First published 1988
Captain Arthur McKay assumes command of the USS Jefferson City following its retreat from the Battle of Savo Island, the United States Navy's most devastating defeat. McKay faces an agonizing choice between defending his closest friend, the dishonored Captain Winfield Kemble, and fulfilling his obligations as a naval officer. His personal torment deepens through the conflicting loyalties of two women. His wife Rita once loved Kemble and now seeks his ruin. Lucy Kemble, Rita's sister and Kemble's wife, holds power over McKay's troubled heart. The Jefferson City sails from the Solomon Islands to the Aleutians, making port calls in Australia before facing combat in the skies above Okinawa. McKay must navigate not only the Pacific theater's treacherous waters but also the competing demands of friendship, duty, and forbidden love during the war's most brutal campaigns.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: conflicting-loyalties, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Solomon Islands, Aleutians, Australia, Okinawa
Period: World War II
626 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Bantam
Content warnings: war