Dead Reckoning

Special Force Orca #2

by Anthony Molloy, Paul Scott (Illustrator)

June 1940, the World waited. Dunkirk was over, a third of a million allied troops snatched back from, in Churchill’s words, ‘death and shame’ in the largest sea-evacuation the world had ever seen. France, the British Empire's only ally, tottered on the brink of defeat. Italy had entered the war on the side of Germany. The World considered the future. If Britain was to be defeated and the world's largest Navy fell into the hands of the Nazis the Axis would dominate the seas and by definition the world. Churchill had an ace up his sleeve; the Royal Navy. Support Britain in her fight to the death, or risk the Royal Navy becoming part of a greater German Navy.This was the spectre that Churchill’s friends in America held over the heads of the appeasers and the isolationists. For America had, as of yet, given no practical help to Great Britain. In this sea of uncertainty and defeatism Churchill stood solid as a rock; the immovable platform from which victory could still be snatched. Only the Royal Navy, was ready to carry the fight to the enemy, undefeated it patrolled the seas carrying with it the hopes and the pride of the British people. The Special Operations Group, 'Orca', under its inspired and charismatic commander, Alexander Barr, are ordered to concentrate their efforts against the enemy U Boats based in occupied Norway…

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2011

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2nd book in the Special Force Orca series. In some places it does read a little like a 'Boy's Own' story, but nothing is overly glamourised. Some of the characters might appear a bit larger than life, especially those on the lower deck, but they act and sound like proper matelots. Something that can only have been drawn from the writer's own experiences.
This story follows on from the evacuation of Allied troops from the area of Dunkirk.The storm clouds are building around the beleagured British Isles. The convoy lifeline from North America, bringing in vital supplies, is under constant threat from patrolling U-Boats. Special Force Orca is tasked with disrupting the U-Boat operations running out of Northern Norway.
The storyline is just as good as the initial book in the series, and is only let down by the occasional lapses in the editting and proof reading. So far this is becoming a wonderful series.

[Frank B. Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rambled on, unnecessarily long, seemed to lose the plot halfway through!