Blind Man's Bluff

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Summary: This is a Great Gift!
Review: As a gift to my (very picky) history buff husband, this one was a winner. My guage was that he couldn't put it down; he constantly interrupted me to read excerpts; and at the end he said he was sorry it was over. Good work!

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Summary: A former submariner and author who's been there...
Review: I spent six weeks submerged less than a hundred feet from a pier off Tripoli, Libya eavesdropping on Libyan communications from a Sturgeon-class attack submarine (I was the communications officer, and one day the NSA spooks took over my radio room...). This is a great account of those days. For more, check out "Attack of the Seawolf" by Michael DiMercurio (available at Amazon.com) or the latest, "Piranha Firing Point," (also available at Amazon.com). -- Michael DiMercurio, Author of "Piranha Firing Point"

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Summary: Excellent work!
Review: The way this book was arranged and written was a joy to read. I have just finished a book called Captain Nemo and am surprised how closely related the technology of submarines is in both these novels. This is a great reference for future submarine warfare.

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Summary: Essential reading for new submariners
Review: It seems to me that the government should have told us about these exploits long before the authors penetrated the classified documents of the U.S. Navy. This book captures the essence of the covert attempt to protect the cold war players from each other. A great book, a must read, for anyone that enjoys true, real life, sit on the edge of your seat exploits.

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Summary: More khaki worship (spare us, Lord)
Review: I'm just finishing BM'sB, and I gotta tell ya, I'm yawnin, babe, yawnin. The book is another installment of Clancy-esque wardroom "stern-snufflin" and yeesh, enough is enough, you know what I'm sayin'? And the goofy singin' Chief? GIMME A BREAK! I spent four years in A-Gang on SSN-679 (USS SILVERSIDES - rhymes with "always underway"), and I can tell you that this book gives a patently unreal look at yer average bubblehead's life "in trail" and anywhere else. All you draft evaders out there should know that Cold War boat-sailing was more like "Little Buddy" than John Paul Jones -- the boat ran aground 100 yards off Pier November, the (CENSORED) got wrapped around the sail, the scrubber died, the O2 generator won't stop leakin', the XO just joined the "700 pound club," diesel operators are port and starboard and there's no shore power in Bergen, the torpedomen stole all our tools, the beer in LaMadd is 50% formaldahyde, the crybaby nukes are field-daying with LP air, the drain pump strainer's clogged, the AGI crew mooned us at buoy 2-Charlie, the QM keeps "wooping" my ear on the 2JV, the Chief of the Boat hates A-Gang, the movies are all bad and let's not forget the ever-popular Engineering Department rule that "if it ain't broke, we can't fix it." Hey, this BM'sB book is yer basic unguent khaki worship in the Clancy tradition. The authors know diddly about submarine life for paygrades E-4 and below (where the Cold War was really won -- just ask a grunt or a dogface), so like Clancy, they can't write about it. Want the real story? Read "Sub Duty" by Grover MacLeod -- if you can find it. FLOOD THE TDU! Steinke Hood Richie

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Summary: Interesting stories but not a real study of the subject.
Review: Where's the beef? Kept waiting for them to tell me about the overall program, its facets, and results. Just a compilation of disaster stories. Pick a couple of chapters, read them, and then move onto _Stalingrad_ by Antony Beever for a good read.

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Summary: A good read.
Review: The technical aspects of the events discribed make the reading worthwhile. The descriptions of naval personnel, especially enlisted, are caricatures that weaken the credibility of the book overall.

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Summary: Very excellent work
Review: The chilling details in this novel and the breathtaking accounts of the secret events was well written. I also recommend Hostile Waters, Captain Nemo and the Jennifer Project, for those who love to dabble in the knowledge of submarines and the future of modren underwater warfare

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Summary: Insightful look into submarine strategy and history
Review: The detail provided in Blind Man's Bluff show that the two seasoned investigators who wrote it are on top of their game. In particular, the chapter on U.S.S. Scorpion provides excellent new information about the likely cause of the preventable and lamentable sinking of the sub. My dad died on the sub and I have followed closely the bits of news that have been released over the years. This is the best and most comprehensive description of that event I've ever seen, and is something I truly appreciate. In addition, the description of the events surrounding the collision between the U.S.S. Tautog and a soviet Echo-class submarine is compelling. It speaks volumes about the psychology present during the Cold War.

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Summary: More politics than sea stories.
Review: I was expecting spine-tingling sea stories. There were about 3 of them in the book. The rest was details on Watergate, congressional approval, Navy politics, Russian politics, etc. Disappointing, although there were a few tidbits that were very interesting.