This is Douglas Reemans 30th naval thriller. It is the year 1941. To the residents & defence forces of the Crown Colony of Hong Kong the war in Europe remains remote. Even the massive build-up of Japanese forces on the Chinese border cannot dent their carefree optimism. Yet one man suspects the truth. Lieutenant-Commander Esmond Brooke captain of HMS Serpent & a veteran of the cruel Atlantic sees all too clearly the folly & incompetence of Hong Kongs colonial administration. To Brooke attack by Japan seems inevitable. But in war there will always be some who attempt the impossible even in the face of death. This is the story of one ship & her company who refuse to accept the anguish of defeat & surrender to a merciless enemy...