MWSA Book Review
Authors: John R. Hindinger
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA
Best New Submarine Book Since “Torpedo”!
Perish the thought that someone could actually steal a nuclear powered submarine; and one that was loaded with Trident II D5 MK-5 missiles. After checking out the website and resources listed by the author inside his book jacket about how deadly these subs are, I read his book hoping it was really a remote and almost hugely impossible task. I came away thinking that maybe this was not so unthinkable. The author John Hindinger, a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a former naval officer on the USS Kentucky, a Trident Missile submarine, makes a plausible story seem frightening too real.
“Rogue Trident” is in that same genre of great submarine thrillers as Jeff Edwards' 2005 award winning submarine book “Torpedo.” It has that same kind of hard realism mixed with great writing skills. The characterizations and dialog are done with gifted skill. The details about the workings going on inside a submarine of this type seems uncannily accurate and that makes the plot seems even more real. This is an outstanding effort for a first novel. One can only wonder what his sequel will be like.
The story of good guys, bad guys, heroes, evil people, suspense, betrayals, the twists, and what seems like realism, all mix together in a literary recipe for an adrenaline enriched, edge-of-your-seat, thrill ride! Great reading! Good entertainment! Highly recommended for all thriller-suspense-mystery-war-action junkies! Buy it, you will enjoy every minute of it!
This book gets the MWSA's - TOP BOOK RATING – FIVE STARS!
Visit the author's website: www.RogueTrident.com
MWSA's 2006 Distinguished Medal Award
Reviewer: Rob Ballister – MWSA Review Board
Picture a warship able to deliver several hundred times the blast that rocked Hiroshima. Imagine that warship invisible to even the latest technology. Now picture that warship in the hands of a dying man driven to vengeance. THAT's the thrilling story that John Hindinger paints in his first novel, and he paints it very well.
Hindinger puts his years of experience as a US submarine officer to good use, crafting a thrilling tale about a submarine officer who seeks revenge on his former commanding officer by stealing a US missile submarine. With the help of a man he isn't sure he can trust, the renegade officer outsmarts two navies and the US government as he tries to escape.
My favorite thing about this book is that just when you think you know everything, Hindinger springs something on you that you didn't see coming. The effect is that you really have no idea how things are going to turn out until the last pages of the book, and you are on your literary toes the entire time. The other thing that struck me is how the author did such a great job of making the theft of a US missile submarine seem entirely plausible. Finally, his technical descriptions are top notch. There is no doubt that the author knows missile submarines inside and out.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with plenty of solid action and unexpected surprises to keep readers entranced until the very end. Those who enjoy Clancy, Dale Brown, or Jeff Edwards are sure to ensure this book. Likewise, submariners past and present will find it enthralling. Highly recommended for thriller and naval buffs alike.