The Hooligans: A Novel

by P. T. Deutermann

Overview

A gripping and authentic World War II naval adventure by a master storyteller

The Hooligans fictionalizes the little-known but remarkable exploits of “The Hooligan Navy” that fought in the Pacific theatre of World War II. Loosely-organized in fast moving squadrons, PT (patrol torpedo) boats were the pesky nemesis of the formidable Japanese navy, dubbed “the mosquito fleet” and “devil boats” for their daring raids against warships, tankers, and transport ships.

After the Pearl Harbor raid plunges America into war, young surgical resident Lincoln Anderson enlists in the Navy medical corps. His first deployment comes in August 1942 at Guadalcanal, when after a brutal sea battle and the landing of Marines on the island, Anderson finds himself triaging hundreds of casualties under relentless Japanese air and land attacks.

But with the navy short of doctors, soon Anderson is transferred to serve aboard a PT boat. From Guadalcanal to the Solomon Islands to the climactic, tide-turning battle of Leyte Gulf, Anderson and the crew members of his boat confront submarines and surface ships, are attacked from air by the dreaded Kawanishi flying boats, and hunted by destroyers. In the end, Anderson must lead a division of boats in a seemingly-impossible mission against a Japanese battleship formation—and learn the true nature of his character.

Informed by P. T. Deutermann’s own experience as a commander of a patrol gunboat in Vietnam, The Hooligans is first-rate military adventure fiction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250263100
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/28/2020
Series:	P. T. Deutermann WWII Novels
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	23,775
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

P.T. DEUTERMANN is the noted author of many previous novels based on his experiences as a senior staff officer in Washington and at sea as a Navy Captain, and later, Commodore. His WWII works include Pacific Glory, which won the W.Y. Boyd Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, Sentinels of Fire, The Commodore, Ghosts of Bungo Suido,and The Iceman. He lives with his wife of 50 years in North Carolina.
P. T. DEUTERMANN is the author of many previous novels including Pacific Glory, which won the W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction. Deutermann spent twenty-six years in military and government service, as a captain in the Navy and in the Joint Chiefs of Staff as an arms-control specialist. He lives with his wife in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

06/22/2020

Lt. Lincoln Anderson, the hero of this subpar WWII naval thriller from Deutermann (The Nugget), is stationed with the Navy Medical Corps on the island of Guadalcanal at the start of the Solomon Islands campaign in 1942. Though Anderson was only a third-year resident at Duke University when he enlisted after Pearl Harbor, a shortage of doctors and surplus of wounded requires him to assume greater responsibility. He’s assigned to be medical officer to a PT boat squadron known as the Hooligans, who are left to their own resources to attack the Japanese navy. Anderson’s surgical prowess and battle survival skills soon earn him the nickname Superman. Fans of James Jones and Herman Wouk will appreciate the author’s throwback writing style and authentic dialogue, but some readers may find the period-correct pejoratives objectionable. Perhaps it’s accurate to the chaotic nature of war, but characters and locations can feel quickly abandoned, a romantic subplot seems cursory and tacked on, and without a mission-type plot, the story ends limply. Deutermann has done better. Agent: Ed Maxwell, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Hooligans:
"P. T. Deutermann’s evocative and brisk narrative oozes raw authenticity, reflecting his experience commanding a patrol gunboat in Vietnam during a distinguished 26-year career in the United States Navy." —Quarterdeck

Praise for The Nugget:
"Readers who enjoy WWII stories, especially those involving the air war, will be entranced...[Deutermann] is at the top of his game here." —Jeff Ayers, Booklist

“Packed with authentic military action on land and at sea in the Pacific Theatre of WWII and featuring a memorable protagonist based on a true-life hero, [The Nugget] demonstrates Deutermann’s mastery in adventure writing.” —Mystery Tribune

“A tour de force of excitement and intrigue…Deutermann captures the pace and passion of men at war, and his descriptions are riveting and personal. It is hard to imagine anyone not being immersed in this novel.” —Shannon Carriger, San Francisco Book Review

Praise for The Iceman:
“Fast-paced, well-written, and full of been-there-done-that authenticity.” —The Real Book Spy

“The narration is brisk and stripped for action, which comes fast and furious. Deutermann throws in enough technical detail to satisfy any Tom Clancy enthusiast.” —StarNews

Praise for Pacific Glory:
“From the first pages...you are hooked, drawn into the past and finally delivered back to the future, a journey taken with unforgettable characters.” —Doug Stanton, bestselling author of Horse Soldiers and In Harm's Way

“Epic, eloquent, and stirring…a war novel that is both sweeping and intensely personal.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

“Those who like pulse-thumping action, cinematic prose, and intrepid heroes will be rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher