Book Review: Steel Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann
Published in 2021. Thriller. After completing a secret mission in Yemen with his SEAL team platoon, Navy Chief Petty Officer Finn is transferred to the aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72), for a ride back home. He’s not sure why he’s been separated from his platoon and can’t get any answers, but orders are orders. He’s given a place to sleep, but nothing to do except wander through the ship. Shortly after his arrival, one Navy officer disappears and is assumed to have committed suicide. A note was found, but no body. The Commanding Officer of the ship cuts short recovery operations in order to get back on schedule. Not long after that, another officer, this time a pilot, also disappears and is assumed to have committed suicide. Again, a note was left behind, but no body found. The Command Master Chief initiates an investigation without the approval of the ship’s captain, a potentially risky move if the captain finds out. He has no leads and the only clue he finds is given to him by Chief Finn during a FOD walkdown on the carrier deck. The clue leads the CMC nowhere as two enlisted crewmembers disappear. This time, the Commanding Officer approves an investigation and centers his suspicions on Chief Finn, the Navy SEAL.
I found this story intriguing and couldn’t stop reading it to find out who the serial killer was. But there were several discrepancies not related to the plot that I found bothersome. I served in the Navy for over twenty-two years, and my husband was a Chief Petty Officer with over twenty-seven years of service. Since I retired, I know the Navy has undergone a lot of changes, but these should not have. As a Chief Petty Officer, Finn did not seek out the other chiefs on the ship, and they didn’t go out of their way to meet him. That would have been the first thing my husband would have done had he been in Finn’s shoes. Instead, he was invited to the Officer’s mess. Really? And the Captain of the ship even called him ‘mister’ Finn. Only junior officers are referred to as mister. I think my husband would have rolled over in his grave. In addition, the Captain allowed Finn to wander around the ship without a duty assignment. The Captain would have had the Command Master Chief assign him something to do on the ship even temporarily. Finn would have been trained in some field before he qualified to be a SEAL. Another issue I had with the book had to do with Finn’s name. It was listed as Finn X, with X being the last name. He said his recruiter made him give him a last name so he chose X because he didn’t know his parents and didn’t want to use any of his foster parents’ names. As a former recruiter, I know that every applicant must provide an official birth certificate or equivalent to verify name, date of birth, and so on. Finn couldn’t choose to use X without a court document approving a name change. I was surprised to see this discrepancies in the book since one of the authors had been in the Navy, was a chief petty officer, and a Navy SEAL. Maybe they thought no one would notice?
I found this story intriguing and couldn’t stop reading it to find out who the serial killer was. But there were several discrepancies not related to the plot that I found bothersome. I served in the Navy for over twenty-two years, and my husband was a Chief Petty Officer with over twenty-seven years of service. Since I retired, I know the Navy has undergone a lot of changes, but these should not have. As a Chief Petty Officer, Finn did not seek out the other chiefs on the ship, and they didn’t go out of their way to meet him. That would have been the first thing my husband would have done had he been in Finn’s shoes. Instead, he was invited to the Officer’s mess. Really? And the Captain of the ship even called him ‘mister’ Finn. Only junior officers are referred to as mister. I think my husband would have rolled over in his grave. In addition, the Captain allowed Finn to wander around the ship without a duty assignment. The Captain would have had the Command Master Chief assign him something to do on the ship even temporarily. Finn would have been trained in some field before he qualified to be a SEAL. Another issue I had with the book had to do with Finn’s name. It was listed as Finn X, with X being the last name. He said his recruiter made him give him a last name so he chose X because he didn’t know his parents and didn’t want to use any of his foster parents’ names. As a former recruiter, I know that every applicant must provide an official birth certificate or equivalent to verify name, date of birth, and so on. Finn couldn’t choose to use X without a court document approving a name change. I was surprised to see this discrepancies in the book since one of the authors had been in the Navy, was a chief petty officer, and a Navy SEAL. Maybe they thought no one would notice?
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