Another fine Navy story by P.T. Deutermann. I flew ASW in the Navy and am a Deutermann fan. This one involves a hostile submarine, an enemy force, in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. Yes, it is peacetime, but it was also peacetime when they brought down the World Trade Center towers. If you were ever involved with ASW, you will love this novel. The attitudes of the U.S. Navy Admiralty and ASW are portrayed accurately.
The first love scene seemed a little stilted, IMHO. It is my understanding that this is Deutermann’s first work. Some scenes were extensively described, some listeners have complained they were over-described. I don’t go that far, but they are extensively described.
The reader is fine, but someone should educate him on the proper Navy pronunciation of “submariner.” He pronounces it as if it means a subpar mariner. He pronounces it as “sub-MARE-in-er.” It should be pronounced “sub-mar-INE-er.” This may seem a quibble, but those in the submarine fleet do not think so. They are definitely not subpar mariners. He also mispronounces the Navy shortened term for “position,” as on a map. The correct pronunciation is “PAH-zit,” not “poe-SIT.” His mispronunciations grate on the ears of those of us who heard these terms countless times while in the Navy. If you don’t believe me, just as the author.
In spite of the reader’s failure to learn his correct Navy pronunciations, this book is worth the price. Buy it and enjoy it.