Novelist Keith and retired submariner Wallace agreeably join forces in
this thriller of submarines versus drug lord Juan de Santiago, whose ambitions
seem to run to being a Colombian Saddam Hussein. Facing him are a DEA agent who
has been fighting Santiago for years, and Bill Beaman, the leader of a team of
Navy SEALs operating off the aging attack submarine Spadefish, commanded by
Jonathan Ward. The action proceeds and in some places wanders from Colombia to
Seattle, Washington, and across the land and under the sea, too, realizing a
full quota of vivid combat scenes and a comparatively high body count along the
way. Disbelief that drug-lord dictators could find high-tech subs handy must be
suspended, but once it is, heck, relax and enjoy. And if you’re aware of what
sailors feel when a beloved ship reaches the end of her career, the book
eventually achieves real power. Above average for its salty breed.
Roland Green
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