About
Reviews
Search
Submit
Home

Mystery Books for Sale

[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]


  

PRIDE RUNS DEEP
by R. Cameron Cooke
Jove, February 2005
352 pages
$7.99
ISBN: 0515138339


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Captain Sammy Russo suffers shell-shock after a particularly bad tour of duty in the Pacific aboard the USS Mackerel. Relieved of his command of the ship, Russo is replaced by veteran submariner Lt Commander Jack Tremaine. The crew of the Mackerel greets Tremaine with a mixture of disdain and resentment after he cancels their leave in Pearl Harbor and summons them back to the ship for yet another run against the Japanese.

Tremaine cares little about their feelings or their past record as a crew, but insists they improve their fighting skills. Exercises begin immediately upon leaving Pearl Harbor and continue as the ship makes it way towards the Japanese shipping lanes. Tremaine's job is to sink as many Japanese freighters as possible, thereby cutting off supplies to enemy outposts on the islands dotting the Pacific basin.

Tremaine soon impresses both officers and crew of the Mackerel with his knowledge of the sea. His decision to modify the defective warheads on the ship's torpedoes -- a suggestion offered by gunnery officer Lt Carl Hubley -- results in several kills for the crew rather than the constant misses suffered during their last tour of duty. With their kill ratio improving, morale aboard ship also improves. By the time they return to Pearl Harbor, the men of the Mackerel are a happy lot.

The only dissension of note aboard ship is a running feud between new ensign Ryan Wright and junior officer Lt Tucker Turner. 'Tee' Tucker is engaged to a nurse at Pearl Harbor, the sister of an old friend of Wright. Margie Forester blames Wright for the death of her Marine brother Troy, and Tee resolves to make Wright pay for his perceived crime. He takes every opportunity to belittle Wright in public and private, and only their difference in rank prevents Wright from retaliating.

But Tee is a drunk onshore and a bully onboard ship, a man not loved by many in the crew. His outlandish orders result in the death of a crew member, a fact kept secret until the Mackerel is out to sea for a second tour of duty. This trip is vitally important to the Allied effort. The Japanese have built an enormous battleship called the Kurita. Out of dry dock and due for a shakedown run, the Kurita must be sunk at any cost. Tremaine takes the Mackerel to the borders of the Japanese motherland in order to apprehend the Kurita as it makes its way out of harbor guarded by a bevy of destroyers.

In a classic cat-and-mouse hunt, with only experience and pure grit to sustain them, the crew of the Mackerel engages in one final battle with the best ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

R Cameron Cooke is a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve who brings his extensive knowledge of submarines and those who man them to bear in this gripping novel of naval combat during World War II. Cooke highlights the emotions of ordinary men engaged in war, describing acts both brave and stupid with a clarity that springs from personal experience.

Tremaine is a multi-layered character who yearns for home even as he readies himself and his crew for battle. The other characters are equally well drawn, the only exception being Margie Forester, the lone female character in the book, whose love/hate relationship with Ensign Wright leaves much to be desired.

The story is too good, though, to quibble over Cooke's inability to insert romance into what is essential a great sea adventure. What really counts here is that Cooke knows the Navy, knows the history of WWII combat in the Pacific, and knows how to combine the two to present a top-notch tale of men at war. For those who love history, this book puts a human face to WWII submarine conflict.

Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, June 2006

[ Top ]


QUICK SEARCH:

 

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]