Pacific Glory

November 22, 2010
Deutermann's entertaining naval action thriller, his first since 1994's The Edge of Honor, chronicles the WWII exploits of two naval officers who were roommates at the Naval Academy. In 1942, Lt. Marsh "Beauty" Vincent is serving aboard a heavy cruiser off Guadalcanal, while Lt. Mick "Beast" McCarty is an ace pilot at Midway. After Marsh is injured, he's shipped to convalesce in Hawaii, where he runs into Glory, a nurse who's the widow of his other Annapolis roommate, Tommy Lewis, who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Meanwhile, Marsh strikes up a romance with nurse Sally Adkins, and the two of them wind up celebrating Christmas 1943 at Pearl Harbor with Mick and Glory. Marsh and Mick later cross paths on the eve of the climactic Battle of Leyte Gulf off the Philippines. Some may find that Deutermann, a retired navy captain, describes the air and sea battles in too much detail, but those who like pulse-thumping action, cinematic prose, and intrepid heroes will be rewarded.