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Proximity: A Novel of the Navy's Elite Bomb Squad
EOD -"It's a lot like brain surgery, except if we screw up the patient detonates....Oh yeah, and we do it underwater."
- A Navy EOD Technician The Sailors of the United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community "perform under pressure" in the hazardous job of bomb disposal, often deep beneath the sea...alone. An EOD Technician must have the brains of an engineer, the hands of a surgeon, and the courage of a martyr. In the U.S. Navy, carrier flight operations only occur under the watchful eye of EOD Techs ready to respond to ordnance accidents. U.S. Marines assault enemy beachheads only after EOD Techs clear the littoral seas and landing zones of mines. The U.S. Secret Service even relies on military bomb squads to protect the President and visiting foreign dignitaries. Perhaps the best testimony of their value is that when the Navy needs to place a limpet mine under an enemy ship it tasks the Navy SEALs, but to respond to such an attack - the Navy summons EOD. Proximity highlights the exciting work of one EOD detachment as they become enmeshed in the efforts of a terrorist coalition operating both in Europe and the United States. Lieutenant "Jazz" Jascinski and the men of Detachment Four become the key to helping the FBI apprehend these terrorists - until their unique skills place them under suspicion. To protect themselves, the Techs must race to find the culprits before they become the next victims...
- A Navy EOD Technician The Sailors of the United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community "perform under pressure" in the hazardous job of bomb disposal, often deep beneath the sea...alone. An EOD Technician must have the brains of an engineer, the hands of a surgeon, and the courage of a martyr. In the U.S. Navy, carrier flight operations only occur under the watchful eye of EOD Techs ready to respond to ordnance accidents. U.S. Marines assault enemy beachheads only after EOD Techs clear the littoral seas and landing zones of mines. The U.S. Secret Service even relies on military bomb squads to protect the President and visiting foreign dignitaries. Perhaps the best testimony of their value is that when the Navy needs to place a limpet mine under an enemy ship it tasks the Navy SEALs, but to respond to such an attack - the Navy summons EOD. Proximity highlights the exciting work of one EOD detachment as they become enmeshed in the efforts of a terrorist coalition operating both in Europe and the United States. Lieutenant "Jazz" Jascinski and the men of Detachment Four become the key to helping the FBI apprehend these terrorists - until their unique skills place them under suspicion. To protect themselves, the Techs must race to find the culprits before they become the next victims...
271 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
72 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Phillips
3 books26 followersDr. Stephen Phillips is a 1992 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Special Operations Officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician at EOD Mobile Units Six, Eight, and Ten. Steve is the author of "Proximity: A Novel of the Navy's Elite Bomb Squad," "The Recipient's Son," a coming-of-age story set at the U.S. Naval Academy and the forthcoming "A Poisoned Chalice: The U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988.
Steve is a lifetime member of Navy and Marine Corps EOD Association (N&MCEODA) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Follow Steve on Twitter @eodauthor or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStephe...
Steve is a lifetime member of Navy and Marine Corps EOD Association (N&MCEODA) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Follow Steve on Twitter @eodauthor or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStephe...
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 13, 2012
Good book. Written well enough that a non EOD person could follow the story. The substory of family life for military personnel, especially those in high stress MOS areas, was real and just as subtle as the subtext is in life. Well written and I would recommend to any person that is interested in mystery or military stories.
January 13, 2010
A novel of the navy's bomb disposal squad. Probably liked it because I can identify with the characters. Very real emotions.
March 18, 2012
Good book. Interesting twists. Quite fun overall.
March 28, 2018
Excellent
Kept me tied to my kindle. Good action. Got a little upset toward end, thought blame would be placed on a good person. Don't want to spoil anything. BIG Suggestion put acronym and definition at beginning of book so those of us who are not Navy and explosive experts can figure it out.
