MWSA Review
R.G. Roberts is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. She served on three ships, taught at the Surface Warfare Officers School, and graduated from the U.S. Naval War College with a master’s degree in Strategic Studies & National Security, with a concentration in leadership.

In her book, Cardinal Virtues, Roberts writes about the U.S. Navy in 2037. The main character, Alex Coleman, has had the unfortunate assignment to work as XO under the command of power-seeking Admiral Kennedy. After becoming embroiled in controversy, Alex is assigned to an underwater mega-station to carry out concierge tasks while marking time until his retirement.

Alex Coleman’s wife Nancy is the commander of a naval destroyer tasked with leading a strike group through the Strait of Malacca. When a lapse of judgment causes a trigger-happy admiral to fire upon an Indian submarine, all hell breaks loose and World War III seems to be underway.
Forces of evil nations conspire to trap the Americans and destroy every one of the ships in the area.

In this technical mystery/thriller, a reader experiences vicariously what it’s like to be under relentless attack. The main characters struggle to outwit a cunning collaboration of enemies both on and under the sea. The ending will leave you wanting to pick up the next book in the series.

Review by Nancy Panko (April 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Every nation wants territory without war. Until the shooting starts...   

Alex Coleman is on the way out.   

The year is 2037, and Commander Alex Coleman’s career is on the rocks. He’s been exiled to Armistice Station, an underwater megastation where you can buy everything... except success in the U.S. Navy. Here, he awaits retirement, doling out supplies and keeping an eye on unruly sailors. All his career aspirations have sunk lower than the ocean floor that surrounds him.  

Nancy Coleman is on the way up.   

Commander Nancy Coleman, on the other hand, is in command of a brand-new destroyer and leading a strike group through the Strait of Malacca. China’s getting frisky, and the U.S. Navy has long-standing ties with Taiwan. China might start the war, but Nancy knows her navy will finish it.   

Neither Nancy nor Alex know of the dark forces at work around them. French marines allied with the Indian Navy in a plot to remove US influence in the Indian Ocean. A trigger-happy admiral lands Nancy’s strike group in the middle of a shootout with the wrong enemy. World War III threatens with every misstep.  

Nancy battles to keep her ship in one piece and her sailors alive. Alex fights to get his band of misfits off the station before they end up prisoners of war. Neither Coleman set out to be a hero. Yet, the bullets are flying... and they both have a job to do.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 386