P. T. Deutermann manages to bring in another interesting tale of World War II in the Pacific! This time it stars Lincoln Anderson, a third year resident at Duke Medical School, who joins the Navy after Pearl Harbor. The story opens with him on Guadalcanal about to be shot by a rogue Japanese soldier. After surviving that, he get transferred to the motor torpedo boat squadron nearby as their resident doctor. Lincoln had managed to piss off the Navy doctors by being a good battlefield surgeon even though he had not completed his training. That problem dogged him the rest of his naval career which ended after the Battle of Surigao Bay when the MTBs clashed with Japanese battleships, cruisers, and destroyers and he got a crease on his head. Plenty of adventure, plenty of action, and a portrait of the Navy not often told.

Published by St. Martin's Press on July 28, 2020

War novels are not a staple of my reading list. Unless, that is, they are written by P.T. Deutermann. While Deutermann is a skilled author of thrillers, he uses his suspense-building skills and his experience as a naval officer to good effect when he writes about World War II naval conflicts.

War novels often follow the path of earlier war novels, telling familiar stories of valor and bravery and self-sacrifice. All of that is present in The Hooligans, but Deutermann gives the story a fresh spin by making the main character a doctor. Lincoln Andersen had finished the third year of a seven-year surgical residence at Duke Medical School when he decided to enlist. His flat feet kept him out of the Army but, after Pearl Harbor, the Navy needed warm bodies.

The Navy teaches Andersen to salute and sends him to a base on the Solomon Islands, where he’s assigned to a field hospital to help with casualties the Navy suffered at Guadalcanal. Thanks to Andersen’s failure to complete his surgical residency, the “real” surgeons view him as a wannabe surgeon. Anderson is promptly reassigned as the squadron doctor for a group of P.T. boats. The squadron is known as the Hooligan Navy because the “real” Navy doesn’t have much use for P.T. boats. His commanding officer doubtless saw the assignment as a way to keep Andersen away from “real” field hospitals, but Andersen sees it as a chance to save lives.

Over the course of the novel, as soldiers and sailors battle the Japanese, Andersen teaches himself to be a trauma surgeon. He draws on his three years of residency and, when he doesn’t know what to do, has someone read him a field manual that explains the procedure as he’s performing it. He doesn’t save every life but he saves enough that he comes to be known, with a good bit of affection, as Superman.

Andersen tags along with the Hooligans for a couple of years as they make their way closer to Japan, eventually serving his last duty in the Philippines. He survives bombings and torpedo attacks while working himself beyond exhaustion as he strives to patch the wounded so they can be transported to a field hospital for more complete care. He also survives a military bureaucracy that threatens his career when “real” surgeons learn that he has been performing life-saving procedures for which, by their standards, he is unqualified. The sailors whose lives he stayed no doubt disagree.

Battle scenes are harrowing and all the more realistic because Andersen isn’t a combatant who strides bravely into battle. He’s a guy who steps up his game when he’s in over his head because nobody else is in a position to perform battlefield surgery. He overcomes a bit of self-doubt and an enormous amount of professional envy while doing his best to stay alive and help others. Andersen is a likable character because, while not needlessly humble, he isn’t full of himself.

Deutermann creates a detailed view of the various island locations in which Andersen finds himself. He explains the hardships faced by the forgotten Hooligans who have to raid other naval vessels to get the supplies they need. He introduces interesting and offbeat secondary characters, not all of them in the military. Some are fated to die, not always in battle. Beyond his ability to create atmosphere and convincing characters, Deutermann brings home the horrors of war and its impact on the soldiers, sailors, nurses, and doctors as they are wounded and watch others die, always knowing that death in war is a game of chance.

I can’t fault Deutermann for a feel-good ending because Andersen endures so much pain that he deserves a happy ending. Yet even the ending brings a reminder that nobody escapes war unscathed. While The Hooligans is a quick read because of its adrenalin-pumping nature, the novel’s attention to atmosphere and characterization raise it to a higher level than a typical war novel.

RECOMMENDED

Another WWII winner from author (also retired Navy Captain) Deutermann

I am not usually a huge fan of historical novels - except, it seems, military fiction and non-fiction.

I've enjoyed Deutermann's books in the past and this one was no exception. With his previous military career experience he can really bring these books to life on the page.

In this story Lincoln Andersen is just finishing his third year of medical residency at Duke University when Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese. He immediately leaves the university and heads out to join the Navy Medical Corps and starts out as a Second Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve.

This story is told from his point of view as he is first assigned to Guadalcanal then throughout the Solomon Islands as our military battles against the Japanese.

Because there is a shortage of doctors during this campaign, he finds himself taking on more and more responsibilities as a trauma surgeon. He ends up being assigned to the Hooligan Navy made up of MTB - motor patrol boats, also known as PT boats (patrol torpedo boats). They were used by the Navy because of being small, fast and maneuverable.

