Harry Homewood

The novel is set in the 1980's while the Cold War was potentially hot. The Russians have developed a new torpedo that is able to track a nuclear submarine and destroy it when it makes contact with sub's propeller. A new aggressive Soviet leadership decide to test the torpedo on a US sub with the idea that the destruction will be so severe the Americans will be unable to discover what happened.

However, the Americans quickly locate the wreckage and their analysis quickly discovers the truth. A US admiral immediately approves the tracking and destruction of the guilty Soviet sub knowing that Congress will be bogged down in what the US response should be. Now the issue is how to cool things down before one of the combatants decides to fire undersea missiles at major cities.

The author served in US submarines thus he bringing authenticity to the story.… (més)

This is a novel about a submarine, the USS Mako, and the two captains who commanded her on the three patrols covered in the novel. Captain Hinman is assigned to the Mako while she is still being built. He and key members of the crew are able to participate in her construction and have some modifications done to suit their previous experience.

The submarine captains have been claiming that the American torpedoes are faulty and when Hinman discovers the reason, he goes against orders and modifies them. When the modifications make the torpedoes work properly, he tells other submarine captains and as a result is removed from command and misses being court marshaled by a hair.

When a noted disciplinarian ai appointed as his replacement, the crew expects the worse. That worst turns out to be a patrol where the Mako meets the top Japanese anti-sub technician in a battle of survival.

The novel is packed with action, naval political intrigue with positive views of FDR and not so much of General MacArthur. It does include an interesting description of the reception the US sailors received from the Australian population when there on shore leave.… (més)

I like submarine thrillers - favorite authors include Patrick Robinson, Edward Beach, and of course Clancy for Red October.

This was decent and a worthwhile fast read but didn't match up with the aforesaid luminaries. For my taste, there wasn't enough sub action - the tactics, tech stuff, and mind games. This set in the Brezhnev Cold War days (but ironically a fictitious US president!) and this is a significant part of the story.

I'd guess I'd summarise by saying it was a decetn read but I don't think I've found a new sub thriller author. Too bad!… (més)