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07 July, 2008
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1988, United States Naval Inst.
ISBN 0802709605
Hardcover
book is in English language

Type.	Novel
Pros.
Cons.
Rating.

A wounded British naval officer begins a second career as intelligence expert in a section charged with developing effective anti-U-boat strategies. His specific assignment is to investigate a series of convoys which have been attacked by assailants which manage to creep up on the convoy unseen and vanish without a trace after wreaking brief havoc among the vessels. A traitor within is suspected, and Lt. Yorke's job is to find out who is responsible for the attacks and how they are being carried out.

The habits of the merchant navy and regular navy are contrasted as Lt. Yorke ships on board a merchant vessel as part of an outgoing convoy to observe and test his theories. This is basically a detective novel; the suspense and mystery build, keeping the reader guessing at the secret, which in the end is ingenious and convincing.

The novel is relatively fast paced, with a love story thrown in, providing plenty of action and authentic details of convoy life and quirky characters aboard merchant ships and naval vessels. Wartime London convincingly is described. The action does fall apart a bit at the end of the book, one scene in particular seeming especially contrived, but in general this is an enjoyable read.

Review written by Tonya Allen.

This review was published on 1 Dec, 2000.