Kept me tied to my kindle. Good action. Got a little upset toward end, thought blame would be placed on a good person. Don't want to spoil anything. BIG Suggestion put acronym and definition at beginning of book so those of us who are not Navy and explosive experts can figure it out.
June 13, 2021
The technical elements were interesting, and the toll of military service on families was well depicted, but the plot itself was quite subpar, and there were many loose ends that weren't tied up properly. Certain characters also didn't feel well as well utilised as they could have been, like Agent Cruz or Chief Denke
December 9, 2023
Highly recommended
Exceedingly well written and captivating. The author has a lot to answer for in terms of sleep deprivation and scarlet eyeballs!
As an ex-amateur diver the subject matter and content was very informative, and provided a good insight into this branch of the armed services.
Highly recommended
Exceedingly well written and captivating. The author has a lot to answer for in terms of sleep deprivation and scarlet eyeballs!
As an ex-amateur diver the subject matter and content was very informative, and provided a good insight into this branch of the armed services.
Highly recommended
October 24, 2017
Pretty good overall storyline and I loved all the technical EOD details. Wish the author would write more stories like this.
January 21, 2019
3.5 stars. Decent read for the EOD elements (if that interests you), but overall storyline was a little cheesy and at times lacked good transitions.
July 21, 2019
Excellent book. Tells about the Explosive Ordinance Division of Navy SEALs. not all SEALs do underwater demolition. This is highly specialized over and above the extraordinary SEAL training
August 1, 2012
Proximity...Being close to something...In the vicinity at least. Okay, I had to get that straight in my head before I began to summarize this book. Why? Because the big reveal at the end of the book plays on that word a lot.
Okay, when I initially picked this book up, I was in need of a letter/number fix of the military type. You know, the AK-47/ B-52/ EOD/ M-16/ SH-60B Seahawk type of balls to the wall, procedure and pomp kind of tale. I expected nail-biting relations of bombs diffused, nerves frayed and broken, shop talk, maybe a mini tutorial on currents with a side of drama thrown in. I was not expecting a thriller. Do not be fooled, Jazz Jascinksi, the main character is heroic, not too complex but certainly a good beacon to guide the reader through the rigors and procedure of being an EOD Bomb Tech.
While the author flirts with the main character suffering from the stress of maintaining a marriage, a relationship with his parents and his children, expectations...the pace of the thriller aspect rarely allows the Jazz to wallow in any emotional slump for too long, so yes, he seems like superman at times. Ahh, the thriller aspect though: Terrorists are a foot and this may or may not involve our hero, Jazz. I have to be honest, when the author started toying with the idea of Jazz as a suspect, I bristled against that hard.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book although, I thought that the ending was slightly rushed and the reveal of the villain somewhat bittersweet. I got this novel on my kindle as a free read, and while there are a few typos, I thought the story was reaaally damn good. It could be phenomenal with a little more polishing, but even as it is, it would make a really good movie. Think 'The Guardian,' 'Navy Seals' and 'SWAT.' However, this book is not the 'Hurt Locker,' so if your looking for grit, riveting drama, possible PTSD, this book isn't exactly what you want.
Okay, when I initially picked this book up, I was in need of a letter/number fix of the military type. You know, the AK-47/ B-52/ EOD/ M-16/ SH-60B Seahawk type of balls to the wall, procedure and pomp kind of tale. I expected nail-biting relations of bombs diffused, nerves frayed and broken, shop talk, maybe a mini tutorial on currents with a side of drama thrown in. I was not expecting a thriller. Do not be fooled, Jazz Jascinksi, the main character is heroic, not too complex but certainly a good beacon to guide the reader through the rigors and procedure of being an EOD Bomb Tech.
