"Dewey's Spy"

by Michael J. Blaney

Copyright ©2003
ISBN: 0-87714-816-3 eBook edition
ISBN: 0-87714-304-8 PB edition (284 pages)

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

DEDICATION

With unconditional love,
this work is respectfully dedicated to my life's partner,
Linda

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My sincere thanks go to Linda, Kelly and Jim for doggedly proofing this work. It's an especially rewarding experience to witness your children diligently working in order to uncover flaws in your own work. I think I enjoyed watching them, almost as much as they enjoyed pointing out my mistakes. Needless to say, I am deeply grateful. You are wonderful.

To my family and friends who have offered words of encouragement, advice and support, please know that you are remembered and always appreciated… thank you.

THE AUTHOR

Mike's writing credentials include two somewhat successful "Arleigh Burke" essay contest entries: "Ready Reserve Ships Require Ready Reserve Crews" and "Defeating Stealth". Although neither entry was awarded a prize, the U. S. Naval Institute paid an honorarium for each. "Ready Reserve Ships…" was published in the January 1995 issue of U. S. Naval Institute Proceedings, while "Defeating Stealth" has yet to be published.

As an interesting aside, "Ready Reserve Ships" was referenced in a 1997 analysis conducted by the Congressional Budget Office for the House Committee on National Security. The report, Moving U. S. Forces: Options for Strategic Mobility, specifically referenced Mike's options of establishing a reserve crew program or leasing RRF ships back to commercial operators during peacetime.

Aside from reading and writing, Mike enjoys playing basketball, hiking and sailing with his wife and two children.

SELECTED REVIEW

Spy and mystery books are one of the most difficult to write and to keep the reader pegged to the page. Dewey's Spy is a remarkable piece of ingenuity from beginning to end. Dewey's Spy is certainly the "Sherlock Holmes" of modern time. —Albert Atkins, editor 20thCenturyMilitaryHistory Magazine

THE BOOK

Just over a century ago; prior to 9-11, the United States rallied to the cry, "Remember the Maine!" The United States was on the brink of war with Spain; and, many feared, imperial Germany.

Then as now, our heroes were real. Commodore George Dewey would rise from the Bureau of Inspection and Survey to command a disparate Squadron of American ships that would go down in history as the legendary Asiatic Squadron - the Victors of Manila Bay.

Before that miracle could happen, Dewey required vital information concerning the enemy's strength, disposition, and moral. He had none. Naval intelligence was in its infancy. To compound the problem, the ships of Dewey's squadron lacked the range to engage the Spanish in Philippine waters and still return home.

On the verge of war, Dewey made a bold move. He recruited three individuals to covertly gather intelligence on the Spanish defenses in the Philippines and otherwise act in America's best interests. One of the individuals who answered Dewey's call was the American Consul at Manila. The second was a young naval officer who took a keen interest in things nautical - particularly, the Spanish squadron and the condition of Manila Bay. Unfortunately, however, the identity of the third person remains a mystery to this day. All that seems to have survived regarding the identity of the third individual is that he was a businessman, living in Hong Kong, who frequently traveled to Manila.

Was the loss of this person's identity a historian's oversight, or was the individual's identity purposefully concealed? If so, why?

Dewey's Spy is an account of the events leading up to the Spanish American war. Those events are seen through the idealistic eyes of a young patriot, Matthew Gidding - a fictionalized version of Dewey's long-lost, third spy.

Electronic Editions: ( * Disclaimer )
Download via Email $6.95
3.25" PC disk $6.95 + $2.55 shipping and handling each disk.

NEW - InstaBook paperback Edition