Review: Enjoyable New England sea story
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2011
A Single Deadly Truth, e-book by John Urban is a mystery with Buzzards Bay and surrounding New England territory as its setting.Steve Decatur is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and local college professor who is serving as Assistant Harbormaster at Harbor Point, Massachusetts  during the summer. He lives in an old sailboat docked in the harbor and has a local girlfriend, Susan, who is a New York lawyer. He had missed a call from Chris Blanchard, a young lobsterman who works out of the area and is the nephew of his good friend, Marty Daponte, a former Boston Bruin's player of great repute.Returning from a tour of the harbor to check on a reported large shark in the area Steve is called by Dan Fawcette, the harbormaster, to tell him that Chris is missing. Steve returns and finds the police with questions about Chris, who has a reputation for drug abuse and trouble. From here, the story begins to unfold with introduction of a number of characters of importance to the story. Emil Ducharme, the 60 year old French captain of the 175 foot treasury recovery ship, Oceanus. He is of dubious scruples and has a rogue crew with at least two members of a seemingly similar bent. Adalino Alviera, owner of the dock in New Bedford that Chris rented. Khoumaris, an arms dealer with a 70 foot power boat capable of doing 70 knots. Barstow, an old school FBI agent, and his partners. James Stafford, an old, mentally unstable, retired naval captain and his daughter Jane. Steve's old emeritus professor of Naval History, FP, and close friends Jim and Billy.The plot evolves with several murders, finding an unreported lost ship, discovery, and use of, equipment from much earlier days in naval history, and daring action by the protagonist. The author is knowledgeable of his subject and, although containing some moderate stretches of credibility, has provided a moderately enjoyable read. Reviewed by John H. Manhold, award-winning fiction/non-fiction author.