Trapp's Secret War (Edward Trapp Adventures (Hardcover)) - Hardcover

Callison, Brian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0727865404 ISBN 13: 9780727865403

Publisher: Severn House, 2008

Synopsis

The new Edward Trapp adventure - 1943. World War Two. A Russian convoy fights its violent, wreckage-strewn course across the Arctic Circle towards Murmansk. Only one ship survives the coffin ship Charon and her complement of misfits, captained by the buccaneering Edward Trapp: professional scoundrel, blackguard without merit. The Charon staggers from one sub-zero crisis to the next in the captains pursuit of ignominy and golden cargo, to the enduring embarrassment of the British and United States Navies . . .

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

British author Callison (Redcap) continues the bizarre adventures of Capt. Edward Trapp, the seaman who sees the chaos of WWII as an opportunity for his own commercial gain. Supposedly narrated by crewmember Naval Liaison Officer Miller, the novel's uneven lurching matches the journey of Trapp's derelict ship, the Charon II. From Callison's highly idiosyncratic style (filled with countless asides, aborted words and mind-numbing nautical details) a story eventually emerges, concerning the bombings of other ships in Trapp's convoy and dysfunctional interactions among Trapp and his crew. Late into the novel Trapp's plan becomes clear: he had only joined the British convoy in order to protect his ship as he pursued his real goal-reaching a remote spot near the Arctic Circle where a ship filled with gold has allegedly been trapped in ice. Visions of the gold fill Trapp's greedy soul. Given the farcical nature of the story, the ending is hardly a surprise, but most readers won't persevere that far. This novel is neither military history nor a thriller, nor even good fantasy, but more an exercise in bizarre style couched in feeble and inappropriate attempts at humor. (Apr.)
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From Booklist:

This is the fifth novel to feature Edward Trapp, the likable World War II–era buccaneer and scoundrel, although chronologically speaking it appears to be a sequel to the first Trapp novel, Trapp’s War (1974), as the narrator, Lieutenant Miller, makes no reference to subsequent adventures. Here, Miller, who thought Trapp was dead, is shocked to learn not only that Trapp is alive but also that he, Miller, has no choice but to sail with him again. But here’s the thing: Miller despises Trapp with a deep and abiding passion. The story follows the unlikely pair of shipmates as Trapp sticks his nose in where it doesn’t belong, mostly in the interests of self-preservation and profit; it’s a deliciously funny account of a rogue, told by the rogue’s sworn enemy. It takes a bit of bravery to set a Flashman-like spoof during WWII, but Callison pulls it off with panache. Not just for Trapp fans, but for anyone who likes good fun, especially military satire. --David Pitt

About this edition

• Publisher: Severn House
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0727865404
• ISBN 13: 9780727865403
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220