The book tracks the experiences of a young U.S. Navy commander caught in the cauldron of deadly naval battles off Guadalcanal in 1942. When the book opens, he is a gunnery officer on a heavy cruiser protecting the Marine Corps landings on Guadalcanal, then locked in a vicious night battle against a surprise cruiser attack. He later takes command of a new destroyer, training its crew to a high pitch to ready them against the long odds they face. The ship returns to operations off Guadalcanal and is engaged in another desperate night battle against two massive battleships.
This battle marks a turning point for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific war. The novel weaves these action stories between both American and Japanese sides, painting vivid portraits of admirals King, Halsey, Yamamoto and others, who become characters in the story. It provides a dramatic picture of the evolving naval tactics, strategies and technologies the characters must operate within. Drawing from first-hand chronicles of these battles, the book’s historical accuracy is exacting. The book will transport the reader to new depths of understanding and to first-hand experience of the Pacific war. It brings it alive.