Customer Reviews

A Deep Blue Sounding: Dark Voyage With the U.S. Coast Guard

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It is hard to believe that the author was ever in the Coast Guard. He has created a story while decent has no basis in how the Coast Guard actually operates. I have been a Coastie since 1991 and it was almost painful to read this due to the inaccuracies. If you aren't a coastie, please don't view this as an accuarate view on how the Coast Guard operates.

I was hoping that this book would finaly promote the Coast Guard in a deserving and exciting light, but unfortunately I was let down. Being an active Coastie on a 210', I was thrilled to see a Coast Guard fiction book on the shelves. After forcing myself to read it however, I became very disapointed in the obvious lack of research performed by Mr. Hutton, which I need not reproduce, as many other of these reviews have already stated them. It was a well enough story in itself, although there were few areas where I felt "caught by the action". I have kept the book only because I am an avid Coastie, but if you can mind the multitude of factual mistakes and sometimes slow plot advance, then this book may be worth a try.

I wouldn't recommend this book due to Mr. Huton's disregard for fact. It certainly would have made better reading if he'd done a little more research. Some examples: 1) A 210 foot Coast Guard Cutter has more than 29 people on it. 2) The 1st Coast Guard District is in Boston, not New York.

I didn't get far before this book found it's way to the trash. Sorry for the bad review but it stinks!

As has been mentioned at length the amount of innaccuracies and errors in this fictional work about the U.S. Coast Guard are a major detractor to this book. Mr. Hutton can obviously write, and pieces together an interesting story, but that can't overcome all the errors in this book. Colors at 0630 and the mention of "Charlie Gulf" (Golf). Maybe non-CG folks might enjoy this offering, but if you are a Coastie you may want to stay away.

A Deep Blue Sounding, grabs you by the arm as soon as you open the cover and continues to grip tighter and tighter as each page is turned. Although this book is purported to be fiction there are some all too true elements mixed throughout this book. There is not doubt that the author had been a coasty and had chipped some paint and suffered the frustrations of aged equipment and some self-serving officers. Then of course there is always Washington DC, who cuts the budget and expects more and more and demands that it is done with less and less. A Deep Blue Sounding is a definite read book for any and all. All coasties should read this book, regardless of rank; it will not only entertain, but also provide some very definite food for thought.

The Coast Guard struggles to get the positive publicity it earns in the course of it's many and varied duties.
This novel doesn't help. True, the small detail errors glare at a real Coastie, however the point is the negative light this casts upon a proud branch of the US armed forces with a strong tradition of service, loyalty and bravery that goes largely unnoticed.
Smaller than the Marine Corps and with many, many missions, I wish someone would write a novel about the Coast Guard that reflects our pride and comradeship.
I was excited to see this novel and expected great things only to sadly let down.

I picked this book for a summertime read and got a great one! Once I hit the author's stride, I found that the story shot like a torpedo (pardon the pun) aimed straight at the Congress and the various adminstrations that have allowed the Coast Guard to languish in the backwaters of Washington politics. As a turning 50 Baby Boomer, and like alot of my generation, I missed the service but still respect it and those who served. I'm not a Coastie, nor a member of any service, so I didn't catch what some knowledgeable insiders consider inaccuracies. What came through was an riveting story that shed needed light on a branch of the service that heretofore has gotten little mention.

This was an entertaining read and an enlightening piece of fiction. As I recall the books that I read in the summer of 2000, I'll look back on this one and think it was time well spent.

This book presented a wonderful array of characters and an easy-to-follow, interesting story line. The political games that the characters played, the blatant neglect of the fleet by those in power, and the underhanded actions of shady characters all added up to a fun ride for any reader. Donald Hutton has opened the door of this trilogy in fine fashion.

While author Donald Hutton may have served in the Coast Guard, its obvious from reading his novel that he hasn't stood on the deck of a cutter in ages. While other successful authors of military novels such as Tom Clancey go out of thier way to be factually acurate, Hutton takes a hapharzard approach to exsisting facts that undermines the authority with which he trys to speak about the Coast Guard. He doesn't seem to know the difference between a 210' WMEC and a 110' patrol cutter. He doesn't seem to know the difference between a 44' motor surfboat and 41' utility boat. Although such minutia may be of little concern to the average reader, the Coastie who picks up this book (and I can't imagine many folks outside the USCG even wanting to read it) will become frustrated with the poor research from the very first page.

Beyond the factual errors the story itself is rather dull. It contains cookie-cutter characters: There's the alcoholic officer with a heart of gold who's always in trouble with his superiors. He falls in love with the female officer who has beauty AND brains. Then there's the token gay enlisted man trying to hide his sexuality, the commanding officer who's interested only in furthering his own career by stepping on everyone, etc. etc. etc. You've seen it all before in a dozen other formats.

It may merit watching Hutton to see what he produces in the expected sequal to A Deep Blue Sounding (to be called "Coxsakie"), but if the factual errors and cardboard characters aren't gone by then, I know I won't be investing in the third volume of the trilogy.

This is a book about sevral US Coast Guard Intellingence officer who uncover an ill-legal operation within the Coast Guard. This book starts with the mysterious sinking of one of the Coast Guards Cutters, and when it is invistigated, thier is a lot of suspesion. It takes the setting to sevral diffrent parts of the US, and deals with the point of views of sevral charaecters, both good and bad. I would recomend this book to anyone who knows some things about the Coast Guard, or would like to know about it. Even though there are some slow parts to this book, there are still many exciting parts to it, and it's a fairly good book.