Hong Kong, 1960s: The old submarine-chaser USS Hibiscus , refitting in a Hong Kong dockyard before being handed over to the Nationalist Chinese, is suddenly ordered to the desolate island group of Payenhau. For Captain Mark Gunnar, who is driven by the memory of his torture at the hands of Viet Cong guerillas, the new command is a chance to even the score against a ruthless, unrelenting enemy. But Payenhau is very different from his expectations, and as the weather worsens, a crisis develops that Gunnar must face alone. English novelist Douglas Reeman , a master storyteller of the sea from the time of Nelson to the twentieth century, thrilled an international audience for nearly 60 years. Under his pen name, Alexander Kent, the former Royal Navy officer chronicled the adventures of Richard and Adam Bolitho at sea during the Age of Fighting Sail. As Douglas Reeman, he wrote about naval action during the twentieth century, with a primary focus on Britain’s Royal Navy. More than 34 million copies of his books are in print.