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Tom Dugan #3
Deadly Crossing
A phone call. A common enough event, sometimes welcome, sometimes annoying, but seldom life changing. Or so we assume. But assumptions are dangerous things, and the reality is we all live one phone call away from disaster. One cheerful ring away from news of a tragic accident. One muted buzz from learning a lifetime of memories have disappeared in a raging house fire.
And so it is for Tom Dugan, rolling though the London night, the woman he loves in the taxi beside him. Life is good by any measure — until his phone rings, alerting him to the arrival of two old Russian friends with a very big problem.
Dugan’s attempts to help his friends rescue an innocent girl from the Russian mob plunge him into a world he’d scarcely imagined, endangering him and everyone he holds dear. A world of modern day slavery and unspeakable cruelty, from which no one will escape, unless Dugan can weather a Deadly Crossing.
And so it is for Tom Dugan, rolling though the London night, the woman he loves in the taxi beside him. Life is good by any measure — until his phone rings, alerting him to the arrival of two old Russian friends with a very big problem.
Dugan’s attempts to help his friends rescue an innocent girl from the Russian mob plunge him into a world he’d scarcely imagined, endangering him and everyone he holds dear. A world of modern day slavery and unspeakable cruelty, from which no one will escape, unless Dugan can weather a Deadly Crossing.
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First published March 3, 2014
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About the author
R.E. McDermott
13 books130 followersRobert E. McDermott grew up on the Gulf Coast. After graduation from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, he worked in positions from ship’s officer to shipping company management, traveling widely, and living and working in a number of countries. He splits his time between the U.S. and Singapore, where he operates a marine consultancy, advising clients on ship construction and operations. Deadly Straits is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
April 7, 2019
A thriller about human trafficking and the Russian mafia, using the team of characters from the previous two Dugan books. Ideally to be read in order because this book assumes prior knowledge of the main players.
April 19, 2015
Although the subject matter of human trafficking is a relevant one, I had a hard time with the writing style. The characters were numerous and not really well developed. The protagonist was inept and played second fiddle to a couple of burly Russian friends that ran the show. The author made British Intelligence appear inept and most foreign police forces corrupt. All in all it was just OKAY if you're into this type of subject matter. The potential here was much greater than the final result.
March 20, 2015
In Deadly Crossing, R.E McDermott plays out the incredible adventure of Tom Dugan, a middle aged American man, that lives in London, that has a knack in getting is some pretty sticky situations. Imagine driving in a taxi with your girlfriend and getting a call from two former Russian Spetsnaz agents, that you haven't heard from in 10 years, asking for your help. That's what happened to Tom Dugan. Sergeant Borgandanov and Lieutenant Ilya called Tom since they are friends since Tom was in the CIA. The Russians are in trouble. Lieutenant Ilya's niece was taken by a Russian mob known as the Bratstvo, known for drugs and underground girl trafficking. They believe Katrina is in London and need Tom and his friend Alex Kaiours, former CIA, to help them find them. Every time Tom and the crew get closer to finding Katrina, the mob manages to not only escape, but take more of their families for their own means. Soon enough, this story not only becomes about finding a girl, but taking down the Bratstvo’s entire organization. They must risk the lives of each other in order to succeed this. This becomes a story of hardship and prevail in the most unlikely of happenings. As the story goes on, McDermott manages to bring points of view from the side of the Bratstvo and the protagonist such as Tom and the Russian mob. The way McDermott adds dramatic irony leaves the reader biting their nails at what's about to happen. Another thing I enjoyed were McDermott adding small events in the story that seem like nothing, but really, they are catastrophic. This made the story more exciting and added variety to the story. One thing I disliked about McDermott's writing was that he didn't develop the story in the beginning. I had to read to a certain point to understand who the characters were, where they were, and what was happening. Maybe it was just a part of th experience, but it made me a little bit confused. The overall theme of the story was one of prevail and perserverance. Throughout the story there were obstacles set in place for the characters and each time they prevailed only through perserverance. Overall, I gave this book a 4/5 rating on GoodReads. I really enjoyed the action and adventure format of this story. I would recommend this book to 16 and up. There is alot of swearing and drug reference. I would not recommend this book to non mature young adult. Maybe mature 14 year olds would be able to read it. Tom himself is fine, but anything that involves Bratsvo is a bit excplicit. This was a very good book. I would recommend this to any mature reader.
