I received a free digital copy of “ The Hunt for the Peggy C” from the author via Net Galley. My thanks to all.
John Winn Miller has written an economical seafaring world War 2 thriller about a battered tramp steamer the Peggy C is , as its captain frankly describes, is ready to be scrapped. Its engines deliver at best six knots. The decks are more rust than paint . Captain Rodgers leads a crew of cast offs and thugs that other ships would not have. He can depend only on a few men, mainly Obasi , an African, to be loyal.
The C is a neutral ship - it changes flag , its name and registration as needed to get through wartime blockades. As the book opens the US is still neutral as the British fight the Germans alone. Peggy C docks in Holland to offload and get another cargo. It also picks up some passengers-Jewish refugees , a Rabbi and his daughter.
On the way south to Spain, Captain Rodgers finds himself being chased by a U- Boat, rescuing a RAF pilot who is less than thankful, homilies from the Rabbi and scorn from his daughter, and an uprising of the crew.
The reader learns a lot about U- boat operations when the author shifts point of view to the U-boat Captain and his hunt. There is a bit of instruction for the reader here that paints how the Enemy navy worked
“ The Hunt for the Peggy C” is not a book of deep characterization- the characters are pretty much stock from a Hollywood 1940’s b- movie thriller . As with those films, the book is entertaining, predictable and forgettable.
Content advisories: some low key violence. I recall no bad language or sexual scenes.

When you like thrillers set at sea during World War II (or earlier maybe like Hornblower) this could be the book for you. It is 1941 and the United States have not joined the war yet but that does not mean the Seven Seas are safe sailing for a neutral tramp. Captain Jake Rogers, a man with a history, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet when he docks in Amsterdam.

As I am Dutch the description of our capital in those early years of the war is interesting as it is only after like a year the real feeling of being under the Nazi boot became clear. It also feels like the writer spent time to do his research as unlike in other books I do not see Dutch anomalies. Another thing what must have been weird in those days was meeting German officers who had studied in the States and now were more and more becoming "the enemy".

The novel is a fast reading well written adventurestory.I can certainly recommend it.



4 stars out of 5

Jake Rogers lives in self-imposed exile as the skipper of a three-island tramp steamer, the Peggy C. His background is a little murky, but we learn that something happened when he was a cadet at Annapolis that caused him to choose this life and keep Peggy C. in the European Atlantic or Mediterranean. By 1940, Rogers is a hard-bitten man thirty-eight, searching for cargo consignments.
France is on the verge of surrender to the seemingly unstoppable Nazi war machine. Rogers maintains a studied neutrality, consistent with the United States position at that time. Even with huge American flags painted on both sides of the ship’s sides and the flag displayed prominently, the Peggy C. is frequently stopped by German patrol boats searching for contraband. U-boats are an even greater risk as many U-boat commanders simply assumed freighters were carrying contraband and sunk them without warning.
On the ship’s first port call in Amsterdam, we learn that the Peggy C. also carries special items as favors for important persons or hard-to-get luxury merchandise for profit. On this trip, she carried a valuable seventeenth-century painting to be delivered to an important Nazi, cartons of Chesterfields, and cases of Scots whiskey in a concealed compartment in the ship’s bow.
After leaving port the skipper discovers that he is carrying a different type of contraband, a rabbi, his three small sons, and his niece escaping Nazi roundups in the recently conquered Netherlands. The Peggy C. escapes a search by a U-boat crew by capturing the boarding party and cleverly evading the U-boat. This sets the U-boat commander on a quest to find and sink the Peggy C.
The U-boat commander ignores orders, chasing the elusive freighter down Europe’s west coast, through the Strait of Gibraltar, and across the Mediterranean. The deadly game of cat and mouse ends off the coast of Palestine where a badly wounded Rogers tries his last subterfuge.
Lots of good maritime lore, close encounters with the enemy, and a love story; what more could anyone ask?

I really liked this historical fiction. It has a lot to offer... some thrills, fight scenes & chase scenes, WWII historical maritime adventure, & even a tiny bit of romance. I learned about the part that junkers & merchant ships (& those that crewed them) of numerous nations played in WWII, this book taking place prior to Dec 7, '41. It also did a fine job of describing the actual ships & U boats, & how they worked. I thought the book did a good job of portraying the tough conditions of the players involved, including those on the German U boats....& also casting a light on a WWII scene that might not receive much press. It was a real good read, those enjoying WWII history or a naval adventure might especially enjoy this. It read right along & was interesting to see where it ended.....to the very last line of the book! Well done!
I received an e copy of this book for review purposes from NetGalley.

An exciting and action packed novel. The twists and turns will keep you wanting to keep reading. I could not put this one down. I finished it in one reading! A great book, and I hope the author will write more of these.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A suspenseful and highly interesting novel! I found it fascinating to read about life on a U-boat and on a merchant ship during WWII ! Impressive way of life I could not endure. I enjoyed the entertaining and thrilling plot vivid with action. What I could not see any sense of was the love story between Jake and Miriam, particularly because Jake's character remains rather vague throughout the novel (how old is he?). For me this novel focuses more about life on sea in times of war as opposed to finely defined characters involved in this story. That's why I felt the love story rather out of place. However, for those interested in detailed descriptions of instruments and manoeuvres on ships/U-boats, this is a great read!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

During the early years of World War II, terror reigned supreme in the waters of the northern Atlantic. Numerous British warships were sent to the bottom of the sea at the hands of German submarine commanders. Merchant ships of varied nationalities were also not immune to the vicious attacks. In gut-wrenching detail, the storeline focuses on one such German submarine commander who held a vendetta against the skipper of a merchant ship. The action never quit.

I was in the Merchant Marine during my college years. It isn't far from what he describes in his book only I was on the Great Lakes. My boats were built in 1904 and 1906 respectively. So They were about the same size as the Peggy C. They didn't have U-boats after them but they were coal stokers. John makes the Peggy C the ship most likely used as a freighter as the war progresses. It looks like he gets Jake Rogers a cargo of Jewish people prior to being boarded by 4 Germans. He gets caught by planes saving his hide by bombing the U-boat and keeping the Germans as prisoners. He is stalked by the U-boat as he goes into the Mediterranean and I'll let you read about it as it turns about. This book is a great story about the adventure of boats during the war.