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MWSA Review
While World War II brews, Jake Rogers captains the Peggy C, a merchant steamer ship, picking up and delivering cargo throughout the Atlantic. The cargo is often illegal, and sometimes even dangerous, but on this trip, unbeknownst to his crew, Rogers upped the ante even more. With the help of Obasi, his Nigerian Igbo sidekick/bodyguard/friend, they sneak a family of Dutch Jews out of Amsterdam, right under the noses of the Nazis. The plan to transport Miriam and her family to Gibraltar goes awry. Although they normally fight the sea, an occasional dangerous “customer,” and pirates, this time German U-boats have become the biggest threat.
John Winn Miller’s, The Hunt for the Peggy C: A World War II Maritime Thriller is not the typical World War ll naval story of torpedoes, sinking submarines, errant friendly fire, ruses, and betrayal. Yet they are nonetheless in the midst of a war zone. Miller artfully squeezes in a love story and unexpected witty humor. There are magnificent depictions of Jewish ceremonies, and “normal” life for the refugees.
Meanwhile, catastrophe after catastrophe perpetuate the cat and mouse game between Rogers and Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer, the captain of a German U-boat. The situation is far from a game, however, with deadly twists and turns. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, reading as fast as you can, to find out the fate from the U-boat’s boomeranging torpedo—the epitome of irony.
I highly recommend The Hunt for the Peggy C, even for those who would not normally read naval fiction. Cover to cover, the book will keep you in a perpetual state of suspense. There is no time to guess what will happen next—you’ll be too busy biting your nails and crossing your fingers.
Review by Sue Rushford (May 2023)
Author's Synopsis
John Winn Miller's THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C captures the breathless suspense of early World War II in the North Atlantic. Captain Jake Rogers, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet after witnessing the oppression of Jews in Amsterdam: a Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution.
The normally aloof Rogers finds himself drawn in by the family's warmth and faith, but he can't afford to let his guard down when Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer, a brutal U-boat captain, sets his sights on the Peggy C.
Rogers finds himself pushed to the limits of his ingenuity as he evades Brauer's relentless stalking, faces a mutiny among his own crew and grapples with his newfound feelings for Miriam, the young Jewish woman whom, along with her family, he must transport to safety.
When Rogers is seriously wounded, Miriam must prove she is as tough as her rhetoric to save everyone as the U-boat closes in for the kill. THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C is laced with nail-biting tension and unexpectedly heartwarming moments that any reader, not just fans of naval fiction, will enjoy.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 264
Word Count: 77,000