EDGE OF VALOR

Gobbell’s exciting fifth Todd Ingram novel (after 2004’s The Neptune Strategy) finds Ingram commanding the destroyer USS Maxwell, which comes under Kamikaze attack off the coast of Japan shortly after the second atomic bomb falls on Nagasaki. Following the Japanese surrender, Ingram thinks the end of the war in the Pacific means an imminent return to his wife and son stateside after years of combat, yet he quickly discovers otherwise. While Ingram’s next assignment is to escort top Japanese military officials and diplomats on a flight to the Philippines to negotiate peace with Gen. Douglas MacArthur, his old comrade from Corregidor days, Brig. Gen. Otis DeWitt, has bigger plans for the war-weary commander. DeWitt dispatches him to Sakhalin Island, where the Soviets are preparing to launch an attack on Hokkaido. The heroic Ingram gets involved in plenty of intrigue as he seeks to thwart the Soviet threat. History and military buffs will be well rewarded.

This book is the fifth in the Todd Ingram series though it is not necessary to read them in order. In it as the war with Japan is ending, another foe is apparent as the Cold War begins. Todd Ingram’s background makes him the most likely candidate for a difficult and as it turns out, dangerous assignment so instead of heading for home and family at the end of the war; he finds himself the focus of intrigue, espionage and combat in a frozen place being disputed by a reeling Japan and the Soviet Union. John Gobbell paints a rich picture of U.S. Navy life from an officer's perspective, reflecting his own navy service. He draws on that knowledge and has researched the time period to produce another enjoyable tale for his many fans. Edge of Valor, like the other books in the Todd Ingram series, puts the reader in the action with vivid descriptions and lifelike dialog. Gobbell provides an undercurrent of the issues of the painful separation from family so familiar to military personnel and especially those who serve at sea. Old issues haunt some of the characters and affect their behavior in ways all too familiar to most veterans and Ingram and his family are not immune to them. Characters familiar to readers of Gobbell's previous works appear in sometimes new and tangled roles, resulting in unexpected twists as Ingram becomes aware that this post-war situation has become personal—someone is trying to kill him. Any U.S. Navy veteran should appreciate this book but especially the destroyer sailors and I recommend it very favorably.

Edge of Valor is John Gobbell at his finest, with a rapidly-paced historical thriller that will have readers turning pages at a furious rate. His portrayal of the war years in the Pacific and on the home front is brilliant and authentic down to the last detail.

August, 1945. The surrender of Japan should have brought a close to the war, and to the need of Commander Todd Ingram’s presence in the Pacific. But when he is called away from his duties aboard the USS Maxwell to go on a top secret mission, he is troubled. He wants nothing more than to go home to his wife in California.

Of what use would the commanding officer of an American destroyer be among a crew of pilots, Marines, and representatives of the state department escorting Japanese dignitaries? What role could he play in dissuading Soviet intentions to occupy not only territory on the mainland, but also the island of Hokkaido? When he sees his Russian contact, all is made clear. This is the very man he had come to call friend years ago in San Francisco. It’s also the very man who tried to have Ingram’s wife killed. With NKVD threats against his life, the prospect of WWIII, and the onset of the Cold War, the world itself seems at stake. And Ingram finds himself in the middle of it.

This is the fifth installment of the Ingram series. I haven’t read the others, but Gobbell does a good job of getting the reader up to speed. As a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, he is able to bring tremendous insight, information, and authenticity to play in his writing. He obviously loves military life. The novel is full of banter among the ranks, banter between the ranks, and banter between the military branches. His enthusiasm for his characters perhaps shows through too much, and the pacing is a bit off. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable read, and it was good to meet the likes of MacArthur and be there for the official surrender ceremony.