Don Winslow of the Navy #49

Don Winslow investigates the mysterious disappearance of freighters belonging the James Jordan Shipping Company, but discovers his arch-enemy the Renegade may be connected to the case—and when Winslow and his partner go undercover aboard one of the doomed vessels, they face a dangerous saboteur with deadly plans. With vanishing ships and a familiar villain back in play, Winslow must uncover the truth before another crew is lost at sea.

Bell Bottom Bill discovers that his homemade cigarette lighter has an amusing design flaw—instead of producing a flame, it simply points toward the nearest person carrying matches. Meanwhile, a persistent salesman named Opportunity Knoxx pitches an unconventional solution to a shop owner's problem: a clerk who falls asleep at every counter.

Don Winslow spots the notorious smuggler Thick Lip Jackson at a Navy Week exhibition featuring a rare one-man submarine from the Revolutionary War—one built by his own ancestor, Ezra Lee Winslow. When he discovers Jackson's plot to land contraband by firing on the crowd, Don makes a desperate decision to pilot the ancient submarine and stop the freighter before innocents get caught in the crossfire. It's a high-stakes race against the clock in a vessel that's equal parts marvel and death trap.

Bell Bottom Bill recounts a tall tale about a spectacular tumble from his house roof—and credits an unexpected wardrobe choice for his miraculous escape from injury. It's a quick, punchy joke that plays on the absurdity of springtime fashion in the finest Navy humor tradition.

When Don Winslow arranges a boxing match for Flatbush Foley against the formidable Lefty Wright, he and Red Pennington discover that getting their fighter to the ring safely is half the battle—a scheming rival manager has other plans. With Flatbush mysteriously kidnapped and the fight about to start without him, Don races against time to free his boxer and get him into the arena before the bout is cancelled. It's a race between redemption and sabotage that'll test whether Flatbush has what it takes to step into the ring.

When Jetsam Joe is entrusted with money to buy furs in the Arctic, he stumbles into what he believes is a far more valuable deal—a supposed secret so remarkable that a local trader eagerly trades him crates for the captain's entire investment. Months later, when the captain opens the crates back home, the truth unravels in spectacular fashion, and Joe faces the consequences of his "bargain." A lighthearted tale of how gullibility and good intentions can melt faster than Arctic ice.

When Don Winslow is ordered to oversee the destruction of Captain Battles' aging vessel, the S.S. Courageous, the old sea dog refuses to abandon his ship—until a thick fog brings an unexpected crisis: another vessel headed straight for the reef, unable to see danger ahead. With the radio broken and time running out, Captain Battles sees one last chance to give his beloved ship the honorable end it deserves. Don, Red, and the Captain race against the clock in a desperate gamble to save lives and salvage pride.