Deadly Straits

By: R. E. McDermott

Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

In the tradition of Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and W.E.B. Griffin, R. E. McDermott delivers a thriller to rival the masters.

When marine engineer and very part-time spook Tom Dugan becomes collateral damage in the War on Terror, he's not about to take it lying down.

Falsely implicated in a hijacking, he's offered a chance to clear himself by helping the CIA snare their real prey, Dugan's best friend, London ship owner Alex Kairouz. Reluctantly, Dugan agrees to go undercover in Alex's company, despite doubts about his friend's guilt. Once undercover, Dugan's steadfast refusal to accept Alex's guilt puts him at odds not only with his CIA superiors, but also with a beautiful British agent with whom he's romantically involved.

When a tanker is found adrift near Singapore with a dead crew, and another explodes in Panama as Alex lies near death after a suspicious suicide attempt, Dugan is framed for the attacks. Out of options, and convinced the attacks are prelude to an even more devastating assault, Dugan eludes capture to follow his last lead to Russia, only to be shanghaied as an "advisor" to a Russian Spetsnaz unit on a suicide mission.

Deadly Straits is a nonstop thrill ride, from London streets, to the dry docks of Singapore, to the decks of the tankers that feed the world's thirst for oil, with stops along the way in Panama, Langley, Virginia, and Teheran. Richly spiced with detail from the author's 30 years sailing, building, and repairing ships worldwide, it is, in the words of one reviewer, "fast-paced, multilayered, and gripping."

©2011 R. E. McDermott (P)2012 R. E. McDermott

Terrific action, despicable bad guys.

Tom Dugan, the main character, is an expert on marine shipping and nautical matters in general. He takes a job with his friend Alex, a shipping magnate. Soon we learn that Alex is being extorted by a cabal of evildoers including Iranians, Chechens, and most formidably, a despicable German named Braun who has wormed his way into the company and has a violent thug ready to do imminent harm to Alex's daughter. The rest of the plot is too complex to explain and I don't want to provide any spoilers, but it involves a worldwide conspiracy that would affect global commerce disastrously.

Some aspects are terrific. The action scenes, and there are many, are pulse-pounding thrill rides and imaginative scenarios that could only come from an author who knows maritime matters inside and out. In this one sense the author lays legitimate claim to the title of successor to Tom Clancy. The book can also give the reader an education on geography and the importance to us all of the flow of oil and other goods through a few very critical straits. I listened to the Audible edition. The reader was outstanding, mastering perhaps a half dozen accents and doing a fine job of acting as well.

There were a few drawbacks, too, that one should be aware of. The number of characters and locales is huge and it is easy to lose track of who's who. I wish I had started a spreadsheet at the beginning, but I was too lazy to start over and start writing it all down. I had trouble following the plot and remembering who was a good guy and who was a bad guy, especially since one of the CIA guys acts like a bad guy. Most disturbing to me, at least at first, was the amateurishly demonic way the bad guys were characterized. Every single one was a pederast lusting after underage blond virgins, and of course several characters conveniently had underage daughters to serve as threat targets. All the bad guys kept shooting their own men in the head, too, once their usefulness was over. It must be hard to keep the cabal together with that kind of career advancement plan. It got to be so ludicrous that I literally began trying to predict when the next bad guy was going to get it in the head by his superior or fellow co-conspirator. The constant references to unspeakable acts on the young girls got to be a bit much, too, so if sadistic perversion upsets you, you may want to read actual Tom Clancy instead.

So for the real action fan, this book can be a great read. Don't worry about the plot so much. Just enjoy the thrill ride in those scenes. For those seeking plausible characters and plot, there are better choices out there.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

Very good

Any additional comments?

Typically, these types of books are hit or miss with me. This one is definitely a hit. It held my attention and had be rooting for Tom and Alex. The narrator did a good job with all of the characters he had to portray. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

Wow ! Another Great Listen !

Loved it From begining to end ! I can't wait for the next one. Dugan Rocks.

A Good Listen

Great reading of a really good story. Story has a good pace with lots of action and twists.

Deadly Straits BY RE McDermott

Very interesting,keeps you on edge with all characters involved looking to hear next book in series. Thank you Bob.

Outstanding!

This is how stories are supposed to be written. Just awesome and goes into the stack of books that I will listen to again and again.


This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

Loved this Book

What did you love best about Deadly Straits?

The blend of characters, action, and pace of the story were excellent

What did you like best about this story?

Reminded me of Vince Flynn's books where I did not want to stop listening.

Which character – as performed by Todd Haberkorn – was your favorite?

I enjoyed all the characters but the Nanny was actually my favorite character. She was the protector and had a strong personality that made for some comic relief.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

If you liked Vince Flynn, then I think you will like this author. The reader was also excellent and performed the different voices very well.

Good Writer - Needs Editor

This is a wonderful story that really needs an editor. I read and listen to dozens of books a year and I had a hard time keeping track of the veritable army of characters performing in myriad scenarios. This work demonstrates, as nothing else I've read does, the job of the literary editor. With an editor and another couple of rewrites this could be a great book.

Exciting an well written

Amazing performance and storyline, I highly recommend this audible to anyone who enjoys adventure and marbles at a reader's ability to portray so many different

This book had a little bit of everything

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a little bit of everything: espionage, intrigue, comedy, , likable characters, insane freaking terrorists and best of all, heart pounding action. Can audio books be described as page turners?

I loved the narration too. I listen to A LOT of audio books and the narration can break a book. Todd did a fantastic job with all the dialogue and all the accents he had to do.

This is my first review on Audible even though I've been a member for well over a year. McDermott is self published so I wanted to be sure and give my support. I can't wait to start "Deadly Coast" today!

I haven't listened to too many books in this genre, the only other one I can think of being "The Hunt for Red October" and I enjoyed "Deadly Straits" much much more. The narration especially was a thousand times better.

The volume fluctuated quite a bit at times I noticed in the production of this audio book so if you're using headphones, just be careful. Aside from that, this book is well worth the credit! Go get it! Oh and stay tuned after the book is over for a special treat.