Thank you NetGalley for my free review copy.

The Hunley, a Confederate submarine notable as the first to damage another vessel during the Civil War, never returned from that mission. The submarine was raised this century and the mystery of her crew's death has never been satisfactorily explained. As she attends Duke University to earn her doctorate, Rachel Lance works to prove her own theory.

Lots of math and other (to quote the author) enginerdy fun! I love the glimpses of the author's personality she includes in her narrative. While I got bogged down in a lot of the science, I really found the story of the Hunley and her crew extremely interesting. I am looking forward to taking a trip to Charleston to visit the museum.

Talk about a real submarine escape room mystery - this is definitely it! I was completely captivated by this story as a scientist and recent submarine aficionado myself. Because Rachel is writing from a scientist's standpoint, it may be a bit tough for some to enjoy reading the technical side of things, but I truly loved it. I was engulfed from the beginning and wanted to help solve this mystery so badly. You just HAVE to read it to find out for yourself what truly happened!

It’s hard to believe I had never heard of the HL Hunley before this book. A history making submarine missing since The Civil War is found and there is no obvious reason as to why the crew died. This was such a bizarre mystery and I really wanted to know what happened. The use of science, history, detective work, and personal narrative made this such a compelling read. Seeing all of the work that went into this and how everything came together was amazing. I really admired Lance’s tenacity for discovering what happened to this submarine and it’s crew.

Lance is very knowledgeable and has done a lot of research and so some of the technical information was a bit heavy. But I really enjoyed her writing style overall. What happened in that submarine was truly fascinating!

Thank you Dutton for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing fascinating book about the CSS Hunley submarine. Written with clear scientific and engineering specifications. Informative and entertaining. A great and fascinating nonfiction read for anyone that is into the military history of the US. One all the men in my life would enjoy. All the research was done when the author was in grad school so quite an accomplishment. Truly enjoyable. Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group/Dutton, and author Rachel Lance for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

I was hesitant when the publisher reached out to me about reviewing this novel, but boy am I glad I took a leap of faith and gave it a chance. This book was so incredibly interesting and informative, I couldn’t put it down! You hear things about the HL Hunley, but you never think to look more into it. There were a lot of technical terms/field related information, but the author did an amazing job of explaining things for those that aren’t familiar with the subject. The author’s writing is enthralling; I am so lucky to have stumbled upon this book!

Thank you again to those mentioned above for the chance to read and review this ARC!

I have been fascinated by the story of the HL Hunley since its discovery after 131 years and eager to know more. This is the book I have been waiting for and it was a great read. History, science, mystery and academia and things that go boom - Rachel Lance combines it all in the story of her quest for answers of what happened to the HL Hunley. No matter how technical the science of blowing things up, etc. she has a way of making it all make sense so don't worry about getting lost in the technical stuff. I read it over two days - yes, I'm a speed reader - and I became so engrossed in it that I had to remember to eat.
My thanks to the publisher Dutton and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received a complimentary galley of IN THE WAVES: MY QUEST TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF A CIVIL WAR SUBMARINE by Rachel Lance for an honest review. Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley!

Rating: 4.5 / 5
IN THE WAVES follows Rachel Lance’s quest to solve a Civil War mystery. On February 17, 1864, the HL Hunley, a small submarine manned by confederates, deployed a torpedo against the union’s USS Housatonic near Charleston. It was successful in its mission to destroy the union ship, but the submarine and its crew disappeared. When it was raised 131 years later, it was a surprise to find that the crew was still in place at their stations having made no apparent attempt to escape. Many theories have been floated as to why the ship sank and how the men died, but Lance set out to get scientific proof as part of completing her PhD at Duke.

I really went into this knowing very little about the Hunley, but I was intrigued by the synopsis. Having been a bit hard to engage with a lot of books, I was thrilled to find myself immediately hooked by the author’s writing in this one. Rachel Lance is an excellent writer, effectively setting the scene for the story. While some of the science was definitely beyond my knowledge, she did an excellent job of making it approachable.

This book combines science, historical research, experiments and recreations. She examines eye witness testimony from those who survived the sinking of the US S Housatonic and other historical research, such as the makeup of the explosives that would have been used during the civil war. The author also shares some of her personal story in pursuit of her PhD. She reviews others’ theories and sets out to prove or disprove before delving into her own.

I found this to be an enjoyable read and it is one I would recommend for the history and non-fiction fans!

As a self-professed science and American history nerd, this book hit all the right buttons. It was a story I didn't even know I needed to hear until I first read the description.

On February 17th, 1864, a Confederate submarine called the HL Hunley attacked the USS Housatonic floating near Charleston Harbor. While the Hunley was victorious in its mission, the vessel and her crew were not seen again until 131 years later, when the Hunley's remains were found at the bottom of the harbor with the crew still manning their battle stations as if nothing were amiss. So what happened? Rachel Lance, a PhD student and blast and ballistic trauma researcher at Duke, makes it her mission to find out.

Lance's years of hard work really shown in this book. Although I'm no explosion expert, I was able to follow along and understand every step she took to get to the truth. What I wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall for those experiments!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced digital copy of this book :)

While I enjoyed the book, it was a bit technical for my taste. The author most likely could not avoid the technical aspect that was necessary for her factual development. I just found myself glancing through all the technical jargon to be to her conclusions. The book delivers on her premise.though.

This is great description of the science and detective work involved in researching the demise of navy submarine pioneer the C.S.S. Hunley.