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Hunter Killer #2

Dangerous Grounds

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WHEN A TERRORIST MASTERMIND TRIGGERS A SINISTER DECEPTION, THE WORLD IS THROWN INTO PERIL.

"A rip-snorting submarine adventure..." —Stephen Coonts, NY Times bestselling author

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A DEA agent investigating the Asian drug trade stumbles upon a deadly plot. A Navy SEAL team is tasked with finding stolen Russian nuclear weapons in east Asia. And a young Naval Academy midshipman becomes trapped aboard a hijacked submarine.

Together, this unlikely American team must battle radical terrorists and criminal drug syndicates in the deadliest waters on Earth.

For if they fail, a nuclear armageddon will be unleashed upon mankind...

DANGEROUS GROUNDS is an explosive, fast-paced adventure ripped from today’s headlines. If you enjoy realistic, exciting military thrillers, WALLACE and KEITH are a must-read. Highly recommended for fans of Tom Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, Brad Thor, and Mark Greaney.

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Former US Navy submarine commander George Wallace and award winning author Don Keith are the authors of the novel HUNTER KILLER, now a major motion picture starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.

"This team spins a great tale." —W.E.B. Griffin, NY Times bestselling author

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What people are saying about Dangerous Grounds and Wallace and

★★★★★ "This is simply the best global political / military thriller I've read."

★★★★★ "This was a wild ride taking you deep into the operations of the US Navy."

★★★★★ "This is a cross between Clancy and Griffin with plenty of action and suspense! If you enjoy cat and mouse thrillers, this is a must read!"

Dangerous Grounds is the second book in The Hunter Killer Series.

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2015

2468 people are currently reading
231 people want to read

About the author

George Wallace

19 books92 followers
Born and raised in Eastern Ohio, Commander Wallace received his commission in the US Navy and a degree in engineering from The Ohio State University. After the obligatory and memorable interview with Admiral Rickover, he was accepted into the nuclear power and submarine communities. He served on two of Admiral Rickover’s famous “Forty One for Freedom”, the USS John Adams SSBN 620 and the USS Woodrow Wilson SSBN 624, during which time he made nine one-hundred-day deterrent patrols through the height of the Cold War.

Commander Wallace served as Executive Officer on the Sturgeon class nuclear attack submarine Spadefish. Spadefish and all her sisters were decommissioned during the downsizing that occurred in the 1990′s. The passing of that great ship served as the inspiration for “Final Bearing.”

Commander Wallace then commanded the Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine USS Houston SSN 713 from February 1990 to August 1992. During this tour of duty he worked extensively with the SEAL community developing SEAL/submarine tactics. Under his command, the Houston was awarded the CIA Meritorious Unit Citation.

Commander George Wallace retired to the civilian business world in 1995, after twenty-two years of service on nuclear submarines.

Commander Wallace lives with his wife, Penny, in Alexandria, Virginia.

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5 stars
985 (51%)
4 stars
667 (34%)
3 stars
214 (11%)
2 stars
40 (2%)
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25 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Robert.
4 reviews
November 13, 2025
Overall it was a great book. Just like the book prior, it had multiple plots, however I found this book easier to follow. There was one particular event in this book that I think was a little far fetched, but other than that it was entertaining and informative per usual.
Profile Image for Db69.
79 reviews2 followers
February 13, 2020
Good edge-of-the-seat thriller and a follow-on to the first book in the series, "Final Bearing". Like other reviews, I did find the book had many different story lines within the whole plot. At first it seemed like it would be difficult to follow all the different angles, but the authors did a nice job of putting some reviews throughout to remind me of what was going on in the different angles. I have the next one on my list to read.
72 reviews
December 5, 2024
Enjoyable book to read, a bit light on the plot, a bit light on technical content but not difficult to get through in any way. Onto the next in the series Cuban Deep
Profile Image for Brendon O'Shea.
20 reviews2 followers
June 13, 2020
Coming off my enjoyment of final bearing I was almost nervous to read this because I didn’t want to be let down. Thankfully this wasn’t the case. My single gripe is that I am not overly convinced that one particular aspect of this plot was plausible (that being said for all I know none of it is!) but that aside it made for great entertainment. Like final bearing it involved multiple plot points that intertwined to give a thrilling read.
588 reviews2 followers
August 27, 2019
Started out OK, but HORRIBLE + Abbreviated/Shortened Ending

Most of the first 7/8 of this book was OK; there were too many different plot angles being written and jumped into this way and that, but it was mostly a good story line. However, something went very, very wrong at the end — it’s like the story is flowing at a good rate — THEN the authors just severed the book in order to give it a quick ending. What happened? Did they run out of pages? Did the editors just scream at them and demand it be submitted? Many, many things are missing from the tail-end of this book, and the readers deserved more and better.

