Riders Upon the Storm [Paperback]

Finalist, 2023 Arizona-New Mexico Book Awards, Historical Fiction. Parottis expertly detailed accounts make for constant tension. The Historical Novels ReviewPhillip Parottis new novel chronicles the fast-paced action of a collection of American submarine chasers as they battle to reduce the German U-Boat menace in the English Channel during the last year of World War I. Lieutenant (junior grade) Ben Snow takes a commission in the United States Naval Reserve, and whips a dissolute crew into fighting shape. They then take their little submarine chaser, SC 65X, out into the English Channel to hunt for German U-boats in the midst of the worst winter in more than fifty years. Their achievements climax with the sinking of a German submarine and taking sixteen of her crew prisoner.When the war ends on 11 November 1918, the chaser crews expect to return home, but their exposure to danger is by no means concluded. Instead, the chasers are tasked with exploding the 70,000 dangerous mines planted in the North Sea Mine Barrage. Having survived the war, will Ben and his crew survive the peace?A young officer leads his inexperienced crew in the dangerous game of hunting U-boats and sinking German mines in the English Channel in the last months of World War I.Realistic and engaging narrative.Vividly drawn detail, with accurate depictions of life on board naval vessels.Ordinary men and women called upon to do the extraordinary. Parottis expertly detailed accounts make for constant tension. It is a tribute to the authors narrative skill that he holds the readers interest to the very last sentence. In war novels authors typically feature ships such as destroyers, battleships, or aircraft carriers, but not support vessels. By focusing on the support vessels, Parotti provides readers with a different view of the two wars and leaves them with an appreciation for the crafts significance along with the men who took care of these damaged ships. US