The sun was in the last throes of surrendering its battle for the sky to the western horizon as Lieutenant Charles Courtland stood on the bridge of the destroyer, H.M.S. Valor. Six other men were there, but none intruded on the solemn quiet, not even the usually boisterous Captain Peter Hastings who stood peering through his binoculars toward the sea. He finally lowered them, bowed his head slightly then turned to the medical officer. "Mister Wells, have our dead been seen to?" He inquired, his voice somber. Wells replied in an equally low tone, "Yes, sir, all nineteen. If we are to return directly to England, there's no reason why we couldn't take ..." The captain cut him off, "Yes, I quite agree. We'll take them home with us; we should soon receive a signal ordering us directly home for repairs." "Thank you, sir. I'm sure the families will appreciate that." Lieutenant Courtland felt the same grief for the lost men mixed with disbelief. They'd mauled the German fleet, they fully expected to do that. But no one could grasp the carnage the Kaiser's fleet, and the Royal Navy inflicted on each other during the two-day battle off the Norwegian peninsular known as Jutland.Only the vaguest hint of daylight remained when Captain Hastings again lifted his binoculars. His commanding timbre returned, "It looks like Fritz has had enough. Right, let's get to it then. I want a full damage assessment. Mister Courtland, make ready a course home." "I'll have it in a moment, sir," Charles replied, bending down to retrieve a chart from the navigation table's lowest drawer. At that very moment, two loud metallic sounding explosions reverberated from the port bow. Charles instantly realized that a German torpedo boat penetrated the fleet to make one last run before retreating. There was no time to react. The explosions lifted the bow out of the water and brought it crashing back down to the sea. The blasts tore steel like paper and hurled deadly shrapnel and shards of glass, killing everyone on the bridge except Charles who lay wounded on the deck. The simple act of bending to retrieve the chart saved his life. He managed to sit up and look around. The ship had lost all power; the bridge was a dark, confusing shambles of wreckage and dead bodies. He tried to stand and had to fight to maintain consciousness. He had to; it was the only hope of saving the ship. Kirkus Review- Cordaro's debut is well-researched and highly readable, blending historical fiction with military drama while providing a detailed look into British naval service during the early to mid-twentieth century. The appearance of Winston Churchill is one of the novel's high points, and his portrayal is handled with an honor and humor befitting the man's legend- Historical fiction that focuses less on history and more on those who survive it. - Foreword Clarion Review- The Cost of Courage is a quick read composed of short, emotion-filled chapters. Cordaro's powerful writing leaves the reader out of breath and dehydrated from sweat and tears. His characters' senses of honor, duty, morality, and family feels so real that the reader bonds with them and feels everything they feel, like a saltwater spray on the face or the incensed throb of betrayal - Not just a novel to entertain, readers will also learn the cost of courage.
About the Author: Joseph Cordaro, a New York native, served in the U.S. Navy and was a professional aviator for 37 years. During that time, Cordaro flew to the United Kingdom on numerous occasions. His admiration for the courage of the English people inspired him to write this story of the Royal Navy, and how one family faced the hardship of two world wars.