The Edge of Honor

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Deutermann delivers a lot more than the standard military thriller in his second novel (after Scorpion in the Sea) , though there is certainly plenty of high-tech weaponry and violent action surrounding the mission of the U.S.S. John Bell Hood in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War. The author's 26 years of active Navy service are put to good use in depicting shipboard life, procedures and reactions under battle conditions. While Deutermann differs from other purveyors of military fiction in his ability to create strong and compelling female characters, the story of Maddy Holcomb's seduction by an intriguing civilian Marine trainer back home in San Diego is essentially a counterpoint to the heart of the matter, her husband Lt. Brian Holcomb's shipboard struggle with an unexpected enemy. Slotted as weapons officer aboard the Hood , Holcomb desperately needs a good rating to advance his career. After a disastrous foul-up makes evident that there is a dangerous drug problem among the enlisted ranks aboard ship, he wants to crack down hard, but is thwarted by the executive officer. Ship's command chooses to deal with the situation in its own off-the-books fashion, keyed somehow, Brian comes to realize, to the enigmatic captain's strange behavior. Brian continues to press to have things done ``the Navy way,'' unaware that the Hood 's mysterious drug kingpin is sabotaging his efforts. Deutermann keeps the adrenalin pumping in this exciting genre standout. (May)

Library Journal

Brian Holcomb is the new weapons officer for the John Bell Hood, a guided-missile frigate on patrol off the coast of Vietnam in the last months of the war. Striving to overcome a less-than-glowing fitness report from his previous ship, Holcomb is tempted to fall into the ``go with the flow'' ethics of the other officers, who overlook stoned young sailors, until he is befriended by a group of chief petty officers who practice their own justice to keep the ship afloat. In the meantime, Brian's beautiful but immature wife, Maddy, is attracted to a mysterious Native American on his own way to the war, and the ship's captain seems to be unwell and curiously detached from daily problems. Vividly drawn scenes of shipboard life and customs, including liberty at Subic Bay in the Philippines, are contrasted with the high-tension drama of the war itself. Deutermann, a career naval officer, does his usual excellent job of accurate and exciting tale-telling; his romantic subplot, here more successful than in Scorpion in the Sea (LJ 9/15/92), allows him to add the extra dimension of the world of navy wives. A winner for naval history and adventure buffs.-Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.

Dennis Winters

In 1969 a missile frigate is sent to the Gulf of Tonkin to support the bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Lt. Brian Holcomb, who is being given the chance to reverse a less-than-glowing fitness report, is the weapons officer on the U.S.S. "John Bell Hood". As he becomes familiar with the ship and his job, he discovers that drug use is rampant. That could interfere not only with onboard efficiency but also with safety. Holcomb's efforts to combat drug use seem, however, to be hindered by the enigmatic opposition of senior officers, whether on account of antagonism or simple inertia. Meanwhile, back in San Diego, Brian's wife, Maddy, fights her own war over whether she can cope with his career in addition to her own life. Deutermann's obvious familiarity with the milieu makes for compelling accuracy in the depiction of both the technical matters of modern combat at sea and the atmosphere of the seagoing navy in the late 1960s.

From the Publisher

"A powerful human drama. First-rate, riveting suspense." —Bestselling author Nelson DeMille