March 5, 2014
Tom Dugan is a marine consultant who finds himself immersed this time in the Russian mafia and the sex trade.
I was pleased to see Tom Dugan again, he is an older and more thoughtful protagonist who does not rush in with blazing guns to save the day. He does have a Machiavellian streak that serves him well when he is dealing with international miscreants. There are a few carry over characters from Deadly Straits but this book can certainly be read as a stand alone novel. The characters are eminently likeable or vilely despicable. Once again, McDermott has done a super job with his characterizations.
Anna, his main squeeze and deadly in her own right, is once again on the front lines with Tom. Major Andrei Borgdanov and Sgt. Ilya Denosovitch, formerly Russian Spetsnaz, come to Tom for aid in tracking down Ilya's missing niece. Anna's MI5 and Tom's CIA contacts are crucial in finding the missing girl.
The despicable human trafficking trade is the major theme of the book. How Tom jumps in with both feet provides the action and plot line. Once again, the plot could be lifted from the daily news. It has roots in reality and that may be one of the things that makes it so captivating. There is plenty of action and emotions are more realistic and perhaps less noble than the run of the mill stylized protagonist.
I find myself being some what redundant in my review as, once again, I am thrilled with McDermott's work.
I highly recommend it.
Web Site: http://www.remcdermott.com/
I was pleased to see Tom Dugan again, he is an older and more thoughtful protagonist who does not rush in with blazing guns to save the day. He does have a Machiavellian streak that serves him well when he is dealing with international miscreants. There are a few carry over characters from Deadly Straits but this book can certainly be read as a stand alone novel. The characters are eminently likeable or vilely despicable. Once again, McDermott has done a super job with his characterizations.
Anna, his main squeeze and deadly in her own right, is once again on the front lines with Tom. Major Andrei Borgdanov and Sgt. Ilya Denosovitch, formerly Russian Spetsnaz, come to Tom for aid in tracking down Ilya's missing niece. Anna's MI5 and Tom's CIA contacts are crucial in finding the missing girl.
The despicable human trafficking trade is the major theme of the book. How Tom jumps in with both feet provides the action and plot line. Once again, the plot could be lifted from the daily news. It has roots in reality and that may be one of the things that makes it so captivating. There is plenty of action and emotions are more realistic and perhaps less noble than the run of the mill stylized protagonist.
I find myself being some what redundant in my review as, once again, I am thrilled with McDermott's work.
I highly recommend it.
Web Site: http://www.remcdermott.com/
December 12, 2015
Better then the first 2 in the series. Easier to understand and great twist ending. One of Tom's Russian "comrades" was looking for his niece who'd gone missing after going to Prague to train as a nanny. He asked for help infiltrating the Russian Mob's clubs where they were selling under age girls for sex. What they found was lots of trouble!
January 2, 2015
Deadly Crossing
This was a great book. These things happen in real life more than we'd like to think. It is a great story with an even better ending! A bit explicit at times but I enjoyed the book even so.
This was a great book. These things happen in real life more than we'd like to think. It is a great story with an even better ending! A bit explicit at times but I enjoyed the book even so.
January 24, 2015
I like happy endings.
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November 15, 2021Outstanding narration by Todd Haberkorn! His vocal characterizations really made the book. One of the best vocal interpretations I have heard in many various audio books. He deftly and distinctly defines, American male, British male, British female, British teen female, Ukrainian female, Polish male, and Russian male and Irish female. The dialog quickly shifts between accents and still flows smoothly within the same conversational exchange. Kudos to Todd Haberkorn!
The story is from today's human trafficking headlines. A crime many years hidden and only recently exposed. Thank you R.E. McDermott for bravely writing a story to provide the public a glimpse into the degrading horror of this type of crime and slavery. Thank you for also treating this subject somewhere between PG-13 and NC-17 to allow readers to be able to continue reading the story without feeling the need to wash their hands and ears.
