Darkside [Bargain Price] [Audio Cassette]

P. T. Deutermann (Author), Dick Hill (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2003

When a midshipman plunges six stories to his death, the U.S. Naval Academy begins investigating an apparent suicide. But there's a bizarre twist: the young man's body is found wearing undergarments belonging to Midshipman Julie Markham, a senior at the academy.

Julie's father Ev, an Annapolis graduate who is now a professor there, fears his daughter will be blamed by the "Darkside" - the bureaucracy that wants to protect the academy at all costs from scandal. Then there's another death, and the beautiful grounds and impregnable traditions of Annapolis are revealed as the hiding place for a relentless predator who can no longer control an impulse to kill.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This gripping mystery by the author of Hunting Season offers a memorable-if slightly improbable-account of some creepy goings-on at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. As the book opens, the school is buzzing with the news that a plebe has plummeted from a sixth-story window and died. Amid questions of suicide, a new twist emerges: the plebe was wearing a pair of panties belonging to Midshipman First Class Julie Markham, a perky senior at the academy and an acquaintance of the dead plebe, who then gets drawn into the investigation. Her father, a retired former fighter pilot and academy history professor, hires crack defense lawyer Liz DeWinter, fearing that Markham will somehow be scapegoated by the Navy Criminal Investigation Service as officers try to hush up scandal and save their own careers. Meanwhile, academy security chief Jim Hall begins probing the case on his own. After another death, it looks like there's a killer on the loose; some wild, murderous chases ensue in the academy's underground tunnels, while sparks fly between DeWinter and Markham's widower father. Veteran mystery novelist Deutermann, a graduate of the naval academy and retired captain, paints a detailed picture of the lives of midshipmen-including their rigorous education, strict honor code and suspicion of officers (referred to collectively as the "Dark Side")-as well as the inner workings of navy bureaucracy; the smart characters and deft plotting make up for some minor inconsistencies. Readers with navy backgrounds will naturally gravitate toward Deutermann's latest, but other mystery fans will find the story thoroughly absorbing as well.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Gripping...thoroughly absorbing." -Publishers Weekly

"Deutermann...writes page-turners. And this one has a surprise ending-one that comes as a bombshell." -Houston Chronicle

"A dead-on sense of place and appealing characters in tight corners...satisfying." -Kirkus Reviews

"Deutermann has now published seven pounding-pulsers. For this book, he was back at Dahlgren and Mahan, updating his reef points."-Baltimore Sun

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio Paperback Audiobooks; Abridged edition (September 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590861132
• ASIN: B000VYLL9Y
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,859,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter T. Deutermann
(P.T. Deutermann)


Peter Deutermann was born in Boston in 1941. His father was in the Navy, so he subsequently lived all over the United States and also in Argentina. He graduated from the naval academy in 1963 and served in the navy for 26 years, rising to the rank of Captain. While in the navy, he published one textbook on naval operations and several professional articles in navy-oriented journals. He held three commands: a Swiftboat in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, a guided missile destroyer in the Atlantic Fleet, and a destroyer squadron based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His last tour of duty was as the division director for chemical, biological, and radiological weapons arms control negotiations on the staff of the Joint Chiefs in Washington, DC.
He retired from active duty in 1989 and began his fiction-writing career. He has published fourteen novels since 1992, all with St. Martins Press, including the just-released World War II navy novel, entitled Pacific Glory. He is currently working on his next book, a thriller set at the historic mountain fortress of Masada in Israel.
In addition to a BS in naval engineering, Mr. Deutermann holds an MA in public administration from the University of Washington. He is also a Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. He is married and has two children. Mr. Deutermann and his wife of 42 years live in Rockingham County, in the Piedmont of North Carolina, on their family pony farm.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good thriller is buried within all that fluff, March 31, 2005

By 

Michael in Helena, Alabama "Michael" (Helena, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Darkside: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

First of all - Darkside, even more than Deutermann's other books, requires a good understanding of Naval and military jargon. Unless you already know what a "reefer" is (no it's not marijuana) and you know what an OOD is, and many other slang terms, you may get lost in this book and give up on it.

And that's unfortunate, because it IS a good book, although it's about twice as long as it really needs to be. The theme is unique and plausible, and the action, once it FINALLY gets moving, is pretty intense.

If you can stick with it, you'll be pleased with this Deutermann book. It just seems like the author said to himself "Well, Tom Clancy can write ridiculously long novels, why can't I"?

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DARKSIDE IS A TOUR de FORCE, December 9, 2002

By 

Chris Suerdieck (Mattoon, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Darkside: A Novel (Hardcover)

Several years ago I picked up an book on a remainder table called SCORPION OF THE SEA by an unknown author named P T Deutermann. By the time I was finished with that book I was wishing he'd write more! He has and every book just keeps getting better.

Deutermann writes around a military theme, but not necessarily all military stories. He has stayed away from the improbable scenarios and whizzo-high tech that other writers of like minded fiction have fallen into. His stories always feature solid characters, believable dialogue and compelling action. He has an uncanny ear for dialogue and excellant characterizations.

With DARDSIDE, he has surpassed himself, crafting a story that is multi-layered with the Naval Academy as a backdrop. The life of a midshipman comes to life on these pages, as well as a whole host of other characters.

Deutermann assumes his readers have enough working knowledge of the subject matter that he doesn't litter the narrative with asides to define and explain every military term or bit of jargon he uses, yet he doesn't overwhelm with it. If you never knew what a "bitter end" was, the story wouldn't suffer because of it.

Until this book, I thought EDGE OF HONOR was his masterpiece, now I would say it's a dead even tie, although he revisits a lot of the themes about Honor and Duty in this story.

Highly recommended, the best book of 2002 by far!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "BOOK OF THE YEAR"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HIS BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5+, November 22, 2002

By 

J. Spencer "spencer" (cleveland, tn USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Darkside: A Novel (Hardcover)

P T DEUTERMANN has now est. himself as one of the best fiction
writers, in not only this country, but in the world today. His
new book DARKSIDE,will keep you up all night. I thought he could
not surpass HUNTING SEASON, but he has proved us all wrong.Its
not as if he has written only one or two good books,all his novels, are 5+, this author is the best kept secret in America.
but the word is getting out,as his last book HUNTING SEASON,was
a big seller.please tell your friends,if its mystery,thrills,
and suspense,and great writing,with solid characters,and superb
plotting, DARKSIDE, is one of a kind for this Christmas season.
i'm so sold i'm buying, a number of them for christmas gifts.
You can read the review from publishers weekly,if you want to know more about the story, i'm not giving away anything.
thanks P T DEUTERMANN!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!