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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Also by P. T. Deutermann
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
TRIAL BY FIRE. Copyright © 2021 by P. T. Deutermann. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Young Jin Lim
Cover illustration by Steve Gardener / Pixelworks Studio, Inc.
Cover photographs: F4U Corsair fighter (top left) © Kevin McCarthy / Alamy; F4U Corsair fighter (top right) © Kevin Griffin / Alamy
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Deutermann, P. T. (Peter T.), 1941– author.
Title: Trial by fire / P. T. Deutermann.
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2021. | Series: P. T. Deutermann WWII novels
Identifiers: LCCN 2021006883 | ISBN 9781250273048 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250273055 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Franklin (Aircraft carrier)—Fiction. | World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations, American—Fiction. | World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns—Pacific Ocean—Fiction. | GSAFD: War stories. | Sea stories.
Classification: LCC PS3554.E887 T75 2021 | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006883
eISBN 9781250273055
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: 2021