Sink the Shigure

Jack Tremain Submarine Thriller

By: R. Cameron Cooke

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

October 1943: Lt. Commander Jack Tremain is back on duty with a new sub and a new mission. But when he spots the Shigure - the Japanese destroyer that sank his beloved first command, the Seatrout - he declares his own personal war on the dreaded ship known as the "Submarine Killer".

©2007 R. Cameron Cooke (P)2014 R. Cameron Cooke

Critic Reviews

"Cooke once again puts his extensive naval expertise to fine use providing rich procedural detail and tactical suspense..." ( Publishers Weekly)

Action packed sea adventure

I picked up this bite of fact from this book: Cooke states that the US Navy underwater forces in the Pacific fought the only successful submarine campaign in either 20th century world conflicts.

The Shigure was a Japanese destroyer equipped with the latest anti-submarine weapons. It sunk the USS Seatrout. Jack Tremaine was newly assigned to command the USS Whitefin. The Seatrout was his first command so he was seeking vengeance on the Shigure.

The book is well written but I do not think it is as well written as Cooke’s prior book “Pride Runs Deep”. The second half of the book is nonstop action under the sea and on land. Cooke does a good job with battle scenes. Overall it makes a good action packed get- away- from- it- all book.

The book is about 14 hours long. Tim Campbell does a good job narrating the book.

Lazy Writer

The writer couldn't be bothered to keep the small details true to the times. He calls the Chief of the Boat (COB) a Master Chief, the rate of Master Chief was not established until 1958. The author refers to the UCMJ several times, the UCMJ was not enacted until 1951. Before that U.S Navy used what was known as Rocks and Shoals. In addition 600Psi air is used to blow main ballast tanks ,not 3000psi as he often states. These and other small details that are wrong or did not exist at that time frame make this book unlistenable for me.

A good read

It would be best if the readers knowledge of WW 2 fleet boats was limited so the Whitefins actions would be more believable. Other than military nomenclature being misused and liberty being taken with the boats operating practices this is a very good historical fiction book.

Great book

This book was a page-turner for me. Very good adventure story. I'll be looking to read more books like this from this author.

Fantastic

Fantastic book very well written and very riveting !! The book flows very well and keeps you excited. Knowledge of us Navy and U.S. Navy submarine action . Highly recommend !!!

A very interesting and fascinating naval WW 2

story with twists and turns that held my interest for two days of listening !!

Not as Good as "Pride Runs Deep"

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The constant portrayal of twin dolphin navy personnel being money grubbing scum and criminals ruined this complicated story. I've read too many first hand accounts to accept many of the characters in this book.

Would you ever listen to anything by R. Cameron Cooke again?

He's 1-1 with me so far. Not as likely after this book.

What about Tim Campbell’s performance did you like?

The voice characterizations are good. The narrator was fine.

Could you see Sink the Shigure being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Starring Donald Trump as Shelby, yes.

Any additional comments?

It's just fiction. No one got hurt. None of the characters really exists.

"Thunder Below" "The Bravest Man" and many other nonfiction books about the US submarines are so much better.

excellence

Excellent follow up to pride runs deep, sure we could see a third. Enjoy the read

Loved this book from the moment the story began

Great story, great characters, wonderful narration. What courage the submariners had. Brings their story to life.

Poor attempt to turn fact into fiction

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

People who have no knowledge of naval history or have never seen even a couple of b/w submarine movies and are stranded on an island with only this book, might enjoy it.

What could R. Cameron Cooke have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Eliminate almost all of the second half of the book. Apparently he got paid by the word. He could also learn to write dialogue and make an attempt at character development.

What about Tim Campbell’s performance did you like?

It was adequate, but could have had more variation in pace and drama depending upon the moment in this strange book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment in money and time wasted. His first book was average, which lured me into this way too long and disjointed dog.

Any additional comments?

The book is a bad compilation of some actual events from WWII subs, primarily from Wahoo, Tang, Barb and a few others, BUT the characters are comic book at best, and then there is this whole second half of the book which seems to have been written by a committee. The author actually does bring in some interesting factual bits now and then, but more to show he knows them or as road signs flashing by. For a much more exciting and actually true story I strongly suggest: "The Bravest Man" by William Tuohy. This is about Richard O'Kane (USS Wahoo, USS Tang) and is both dramatic, and realistic, since it is true. Another great WWII sub story, also true is: "Thunder Below" by Eugene Fluckey, who was also a very successful sub commander (USS Barb). If you have already read either or both of these, then Cooke's attempt will really grate on you.

An enjoyable listen and the captain finally got his ship.

A good book and really enjoyed the suspense. A little slow in some parts but overall good