I must admit that this was my first Tom Dugan book and I felt like I did not get any depth of the cast of characters well enough to empathize or sympathize with these recurring members. (This book is #3 in the series). The only ones that really bared their soul and drew full empathy were Jillian and Tanya. The feelings of Borgdonoff and Arzoff as the true protagonists were somewhat well portrayed, but only slightly deeper than the rest of the cast. Perhaps we will learn of the recurring cast's past and their motivations for decisions in another earlier book in the series. Otherwise they are only provided as thin stereotypes. With this one book I see the stereotype Tom Dugan as the hero who acts way before he thinks. Perhaps that is why Anna consoles him for the many friends and colleagues who have died while along side him. It may be only the somewhat logical thinking of his friend Hogan that has kept him alive in the other stories prior to this one.
If Chirp provides another of these Tom Dugan stories by R.E. McDermott at bargain price, I may listen to another in this series or try his disruption series. I will definitely look into any other book narrated by Todd Haberkorn!
The story is from today's human trafficking headlines. A crime many years hidden and only recently exposed. Thank you R.E. McDermott for bravely writing a story to provide the public a glimpse into the degrading horror of this type of crime and slavery. Thank you for also treating this subject somewhere between PG-13 and NC-17 to allow readers to be able to continue reading the story without feeling the need to wash their hands and ears.
I must admit that this was my first Tom Dugan book and I felt like I did not get any depth of the cast of characters well enough to empathize or sympathize with these recurring members. (This book is #3 in the series). The only ones that really bared their soul and drew full empathy were Jillian and Tanya. The feelings of Borgdonoff and Arzoff as the true protagonists were somewhat well portrayed, but only slightly deeper than the rest of the cast. Perhaps we will learn of the recurring cast's past and their motivations for decisions in another earlier book in the series. Otherwise they are only provided as thin stereotypes. With this one book I see the stereotype Tom Dugan as the hero who acts way before he thinks. Perhaps that is why Anna consoles him for the many friends and colleagues who have died while along side him. It may be only the somewhat logical thinking of his friend Hogan that has kept him alive in the other stories prior to this one.
If Chirp provides another of these Tom Dugan stories by R.E. McDermott at bargain price, I may listen to another in this series or try his disruption series. I will definitely look into any other book narrated by Todd Haberkorn!
September 27, 2019
Not your usual book series!
Unlike many of the multiple book series, each of the first two books in this series is a complete stand-alone story. Also, they are well enough written to make you want to carry your book or Kindle device with you to the dinner table or even to the bathroom. The only thing lacking for me, personally, is a bit less than desired character development. A better look into the heads and thought processes of the main characters would have made for a somewhat more satisfying read. That's just me and I have been spoiled by master storytellers like Robert Heinlein and W. E. B. Griffin. I can say that I fee that the writing was as good as if not better than Ian Fleming's James Bond stories.
Unlike many of the multiple book series, each of the first two books in this series is a complete stand-alone story. Also, they are well enough written to make you want to carry your book or Kindle device with you to the dinner table or even to the bathroom. The only thing lacking for me, personally, is a bit less than desired character development. A better look into the heads and thought processes of the main characters would have made for a somewhat more satisfying read. That's just me and I have been spoiled by master storytellers like Robert Heinlein and W. E. B. Griffin. I can say that I fee that the writing was as good as if not better than Ian Fleming's James Bond stories.
May 31, 2017
I just read this story straight after #2 in the series (Deadly Coast). Once again there was little to no introduction of the characters, (but luckily they were all fresh in my mind) and straight into the action.
This book was not so sea focused, with only one major scene taking place on a boat, and the rest of the action taking place in major cities, such as London.
I really enjoyed this book, possibly more than the previous two, but due to the content of the book (human trafficking, sex slaves etc), I would rate this book MA 15+.
This book was not so sea focused, with only one major scene taking place on a boat, and the rest of the action taking place in major cities, such as London.
I really enjoyed this book, possibly more than the previous two, but due to the content of the book (human trafficking, sex slaves etc), I would rate this book MA 15+.
February 9, 2022
This book is a continuation of the Tom Dugan character with some characters from previous books, though this is a stand-alone novel. Definitely a book for more mature readers as the topic is human trafficking and drug trade mixed in with Russian mobsters. Some catch-your-breath moments coupled with a good ending, make this a very good adventure story. I did think that some of the dialogue was a bit stilted but that could be because of the Russian language to English mix. All in all, I really enjoyed it.
Also, excellent narration by Todd Haberkorn.
