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Published by Pineapple Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
January 1889. German and American naval forces are engaged in an escalating confrontation in Samoa in the South Pacific. Warships are at battle stations. Naval reinforcements from both nations are on the way. The press in Berlin, Hamburg, Washington, and San Francisco is calling for national honor to be defended. At any minute, open warfare may erupt. All it will take is one spark.
President Grover Cleveland orders Commander Peter Wake, Office of Naval Intelligence, to clandestinely accomplish one of two things: either somehow prevent all-out war between Germany and America, or win it decisively at the outset to prevent combat from spreading worldwide. Coming up with an admittedly makeshift plan along the way, Wake enlists the help of an unlikely trio he encounters in the Pacific: a Hawaiian artillery officer, a renegade Methodist minister, and a beautiful widow. Unfortunately for Wake—and unbeknownst to him—each of them has his or her own motives for heading to Samoa. If he fails, thousands across the world will die. It is a dilemma right out of today's headlines: When do you cross the line of civilized behavior to potentially save lives? How do you live with the consequences? Amidst this dilemma, Wake decides to employ a repulsive tactic that results in horror for a member of his team, something he will regret for the rest of his life. The intrigue is as deadly as the action in this novel, which culminates in one of the most significant events in Pacific—and American—naval history.
President Grover Cleveland orders Commander Peter Wake, Office of Naval Intelligence, to clandestinely accomplish one of two things: either somehow prevent all-out war between Germany and America, or win it decisively at the outset to prevent combat from spreading worldwide. Coming up with an admittedly makeshift plan along the way, Wake enlists the help of an unlikely trio he encounters in the Pacific: a Hawaiian artillery officer, a renegade Methodist minister, and a beautiful widow. Unfortunately for Wake—and unbeknownst to him—each of them has his or her own motives for heading to Samoa. If he fails, thousands across the world will die. It is a dilemma right out of today's headlines: When do you cross the line of civilized behavior to potentially save lives? How do you live with the consequences? Amidst this dilemma, Wake decides to employ a repulsive tactic that results in horror for a member of his team, something he will regret for the rest of his life. The intrigue is as deadly as the action in this novel, which culminates in one of the most significant events in Pacific—and American—naval history.
Product Details
- Publisher: Pineapple Press (June 24, 2015)
- Length: 366 pages
- ISBN13: 9781561648030
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Raves and Reviews
The characters are well drawn out, the plots are exciting and the story is a page-turner. Highly recommended.
– Historical Novels Review Online
My advice is to sign on early and set sail with Peter Wake for both solid historical context and exciting sea stories!
– Admiral James Stavridis, Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander (2009–2013) and dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (2013–2018)
At last we have an American character the equivalent of Hornblower or Aubrey.
– John Prados, author of Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA
Macomber is the O'Brian of the Caribbean.
– Randy Wayne White, author of the bestselling Doc Ford series
The Peter Wake novels are more than just gripping stories about life at sea—they offer a carefully rendered, historically accurate imagining of America's naval history in the second half of the 19th century.
– Clay Risen, author of The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders and the Dawn of the American Century
Macomber is today's foremost practitioner of a fascinating subgenre—historical fiction of the nautical variety. Building his series on the imagined autobiography of Peter Wake, he's given readers a vivid, multi-dimensional hero. Macomber makes the remarkable times he portrays glow. . . . History comes alive.
– Philip K. Jason, Professor Emeritus, United States Naval Academy, and author of Acts and Shadows: The Vietnam War in American Literary Culture
Robert Macomber writes well and inspiringly so—giving voice to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and its officers and enlisted men (ratings) now lost to memory. . . . Does Wake work? Yes, in many ways he captures the essential—which is, no doubt, why he has so many followers on both sides of the Pacific and Atlantic.
– The NAVY
Peter Wake continues to emerge as an American hero worthy of his counterparts in naval fiction.
– George Jepson, Tall Ships Books
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Honors Rendered
Trade Paperback 9781561648030
Published by Pineapple Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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