“We’re the Hooligan Navy because no one owns us, so we’ve had to become g*****n pirates just to survive.”

I loved this story, its action filled pages and its memorable characters.

I highly recommend this book to military fiction enthusiasts and especially those that enjoy reading about World War II.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Doctor Eric Anderson is attached to the Solomon Islands for the purpose of giving support to the medical needs of the detachment. He is a fourth-year surgical resident who joins after Pearl Harbor and his superior officers feel he should not be doing any type of surgeries. Problem is that during wartime avoiding surgery is simply not an option.

Guadalcanal is one of the islands in the Solomon Island archipelago and the fighting and casualties were horrendous. Doctor Anderson's ability as a surgeon is quickly noted in field hospitals and he attains the reputation of being a “Superman” when dealing with catastrophic bodily injuries.

The description and miserable facilities in the field hospitals is colorfully documented. Bomb shelters are constructed by U.S. Navy Seabees in record time. Japanese bombers called “Bettys” continually harass the entire staff of PT sailors. The PT’s attack during the night and harass Japanese troop ship movements.

Throughout the book the flavor of war is everywhere. People 1500 miles away from the actual theater of action think they “know” how the war should be fought. The preponderance of armchair fleet operators reminds me of my navy days. They were only slightly less aggravating than the enemy.

As the Japanese are pushed back from this island chain, the casualties mount and experiential learning takes over. HM1 and other enlisted personnel soon become strategic to the survival of the wounded. Dr. Anderson recognizes their abilities and utilizes them to the best of his ability. Comical relief is added with the presence of military scroungers whose mission is to keep the detachment supplied, particularly with medical equipment. Their exploits are enlightening and certainly devious.

We received this uncorrected digital galley from the publisher through NetGalley and the receipt of the copy gratis does not affect my opinion of the book or the content. These are my honest opinions and I'm happy to recommend it as entertaining and enlightening reading for anyone who is a history buff. 5 stars C.E. Williams

Nobody spins a yarn about World War II in the Pacific better than P. T. Deutermann. I just finished an advance copy of his latest story “The Hooligans “. The tale follows a young 3rd year surgery resident as he is swallowed up by the war in the Pacific. Told in the first person through the eyes of “Doc Andersen”, the tale follows Doc and the Motor torpedo boat squadron that he is attached to for two grueling years as they move north from the Solomon Islands to the Philippines. The story and the manner in which it is told reminds one of “McHales Navy” , “Catch 22”, or “M*A*S*H”. This book joins “Pacific Glory”, “ The Commodore “The Iceman”,“Ghosts of Bungo Suido”, “Sentinels of Fire” and “ The Nugget” in the War in the Pacific group. The book is rich in detail and shows that the author either spent a lot of time doing research, or is writing from experience, or both. As with the other tales of war in the Pacific, this work of fiction reads like non-fiction. This and all of Deutermann’s books are well worth the time spent reading them.

Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read The Hooligans in exchange for an impartial review. This is my fourth book by P. T. Deutermann and all have been excellent. I highly recommend his books to anyone with an interest in WW II naval action stories. Used heavily early in the war, the PT Boat or Motor Torpedo Boat service was known as “The Hooligan Navy.” They raided Japanese shipping, harassed warships, patrolled beach coves, ferried commandos and frogmen to secret landings, rescued downed pilots and provided extra anti-aircraft fire in harbors. In a clever move, the author’s main character is a surgeon rather than a PT boat skipper. Making the main character a surgeon allowed the author to showcase not only the little-known PT boat service, but also the incredible work of the battlefront surgeons and hospital staff. Navy lieutenant Lincoln Anderson was a third-year surgical resident at Duke University when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He chose to forgo further education and to join the Navy. He was stationed on Guadalcanal in the early days where he assigned as a surgical assistant, however when the hospital became overrun with causalities, despite a lack of training, he was pressed into performing emergency surgeries on his own. From there he was assigned to a nearby island that served as a first stop for navy and marine wounded, basically a MASH unit, where they performed emergency surgeries to stabilize patients before that were transferred to the main hospital on Guadalcanal. It was at this time that he became attached as surgeon to a PT boat squadron. The squadron moved from Guadalcanal to various islands in the Solomon’s trough to the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Throughout they were under constant air attacks from the Japanese. This was an interesting and action filled look at the Pacific War from a very different perspective than you normally see.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Never pass up the chance to read any Deutermann novel. He writes with passion and historical accuracy second to none. Character development is superb with the dialog intimate and descriptive without bogging down with extraneous words. This is the story of how the patrol torpedo boats (PT) were used in combat during World War II. You really get a "you are there" feeling when reading. Great read!

Excellent insight, no doubt due to the author’s background as well as research. The story moves at a quick pace with characters well-developed in such a manner that they seem real and engender concern. Great plot development as well.