Side Launch

by

Brock Martin

Exciting historical fiction featuring the entry of the Royal Canadian Navy into the action in the North Atlantic.

Side Launch by Brock Martin is a historical fiction novel about the entry of the Royal Canadian Navy into World War II and its operations in the North Atlantic to protect shipping routes for supplies going to England. The focus is on the fictional captain of the first corvette commissioned for service and family members of the ship’s builder in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. 

Lieutenant Ian Thompson is the captain of the HMCS Collingwood, and the story follows his service during WWII and his developing relationship with his best friend’s younger sister, Kate Andrews. While their relationship has a rocky beginning, they soon form a strong bond of friendship, exchanging letters and infrequent visits after the onset of the war. Both secretly want more from each other, but due to the circumstances, neither feels taking things to another level would be appropriate. 

The Collingwood’s sea experiences are eye-opening. The author does an amazing job conveying just how vulnerable the Allied ships were to the attacks by the German U-boats, especially when the swift strike forces or wolfpacks of multiple U-boats were formed. The naval engagements are exciting and, often, frustrating when the U-boats seem to be unstoppable. The author subtly slips in a lot of factual history about Canada’s part in WWII, their naval capabilities at the time, events leading up to the war in Europe, and German naval operations as part of the narrative. These pieces of the big picture were fascinating, and I read about a lot of things I’d never known before. 

Back home, Kate, a university-educated and fully qualified electrical engineer, is fighting her own battles. Few women were in her line of work, and in the 1940s, this occupation, like most, was completely a man’s dominion. She struggles for the opportunities to use her full potential in the service of the war effort. It was a gut punch when her own father failed to support her position. 

The plot is well-paced and unfolds from multiple points of view, namely through Ian and Kate’s perspectives. Descriptions of the action and settings are vivid and often unsettling and eerie, such as when the Collingwood sails through impenetrable fog or plays a waiting game, wondering when the next U-boat attack will come. There are lighthearted moments courtesy of the ship’s crew and the antics of Smokey, the ship’s cat mascot, to break up the constantly growing tension of escorting the convoys. 

With its engaging and sympathetic main characters and exciting plot, I recommend SIDE LAUNCH to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in WWII naval actions and Canadian naval history. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.