Synopsis
Former naval officer John J. Gobbell brings to life marine warfare as few others ever have. Now, the author of When Duty Whispers Low, A Code For Tomorrow, and The Last Lieutenant, returns to the fiery panorama of World War II, as Commander Todd Ingram is caught in a living hell.
BETWEEN THE HAMMER AND THE ANVIL...
In 1944, the Allies have delivered a stunning blow to Hitler's Western front. In the Pacific, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance's Fifth fleet is poised to eviscerate the Japanese Navy—and begin a new war for the occupied islands. But in the center of this world-spanning drama, a lone Japanese submarine is on a mission of a very different kind. And on board is Todd Ingram, a prisoner of war and captive of fate.
IS THE ULTIMATE ACT OF DECEPTION.
Navy brass knows Ingram is on the sub, but can't reveal its ability to break Japanese code. So Ingram's friend, Captain Jerry Landa, is put in charge of a covert "Neptune Strategy" to save Ingram. But Landa can't help himself as he falls for Ingram's wife Helen while the top brass demands to know where the Japanese sub is going, who is in command—and what its astounding ultimate mission really is...
"The Neptune Strategy is a fast-paced World War II story that is not only a page-turner, but managed to teach me a few things, too. I don't know of any novels set aboard a Japanese submarine but this is one, and it's an adventurous blend of fact and fiction that hooked me from the moment Commander Todd Ingram, Gobbell's realistic hero, is knocked overboard into the path of a marauding I-boat."
—Homer Hickham, author of The Ambassador's Son and October Sky
"A solid addition to Gobbell's developing war chronicle, as much historical fiction as military adventure."
—Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Gobbell's fourth WWII naval adventure (after When Duty Whispers Low) brings series hero Todd Ingram up to the rank of commander and near the end of the war. Datelined chapters span the months from February to October 1944 and skip from California to Madagascar to France. As Ingram's destroyer, the U.S.S. Maxwell, cuts through the north Pacific, it's attacked by a Japanese dive bomber. Ingram is rescued from the waves, but since it's by the Japanese submarine I-57, his troubles are by no means over. In one sense, Ingram's war is at an end; in another, it's just beginning. A test of wills as well as of physical strength and endurance unfolds for Ingram at the hands of his captors, who run the gamut from humane to sadistic. In nice counterpoint to this plot line is the experience of Capt. Jeremiah "Boom Boom" Landa, of the U.S.S. Morgan. Landa is assigned to a full-tilt espionage adventure (the mission of the title) involving Nazi U-boats, Swiss banks and even a cameo appearance by Arturo Toscanini. Gobbell's robust, colorful prose bears more of a resemblance to that of Patrick O'Brian or C.S. Forester than to the language of the gritty, laconic men-at-war tales the novel otherwise models itself after. The story covers an impressive territory, supplemented by multiple maps and a comprehensive list of characters, identified by ship, location, vocation and nationality. This is a solid addition to Gobbell's developing war chronicle, as much historical fiction as military adventure. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.