There’s also some poor writing, for instance — 2 prime characters get into a fight and they each get shot and killed during the struggle — but, HOW? One guy’s head gets blown off, and the other dies from being shot through-and-through ... how could they both kill each other during such a struggle?

Another example is it’s UNBELIEVABLE how poorly one sub crew is portrayed ... totally hard-headed, independent crew members are changed into submissive jerks ... this just doesn’t make sense.

And, it’s the things that happen AFTER this, that are dropped from the story, and glossed over at a high level, in order to just wrap up the book. Boo!
15 reviews
September 12, 2020
Disappointing

The book started with promise then just got more and more stupid. There are so many different plots all somehow coming together. Highly trained SEALs are just ineffective and all that technology useless, well its just not real. It’s supposed to be a book about submarine ops, but you spend more time out of the sub with pirates, terrorists, drug lords, SEALs, drug agents, CIA, etc than in subs. Let’s get real, how plausible is it that a state of the art US nuclear sub would get taken over by a bunch of rag tag pirates to launch a nuclear torpedo? I would trust that it’s virtually impossible. I wondered if the author somehow has a gripe against US Navy and SEALs?
287 reviews3 followers
May 11, 2021
The story line was a little too spread out and convoluted, with too many lead outs. It was easy to follow but some of the plot lines could have been skipped over or just cut out. And I find it very hard to believe that a couple boats full of terrorists could sneak up on a surfaced submarine, especially with radar and watch standers. The ending felt a bit rushed and left a couple story lines fairly open-ended. And not so much for the next novel either. The character story lines move into the next novel easily enough, but not the open-ended plot story lines are not even mentioned in the next novel.
33 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2024
Book was ok. Some of the stuff about the Navy is off. No body calls a Master Chief just Chief. Ever. Chiefs are Chiefs. Senior Chiefs are Senior or Senior Chief. Master Chief is always Master Chief. Also, at the end, silver dolphins? Kid is a Middie. Officers wear gold dolphins. I wasn't a bubblehead but I doubt Middies can earn their dolphins on summer cruise. There is more to it than just shipboard quals. And the idea of an LA class sub on the surface anywhere let alone in pirate infested waters is just crazy. Overall, I enjoted the book but some parts were a let down.
Profile Image for Roger.
5,630 reviews28 followers
May 23, 2024
Dangerous Grounds (The Hunter Killer Series Book 2), my second read from authors George Wallace & Don Keith. Reminiscent of the best works of Tom Clancy and Andrew Watts, an incredibly ,well-developed, well-written book. A captivating, page-turning, well-written read. “I received a Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to reading more from this author. Cuban Deep (The Hunter Killer Series Book 3) is next on my TBR list. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
832 reviews4 followers
March 31, 2019
Good book

Nail biter. Refreshing in that the submarine terms and actions are real. Too many attempt to write or make submarine stories that don't know a submarine from an Orca. I do have one question, when did they stop calling submarines, "Boats?" I predate the commander by many years having been discharged in 69. Much has changed since then. Noticed that
The Goat Locker still exists. Good story in any event.
317 reviews4 followers
April 25, 2019
Dangerous Grounds

This novel was very similar to the last novel in character description in that the main bad guy had unlimited energy and his next in line even though younger had trouble keeping up. Also one of the terrorist was killed by a U.S. Missile form a helicopter and showed up later in the story. At one point when talking about the Father the sons name was used instead of his. Editors missed these points . But I will read the next book hoping for improvements.
16 reviews2 followers
June 21, 2020
Heart-pounding!

