The Last Lieutenant [Hardcover]

John J. Gobbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

A heroic Navy lieutenant, Todd Ingram is the only one who can stop a Nazi spy who needs a radio and thirty seconds to expose a trap and allow the Japanese to win the battle of Midway and attack the U.S. coast. 25,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gobbell (The Brutus Lie), a former Navy lieutenant who served in the South China Sea in the 1960s, has fashioned a complex WWII thriller about events surrounding the American defeat at Corregidor and the subsequent victory at Midway, which turned the tide of the war against Japan. The tale is loosely based on South From Corregidor, Lt. Commander John H. Morrill II's 1943 factual account of his escape from the ill-fated island the night it fell to the Japanese. In June 1941, after murdering a U.S. Navy bugler named Walter A. Radtke in El Paso, a Nazi spy assumes the dead man's identity and winds up, nearly a year later, as an American cryptologist on the war-ravaged island of Corregidor. Because they hold crucial information about the American plan to defeat the Japanese at Midway Island, Radtke and his American superior, Lt. Epperson, are ordered to evacuate. Lt. Todd Ingram, skipper of the USS Pelican, which has been assigned to effect their rendezvous with a submarine, comes upon a mortally wounded Epperson and learns that Radtke has disappeared. As the Japanese overrun the island, Ingram takes 17 survivors on a desperate dash for freedom in a battered 36-foot launch. A subplot about war-thwarted musical careers and a miraculous reunion between Ingram and an Army nurse brutalized by a bestial, American-educated Japanese officer provides plenty of thrills and a poignant romantic twist. Gobbell's thickly inhabited page-turner successfully melds elements of espionage, classic combat heroism and carefully reconstructed historical fiction. Maps not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?This fast-moving thriller is set during the early days of World War II. By April of 1942, the few remaining defenders of the Philippines are bottled up in the crumbling tunnels of the island fortress of Corregidor, stoically enduring round-the-clock bombing in a desperate attempt to prevent the Japanese from taking Manila. Holding out despite dwindling supplies are soldiers, sailors, nurses, and civilians caught in the war's awful web. Among them lurks a Nazi spy in the guise of a Navy cryptographer. This dastardly, clever espionage agent has not only managed to commit several murders, but is also gathering intelligence to pass on to the Axis. When the intelligence officer begins to suspect the cryptographer, he passes his doubts along to his roommate from the Naval Academy, Lt. Ace Ingram. As Corregidor falls, Ingram and his brave crew escape from Manila harbor and begin a perilous journey dodging Japanese patrols in pursuit of the spy. They make their way south through villages and hidden coves, escaping danger in a death-defying chase. Though the naval terminology and detail will elude some readers, and the absence of a good map of the Philippines is a detriment, Gobbell's fine descriptions of the horrors and heroisms of war, and the fascination of the compelling events, make this a real page turner.?Catherine Noonan, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312131089
• ISBN-13: 978-0312131081
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #425,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Escape from Corregidor, August 30, 2000

By 

Cody Carlson (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Lieutenant: In The Heat Of A Great Battle, The Fate Of A Country Rests In His Hands... (Mass Market Paperback)

'The Last Lieutenant' tells the story of the brave men and woman who served on the fortess island of Corregidor in the Phillipines during the brutal Japanese onslaught and a fictional account of a daring escape. Lt. Todd Ingram and rag-tag bunch of navy and army men escape the horror of the Japanese attack in a small patrol boat with which they hope to make it to Austrailia. With the Japanese air force and navy hot on his tail Ingram must use all of his cunning to evade the Pacific aggressors. But Ingram has another mission as well: serving in a US navy uniform is a Nazi spy that knows the details about the Midway offensive. If this spy warns the Japanese in time what's left of the US Pacific fleet is doomed. The story that follows is a thrilling race between the two men to reach civilization. A lot of fun and a wonderful view of the battle for the Phillipines.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Continuous action, January 8, 2002

By 

John T. Campbell (Broomall, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Lieutenant: In The Heat Of A Great Battle, The Fate Of A Country Rests In His Hands... (Mass Market Paperback)

Lt. Todd Ingram is all that stands between a German spy and the revelation of U.S. preparations against the Japanese attack on Midway. This is a fast paced, well plotted story based on the true flight of Americans sailors and soldiers from Corregidor. The description of the bombardment of Corregidor and the ordeal of its defenders was captivating. The details are mostly accurate and the writing competant, but there are a few distracting lapses: a confusion between the words vice and vise, an inexplicable dearth of Aye, aye, sir in a story filled with naval personnel, a navy lieutenant calling an army major by his first name (majors outrank navy lieutenants), and Japanese depth charges detonate within milliseconds of each other. This would be a trick even with today's technology. Also this reader cringed when the author wrote Wham! six times in succession in four different places.
This aside, The Last Lieutenant held my interest when few novels do these days. As you might guess, I'm a tough critic. From this member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club to the author, another member of that club, I say Well Done.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very moving description of the defensive battle & excape., July 23, 1999

By 

David L. Wood, P.E. (North Richland Hills, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Lieutenant: In The Heat Of A Great Battle, The Fate Of A Country Rests In His Hands... (Mass Market Paperback)

This is July 1999. In Jan this year, I went on tour of Corregidor; Malinta Tunnel, the Batteries Geary, Way, Weever and others, Top Side, Middle Side, and Bottom Side, the 1000 bed hospital, south dock, north dock, and the bombed out hulk remains of the US-Filipino garrison. This very wonderful and moving book brought it all together. I consider it a must reading to any one who remembers anything about the Pacific War. Every thing described about the battle,the bombs, the mortars, and the geographic area is factual, as I have been over half of the trip covered by that brave crew in route to Mindanao, especially the rough Verde Passage. It is a fantastic piece of work and any one wondering about the necessity of "being prepared" should read it very carefully. I've been to Corregidor twice, and will go again next year. The mention of the Filipino family that attended Texas A&M for two generations was interesting. There were 26 former Texas A&M men (Aggies) on the Rock during the battle, the most famous, General George Moore. These Aggies held a Muster on 21 April 1942, under fire, as all Aggies do every year, around the world, to honor General Sam Houston, and the fight for Texas Independance in 1836. General MacArthur wrote a letter of commendation about the bravery of those Aggies and the Muster. It was published natiojnally and in the New york Times. A plaque hangs on the campus of Texas A&M with the names of those brave Aggies who went down with Corregidor. This book brings it all home, full circle.... Thanks!