In November 1941, Lieutenant Ralph Trewin D.S.C arrives in Singapore as the second-in-command of the gun-boat H.M.S.Porcupine. Trewin joined the war as a Reservist and finds himself being disparaged by the ship's Regular captain, Greville Corbett.Trewin has previously served and been injured in the European theatre and is initially astounded by the complacency and laxness he sees amongst the inhabitants of the island who who believe that the fortress is impregnable.

The following month the Japanese invade Malaya and three months later the unthinkable has happened, Singapore is on the brink of capture. Rather than await capture Corbett and Trewin decide to make a run for it with their ship but if they are to succeed then they must rely on each other's strengths.

I must admit that historical fiction is my favourite genre and particularly enjoy the author's Napoleonic Bolitho series written under the name of Alexander Kent. I am less of a fan of these more modern based books. There is one of the author's earliest books but has many of the elements that you will find in his other books, daring do's against the odds, flawed heroes, incompetent senior officers and even a token love interest. That said it is well written, the plot is kept simple and not over burdened with jargon, the action purrs along at a fairly breathless pace. If you are already a fan of the author's works then you will enjoy this but learn nothing. However, if you are not a fan then it is unlikely to convert you. ( )

In meinen Augen der beste der modernen Seekriegsromane Kents (im Original Douglas Reeman) ( )