The Ward men rise to the fore. Even the captain’s wife. I’m a destroyerman of 20 years service. These two guys write as authentic a Navy tale as any I’ve ever read. So comforting to read their prose that reflect their having been in the crucible. Glad there are several more to enjoy!!
9 reviews
June 26, 2020
The worst book I have read this year by a long shot. Is the author serious in writing some of those bullshit paragraphs? So much factual stuff wrong in this book. The number of typo's is disgusting, there are heaps and heaps of them. Who proof read this crap?
I definitely will not recommend this unrealistic book to you, please look elsewhere for a good read.
1 review
January 15, 2021
Great Action/Thriller!

Best Action/Thriller I’ve read in a long time. Multiple plot threads are well crafted and keeps the reader on the edge. Having three family members involved is perhaps too far fetched but didn’t lesson the enjoyment of the read. I enjoyed the Submarine Tech as well. Highly recommend.
5 reviews
October 4, 2023
Escape the scary real life news

The action in Dangerous Grounds keeps the pages turning. Anyone interested in American warfare technology and practice will find the complexity of submarine operation fascinating. The key elements of the plot meander and stretch credulity a bit more than necessary, but nothing in the events of 9/11 would have seemed believable either before they occurred. I’ll keep authors Wallace and Keith on my hunt list.
Profile Image for Chaplain Stanley Chapin.
1,978 reviews22 followers
July 30, 2019
A stretch of the imagination

The storyline was just slightly above reality. The submarine orders and actions seem th correct, however some of the drug and terrorist activities leave me wondering.
999 reviews23 followers
December 7, 2019
Dangerous grounds

Surprisingly detailed sub book with multiple tales proceeding simultaneously to full blown ending. Possibility of future adventure was left in the ending and would seem worth reading.
Profile Image for John Wood.
585 reviews5 followers
April 24, 2020
Very good story!

High end action well written and just an enjoyable read. Looking forward to reading book 3 in this series. And do they really still have bug juice on Navy Subs and Ships?
3 reviews
May 19, 2020
A great completely plausible plot.

I very much enjoyed this book. The main players are all very visible in international affairs at the moment, North Korea, U.S, drug lords and special forces. Obviously well researched.
Profile Image for William McLoughlin.
376 reviews12 followers
June 26, 2020
4/5. A decent follow-up to the first novel in the series. Not as good as the first book due to a few improbable occurrences and coincidences. The author is an experienced submariner and his intimate familiarity with equipment and tactics enhance his storytelling. On to book #3.
Profile Image for Dennis.
143 reviews
March 20, 2021
An exciting read combining terrorists, US military operations and personal feelings and emotions. As a 76 year old man and an avid reader, I have to admit I had tears in my eyes reading the last 10 pages of the book.
172 reviews3 followers
July 3, 2021
Great Second Book

Scary on many levels. Terrorists with nuclear weapons. A rogue General planning nuclear attacks to cause widespread war. Submarines, SEALS and drug agencies combining forces to stop the threat.
Profile Image for Stanley.
136 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2023
Verbose

Far too often the authors excessive descriptions tend to cause the reader to skip ahead to get back to story progression. Very accurate description of submarine life. Looking forward to the next book.
17 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2024
One of the worst books I’ve read

Poorly written. Ridiculous plot. Every military description inaccurate and absurd. Racist characterizations of many nationalities. Misogynistic description of women. Huge number of misspellings. Bad grammar. A piece of trash.
5 reviews
February 23, 2025
I cannot believe this series!

I seldom read anything other than military science fiction. My tastes for contemporary fiction almost does not exist. However, for some reason, this series has turned into a favorite.
19 reviews
May 8, 2025
Wild ride

Terrific submarine thriller with strong characters, amazing detail, and believable plot. I have read this twice now and will definitely read it again! Highly recommend this Hunter Killer Series.
709 reviews
September 30, 2025
Enjoyable

This series isn’t going to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature, but to me, an ex military guy, the books are a fun read with almost believable plots and likable characters.
12 reviews1 follower
September 5, 2018
Good read


Enjoyed the multi story lines coming together.
Detail was well done. Grateful for those that really live like this so we can enjoy freedom
Profile Image for Greg Oaster.
177 reviews
September 9, 2019
Wow

What an amazing story. Seemed to start out a little slow but I read on, he kept getting better and better. The ending was amazing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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