Also, excellent narration by Todd Haberkorn.
May 28, 2019
Tom Dugan and his band of mis-matched friends step in to save one of his brothers-in-arms through a personal crisis. Motives and characters were well defined and the book progressed briskly through the seedy underworld even managing to make a brief visit to my current hometown! Fans of action/suspense novels will enjoy this blend of moxy, guts, and problem solving to save a friends family member.
November 14, 2021
Tom Dugan finds himself pitted against a ruthless group of Russians who kidnap, abuse and sell into slavery, women and children. When the niece of a Russian friend is kidnapped Tom learns more than he would ever want to know about the Russian mob and then his beloved god-daughter is kidnapped and he learns even more as he works to rescue her and his friend's niece.
Fast paced and scary because it is probably very factual!
Fast paced and scary because it is probably very factual!
July 11, 2017
An absolutely outstanding trilogy that I barely found time to put down. I loved the excitement and structure of the characters and the plots, and I sincerely hope there will be more to come in this series. Now on to to his other novels whilst I await Tom Duggan's return. Many thanks, Bob, (R.E. McDermott.
September 17, 2021
I loved this book! I purchased it based on the reviews but when I saw the cover art, I almost regretted it. So don’t let the cover, or even the title, put you off. The book is great! It is a nail biter about the Russian mafia and their lucrative sex trade. It’s not full if lewd details or anything like that. It’s very interesting and I repeatedly found it hard to put down. Highly recommend!
April 27, 2018
This is a journey...
In Book 1, I learned many things nautical . In Book 2, I was taken in by Tom and his Russkies. By the third book, I couldn’t stop turning the pages seeing good people stop bad people!
In Book 1, I learned many things nautical . In Book 2, I was taken in by Tom and his Russkies. By the third book, I couldn’t stop turning the pages seeing good people stop bad people!
July 25, 2019
Deadly Crossing .
This was a good read that was a bit jumpy, but it doesn't seem to have too much in impact on the story. This isn't just another story but has a good message with it.
This was a good read that was a bit jumpy, but it doesn't seem to have too much in impact on the story. This isn't just another story but has a good message with it.
February 21, 2022
A really good read
I really liked this story. It had a good mix of despair and triumph along with very good writing. There was a.lot.of rreal world action believability in the crafting of the story. I will definitely read more from this author.
I really liked this story. It had a good mix of despair and triumph along with very good writing. There was a.lot.of rreal world action believability in the crafting of the story. I will definitely read more from this author.
May 24, 2017
Excellent book
By far the best book in the series. Keeps readers attention,great pace and timing. Looking forward to more by this author.
By far the best book in the series. Keeps readers attention,great pace and timing. Looking forward to more by this author.
May 25, 2017
Great story!
I read >20 non-fiction books each year and have read all three Dugan books. Very believable and action-packed! Highly recommend!
I read >20 non-fiction books each year and have read all three Dugan books. Very believable and action-packed! Highly recommend!
June 12, 2017
Great read
Little confusing to start, but once I got into it, was a really good read. Can't wait to read another!
Little confusing to start, but once I got into it, was a really good read. Can't wait to read another!
October 16, 2017
Good book.
The book is very entertaining, author has a gift for intriguing. I would strongly recommend this book to any adventurous reader.
The book is very entertaining, author has a gift for intriguing. I would strongly recommend this book to any adventurous reader.
September 30, 2017
Follow on from others in the series and at time clear to current world events. Kept me hooked throughout
May 6, 2018
Not awful but thought things got out of hand and had some plot issues
March 23, 2018
Very good! Well written and likeable characters. I rate it 4.8 stars.
May 6, 2018
The plot seems even more absurd on this relisten
June 25, 2018
Tom Dugan returns in book 3, "Deadly Crossing".
RECOMMENDED
RECOMMENDED
July 5, 2018
Pure Trash. Don't know why I spent money on this, big mistake. Where do publishers find people like this????
April 7, 2019
Deadly crossing.
Loved this book. It had international intrigue, human trafficking, warehouses of drugs and just enough suspense to keep me turning page after page.
Loved this book. It had international intrigue, human trafficking, warehouses of drugs and just enough suspense to keep me turning page after page.
April 9, 2019
WAS HARD TO STAY FOCUSED ON STORY.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews