in a near future where the surface of the Earth is no longer habitable, humanity has retreated beneath the oceans, building vast underwater cities connected by submarines, pressure suits, and bad decisions. There are no aliens, no shiny space operas, no technobabble lectures. Instead, the focus stays firmly on people, places, and the many ways things can go wrong when you live at crushing depth.
At the centre of it all is Corin Hayes, a former special forces pilot and current professional disaster magnet. He is broken, grieving, sarcastic, and deeply committed to drinking alone in peace, something the universe stubbornly refuses to allow. Hayes is the kind of protagonist who would absolutely prefer not to be a hero, but keeps getting dragged into trouble because he is stubborn, capable, and just decent enough to make the wrong choice every time.
What makes this series work so well is its balance. The worldbuilding is vivid without ever being heavy. You feel the pressure of the ocean, hear the hum of the cities, and sense the constant danger of living somewhere that will kill you instantly if a seal fails. And yet, it never becomes technical or overwhelming. Matthews trusts the reader to pick things up naturally, and the result is a setting that feels real without ever slowing the story down.
“The subtle hum of the Oxyquid filters and motors ceased. A noise I’d long ago grown accustomed to, that had become just background and automatically ignored, stopped. It was unsettling in it’s absence. The ocean is never truly silent but, at that moment, it was quieter than I ever wished it to be ever again. A quiet that made me doubt my sanity, made my eardrums hurt as they sought a sound, a faint tremor of noise to cup and hold dear.”
The tone is another major strength. These books move fast, almost like an urban fantasy wearing a sci-fi coat. They are also wonderfully easy to read. This is the kind of series you can pick up after a long day and fall straight into, no effort required. The writing flows smoothly, the pacing stays tight, and before you realise it, you are several chapters in and wondering where the time went.
There is plenty of action, a fair amount of violence, and some genuinely tense moments, but it is the humour that gives the series its distinctive voice. Corin’s dry, dark sarcasm cuts through even the bleakest situations, often making you laugh just as things are going very, very wrong. It never feels forced, and it never undercuts the stakes. Instead, it makes them feel sharper.
“The decent thing, the human thing, the ethical and moral thing to do, would be to put him out of his misery.
“I left him.”
Across the three books, the story gradually widens. We see more of the underwater cities, more of how different they are from each other, and more of the political and criminal pressures shaping life beneath the waves. At the same time, Corin himself begins to change. Slowly, reluctantly, and with a great deal of internal resistance, he starts taking responsibility for people other than himself. This is not a sudden redemption arc or a softening of edges. He remains sarcastic, damaged, and deeply human, but there is growth there, and it feels earned.
The pacing stays tight throughout. Each book is highly readable, the kind you start “just for a bit” and then realise you are somehow at the end. The episodic feel works in the series’ favour, giving each instalment its own shape while still contributing to a larger whole. There are mysteries, conspiracies, criminal networks, and plenty of things that explode or go wrong at exactly the wrong moment.
If there is a unifying theme, it is that nothing is ever simple. Not the jobs, not the people, and certainly not life at the bottom of the ocean. The series embraces that idea fully, letting complications pile up while trusting Corin Hayes to stumble through them with grim determination, biting humour, and an impressive talent for survival.
The Corin Hayes series is fast, entertaining, and extremely easy to fall into. It blends sci-fi, dystopia, thriller, and that urban fantasy sense of momentum into something that feels both familiar and fresh. If you like broken protagonists, snarky narration, and books that are perfect when you want something fun, absorbing, and low-effort after a long day, this is an easy recommendation.
Just don’t expect Corin to get a quiet drink in peace. That would be unrealistic.
