Rating: 
Summary: I'm sick of all the complaining!
Review: This is a marvelous book loaded with exactly the kinds of things some of these whiners are saying is absent from BMB. There is plenty of espionage, plenty of mission detail, and the authors devote ample space to discussing the dicey missions of trailing Soviet subs and tapping communication cables. It would be nice if some of the critics here realized how difficult it is to assemble information when the material is classified and the subjects hesitant to talk. Hats off to these talented writers and to all of the non-Naval gazing readers who enjoy the stunning overall portrait BMB presents.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Story...
Review: Excellent story ...I was very surprised at the info that was in this book since I was one of the designers of the U.S.S. Parche systems that went into the Ocean Engineering areas of the boat. It caught me totally by surprise that this info that We in the engineering dept was sworn never to reveal was available....But tapping wasn't the only mission of the ocean engineering boats...they did a lot more...excellent reading..it kept me on the edge since I knew most of the systems onboard the parche, seawolf and R.B.Russell..
Rating:
Summary: Well researched
Review: There were times I didn't know what to make of this book, some parts were gripping, suspenseful and fast moving, and others were like "plowing" through something written by Solzhenitsyn. None-the-less it's an enjoyable read, even if the information contained in it is not officially verifiable. It's obvious Sontag did a lot of research, talked to the right people, asked the correct questions and over all produced a work that's worth a look and is deserving of four stars.
Rating:
Summary: a five-star read until the end, great tale badly ended
Review: great read. worth the money. unfortunately, the writers chose at the end to break with the narrative manner that served them so well for 4/5ths of the work, and bring what had been background (the politics behind the sea stories) to the foreground. they took us off the subs, forgetting (perhaps) that reading is like sub duty -- voluntary. they took their eye off the ball, and expected us to follow their gaze. sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Controversial look at submarines.
Review: As a plank owner and sonarman on one of the "legendary" submarines mentioned on page 211, it was great to see that some of the things we did 20 years ago were important.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a book about USN submarine accidents, not espionage.
Review: The book did an excellent job of discussing many USN submarine accidents, but it was lacking in the details of espionage. The authors did open the door to espionage, but they never did walk through it. SEAL operations and the damage that John Walker did are only briefly mentioned. At no time was COMINT (Communications Intelligence) even mention or explained. If you want to read in great detail about a "hot torpedo" or how a submarine sinks to the bottom, you will find that information, but don't count on too much espionage.
Rating: 
Summary: Much about submarines, but little about espionage
Review: I was frankly disappointed in the book. No doubt it makes for exciting reading and I would no way disparage the bravery of the officers and men who manned these vessels, but the point of the book is left only to the imagination. After spending untold billions on these ventures, the book almost completely fails to tell us what information was gained and whether this investment proved of any real value in the cold war.
Rating:
Summary: Informative Book about the "Cold War" use of the submarine.
Review: "Blind Man's Bluff" is an informative, exciting book reporting the chances American submariners took during the "Cold War". Their brave but un-reported actions kept us one, possibly two, steps ahead of our principle adversary. The need to gather intelligence provided the impetus to develop technology to explore the depths of our planet. Great read!
Rating:
Summary: Blind Man¿s Bluff Provides Fascinating Stories
Review: Blind Man's Bluff Provides Fascinating Stories Marred by the Newspaper Reporter's Standard Telling This book brings together stories of submarine special operations and related history in a readable and understandable form. Authors Sherry Sontag and Christopher and Annette Drew present the material from the layman's (and newspaper reporter's) perspective. This, coupled with inaccuracies which inevitably creep into accounts of technical stories written by non-participants blunted the enjoyment to some small extent. Minor Flaws and Distractions: First, the authors provide extensive discussions of theories, such as the explanation of why the Scorpion was lost, that are not supported by those closest to the real facts. Debate still rages. New information and theories are still coming to light. Second, they make a big deal out of nicknames sailors give to their boats, their shipmates, etc. as if these, too, were universally accepted and agreed to by all. This is not the case and provides an annoying distraction in the narratives. It reflects the limited interviews the authors were able to make and not the whole picture. It's as if sailors name everything with cute and amusing nicknames. Not true. We were not particularly formal on the boats I served on, but at the same time, didn't spend our time naming everything in sight. Third, the use of hyperbole, making almost routine information seem like banner headlines in a tabloid, was very distracting. All interagency conflicts in Washington are not "Bitter", all spy operations are not "Brilliant" and no spying done in the real world was anything like James Bond fiction. It's as if the authors were afraid nobody would read the book if it offered only a straight telling. I believe the stories are fascinating and make compelling reading on their merits alone without the extraneous window dressing. On the Plus Side: It is obvious that the authors really did make a vast effort to gather the facts and get the stories straight. This makes the book well worth reading. As a cold war submarine sailor, I was very intrigued by the accounts in Blind Man's Bluff. I had never heard the stories of some of the operations and incidents they present and was fascinated by them.
Rating:
Summary: Excelent overview, if not a little embelished
Review: Six years underwater onboard a Sturgeon stretch and the oldest boomer. Blind Mans Bluff makes for great reading. Excellent overview, captivating stories, wrong about the crew attitudes. Most of us still keep our mouths shut, all of us never had any doubts or second thoughts about what we were doing nor why we did. If you did you were in the wrong place. Our crews only regretted the distance from our loved ones, not the pranks we played on the Soviets. Two thumbs up, however, I regretted the book didn't have more sea stories from the crews (glad to know we know some of us still remember what we signed when we got out). Politics is nice but the meat is in the acts. Nice to know what really happened to the Scorpion.
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