Secret Sea

Secret Sea by Robb White (1947) I read a lot of Robb White when I was a lad—he wrote tons of books, mostly adventure, and mostly with nautical themes—many World War II era. He also wrote screenplays—most notably for William Castle, including The Tingler. He is a good writer, and the first thing I noticed about this book was how it just moved along—never bogs down—it keeps up the excitement. A lot happens in a short book. It’s the story of a sailor, just after the war ends, hunting for treasure—which may be aboard a sunken Spanish galleon that he’d discovered—I guess somewhere between Florida and Cuba. He enlists the help of a tough street kid and is pursued by a ruthless ex-Nazi. And, naturally, the sunken ship is being guarded by a giant octopus. There’s nothing too corny about the whole adventure—for all that—not even overdramatic—it’s pretty matter-of-fact storytelling—including insights from war experience, science, and an understanding of human nature. It’s all very believable, but also an exciting page-turner.

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