In a world consumed by war, courage defies the odds to shield those dear.
Lieutenant Commander Todd Ingram, seasoned by the perils of war, faces an unexpected challenge when reassigned to the grounded destroyer USS Dunagan. Encountering a crew plagued by insubordination and turmoil, Ingram must restore order and lift spirits amidst an imminent threat from formidable adversaries.
Simultaneously, in the fraught landscapes of 1943 Paris, Coco Chanel, afraid of plummeting sales under Nazi occupation, sets up a new outpost in the Pacific. Entrusting the operation to the expert parfumiers of the Lapresse family - Andre, Charlotte, and their daughter Lolli - the fragrant venture takes an unexpected turn in the distant New Caledonia.
Meanwhile, soaring through the hostile skies, U.S. Marine Corps flying sergeant Gilroy Hitchcock, an intrinsic support in Ingram’s wardroom, encounters the enchanting Lolli, sparking a love that dares to defy the violent throes of war. But destiny thrusts Hitchcock into the abyss as his airplane mysteriously disappears.
The delicate threads binding these disparate lives are stretched taut, navigating through a historical mosaic where bravery, sacrifice, and love become immortalized within the war’s relentless tide.
Danger’s Ebb weaves an epic tale of love, loyalty, and sacrifice, where decisive actions possess the power to alter the course of history.
_____________________
"John Gobbell tells Navy tales like no other writer. Here, he combines historical facts, reasonable conjecture and authentic Navy culture and language to bring a new flavor to the epic story of PT-109, its famous skipper and the woman who captivated him. It is an enlightening and entertaining visit to the danger, discomfort and drama of the South Pacific at war." --Admiral Eric Olson, U.S. Navy (Retired), Former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command
"From John Gobbell’s preface, to the last revealing page, Somewhere in the South Pacific is a riveting, entertaining, and historical page turner. This Todd Ingram series is well researched and an engaging must read." --Howard G. Kazanjian, Executive Producer: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc, and Producer: Return of the Jedi, The Rookie, Demolition Man
"Once again, John J. Gobbell has added to his already solid reputation as a spinner of sea stories...taking the reader back to a time when the future president Jack Kennedy is in command of a PT-boat, fighting the Japanese and in love with an exotic and potentially dangerous beauty. A surprise ending will likely astonish his loyal followers..." --Thomas J. Cutler, The Gordon England Chair of Professional Naval Literature, U.S. Naval Institute
"I am more than impressed...John Gobbell knows what he writes about. This was one of the most difficult books to put down that I have read in recent years. So many great characters, each brought to life, whether real or fictional...whose recorded actions blend in with the fictional lives in the heat and humidity of the South Pacific during the largest and most intense naval war in history." --Terry Miller, Former Executive Director, Tin Can Sailors: National Association of Destroyer Veterans
"John Gobbell’s rip-roaring tale of US Navy PT boats battling Imperial Japanese Navy forces in the Solomon Islands bursts with daring exploits by America’s Greatest Generation, including a young John F. Kennedy. Gobbell’s World War II novels are second to none in portraying the bravery, sacrifices, and human frailties of ordinary men and women during the best years of their lives." --George D. Jepson, Editorial Director, McBooks Press