ALL HANDS DOWN The True Story of the Soviet Attack on the USS Scorpion

The story of the mysterious disappearance of the USS SCORPION in 1968 finally reveals what happened to the submarine and crew—and why the facts could not be revealed during the Cold War. Malcolm Hillgartner tells the story in a crisp, almost military, style, except when he talks about the submariners' families and their suffering. The author makes painfully clear the reasons they could not be told the true story without compromising national security. Hillgartner walks a fine line between factual recitation of the scattered records of the submarine's disappearance and depicting the dramatic effect of the crew’s loss on the women and children waiting at home. Hillgartner makes everyone, especially the women and children, heartbreakingly real. M.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]