Peril on the Sea

This intriguing II World War novel is set in the Pacific arena and begins soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It's a time of high anxiety as the Japanese, German and Italian Axis threaten the peace of the world.

A student of Naval history, J D VerHoeven's debut novel gives a highly detailed portrayal of the vicious Japanese attack on the Northern Australian town of Darwin, an important port used by the Allies. His vivid description of the terrible carnage and loss of life in the air-sea battles makes you believe he personally experienced it.

Peril on the Sea is an emotionally charged, high-octane setting for a love story between a newly married couple almost immediately separated in this time of war. Communication being almost impossible, it becomes a true test of their Christian values as many temptations arise with neither knowing where the other is, or even whether they remain alive.

This book strikes a chord with me, because as a very young child, I well remember the scary blackouts, the Japanese submarine attack on Sydney Harbor, and the loneliness my mother experienced when my RAAF dad was away for the duration. He was mainly stationed at Port Moresby in Papua new Guinea. Now history has revealed how close we folk from Down Under came to being overrun by the Japanese. With all mail censored, the Australian gov/t at the time was able to withhold this knowledge from its citizens, probably fearing panic...who really knows?

This novel published by Liberty Press, is the first of  this war time series and can be purchased from Amazon. Jonathan will send a copy of Peril on the Sea to the winner of those commenting on this review. Can any of you readers recall memories of your childhood during the war? The bad times, or the good, when people hung in there together? Or is this merely a distant time of world war you've only seen on TV, and something only your grandparents remember?

Reviewed by Rita Stella Galieh  www.ritastellagalieh.com
Fire in the Rock  pub. Arkhouse Press