While the author flirts with the main character suffering from the stress of maintaining a marriage, a relationship with his parents and his children, expectations...the pace of the thriller aspect rarely allows the Jazz to wallow in any emotional slump for too long, so yes, he seems like superman at times. Ahh, the thriller aspect though: Terrorists are a foot and this may or may not involve our hero, Jazz. I have to be honest, when the author started toying with the idea of Jazz as a suspect, I bristled against that hard.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this book although, I thought that the ending was slightly rushed and the reveal of the villain somewhat bittersweet. I got this novel on my kindle as a free read, and while there are a few typos, I thought the story was reaaally damn good. It could be phenomenal with a little more polishing, but even as it is, it would make a really good movie. Think 'The Guardian,' 'Navy Seals' and 'SWAT.' However, this book is not the 'Hurt Locker,' so if your looking for grit, riveting drama, possible PTSD, this book isn't exactly what you want.
November 10, 2020
This Novel should be a Movie, Hollywood doesn't know what it's missing!
As someone who has a lot of respect for those who defuse danger and save lives, this riveting and fast-paced 2007 action/thriller by Stephen Phillips certainly blew me away! While most novelists tend to focus on the more glamorous side of the United States Military and Intelligence community, such as the Marines, Army and the CIA, very few have given much thought to writing about the unsung heroes of the EOD community. In his first novel, former Navy EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) technician Stephen Phillips accomplishes just that, in an edge-of-your seat adventure that will leave you wanting more thrills with every turn of the page.
“Proximity” takes the real life experiences of Mr. Phillips and combines them into a fictional drama that focuses on the life of Navy EOD tech Lieutenant, “Jazz” Jascinski and his valiant team of bomb disposal operators assigned to “Detachment Four” of the Navy’s elite bomb squad. The men of Jazz’s unit are the cream of the crop when it comes to defusing explosive and deadly situations; whether at sea on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in the jungles of Africa or domestically on the home front, protecting the President of the United States, this crack team of heroes sees action everywhere. Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems, when a cunning and sinister terrorist group plots death and destruction abroad and at home, the mission at hand for “Jazz” and his squad, suddenly gets personal; they become players in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where the key to victory is “Initial Success or Total Failure”.
As someone who has a lot of respect for those who defuse danger and save lives, this riveting and fast-paced 2007 action/thriller by Stephen Phillips certainly blew me away! While most novelists tend to focus on the more glamorous side of the United States Military and Intelligence community, such as the Marines, Army and the CIA, very few have given much thought to writing about the unsung heroes of the EOD community. In his first novel, former Navy EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) technician Stephen Phillips accomplishes just that, in an edge-of-your seat adventure that will leave you wanting more thrills with every turn of the page.
“Proximity” takes the real life experiences of Mr. Phillips and combines them into a fictional drama that focuses on the life of Navy EOD tech Lieutenant, “Jazz” Jascinski and his valiant team of bomb disposal operators assigned to “Detachment Four” of the Navy’s elite bomb squad. The men of Jazz’s unit are the cream of the crop when it comes to defusing explosive and deadly situations; whether at sea on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in the jungles of Africa or domestically on the home front, protecting the President of the United States, this crack team of heroes sees action everywhere. Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems, when a cunning and sinister terrorist group plots death and destruction abroad and at home, the mission at hand for “Jazz” and his squad, suddenly gets personal; they become players in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where the key to victory is “Initial Success or Total Failure”.
February 25, 2013
I really enjoyed Proximity: A Novel of the Navy's Elite Bomb Squad. Since Proximity is written by a former Special Operations Officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, I figured it would have a decent plot with overly analytical details of EOD operations. I couldn't have been more wrong.
What I found was a very engaging and sympathetic main character, trying to balance the danger of his job with the security of his family. The story is very character driven, which was a pleasant surprise. Above all, it's just plain good writing.
Granted, I needed the glossary of acronyms and abbreviations located at the end of the book. But one of the things I really appreciate about Stephen Phillips is that he assumes his readers are intelligent and can keep up. Once something has been introduced and explained, he doesn't intrude on the reading experience with awkward recaps of the same information. It keeps the flow of the story and dialogue between characters authentic.
If the topic of this novel interests you even a little, I believe you'll enjoy reading it a lot.
What I found was a very engaging and sympathetic main character, trying to balance the danger of his job with the security of his family. The story is very character driven, which was a pleasant surprise. Above all, it's just plain good writing.
Granted, I needed the glossary of acronyms and abbreviations located at the end of the book. But one of the things I really appreciate about Stephen Phillips is that he assumes his readers are intelligent and can keep up. Once something has been introduced and explained, he doesn't intrude on the reading experience with awkward recaps of the same information. It keeps the flow of the story and dialogue between characters authentic.
If the topic of this novel interests you even a little, I believe you'll enjoy reading it a lot.
September 13, 2017
Proximity is about The Sailors of the United States Navy EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) branch these men must have the brains of an engineer, the hands of a surgeon, and the courage of a martyr.the book is kinda hard to keep up with you are introduced to a lot of people. One of the guys you are introduce to is lt. James j. Jasinski jr. or Jazz and his family he dad was a sailor goes by the name the amril but jazz has two boys and another child on the way with his wife. You start to get to know these guys and start to feel for them and you start to get scared when they start doing there job you don't want any of them to die. I enjoy this book it just kinda hard to follow. If you like war stuff i would definitely read this book. This book you can find it anywhere and it about $10.
August 8, 2012
This book was good. Not great. The Navy references were good. Cannot claim that any of the scenearios were unrealistic though. My experience with EOD was brief.... and the fact that one of their Det's was across the street from my office.
Sometimes the story transitioned with seeming big gaps that could have been filled in a little bit better.
Worth the read, just won't win any prizes.
Sometimes the story transitioned with seeming big gaps that could have been filled in a little bit better.
Worth the read, just won't win any prizes.
January 20, 2015
Good story needs some editing
The story was well told and kept my interest the whole time. The only down side with the kindle edition was that it needed better formatting. When scenes changed there was no spacing in the book so it took a sentence or two till you realized the book was now at a different location.
The story was well told and kept my interest the whole time. The only down side with the kindle edition was that it needed better formatting. When scenes changed there was no spacing in the book so it took a sentence or two till you realized the book was now at a different location.
June 15, 2016
In the interest of full disclosure, I only read the first quarter of this book and am unlikely to progress further. But for the purpose I was seeking --- finding out solid, firsthand information about what life would be like in the Navy's EOD squad --- the book was perfect. If you're a fan of thrillers, you'll likely enjoy the book for other reasons entirely.
August 4, 2012
I made it to chapter nine before I couldn't take any more of the slow pace. The minute details of diffusing a bomb just don't interest me to any extent. Maybe the story gets better later on, but if the beginning is any indication of the overall work then I don't think I'm missing too much.
December 28, 2013
Couldn't get past the opening. Lots of telling and explanation, and while a meaty story can support that, it works so much better when it's worked into the story rather than being tacked on top. Gave up at about 15%.
April 29, 2012
Flimsy plot, mediocre characterization. Good, I guess, if you're more interested than I am about the details of bomb demolition.
July 20, 2012
Good book. It was not at all what I expected it to be, but I enjoyed it just the same.
April 9, 2019
Interesting story of brave men in a dangerous job, good character development, author stated "based on fact."
December 8, 2013
I enjoyed this book. There were many twists and turns and the author held my interest.
The climax though was a little anticlimactic
IMHO not enough was made of it
The climax though was a little anticlimactic
IMHO not enough was made of it
April 15, 2014
How life evolves from the career one chooses. e-book. read 2014. See Amazon review.
February 16, 2015
I enjoyed the insight into the Navy's EOD community and the detailed characters but it ended with me wishing for a bit more resolution to all the plot loose ends.
April 10, 2016
EOD
This is a story about ROD. It was not what I was expecting. My mind set was I was going to read about specific missions. Overall, I enjoyed it.
This is a story about ROD. It was not what I was expecting. My mind set was I was going to read about specific missions. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews