Its 1879 and Lt Cmdr Peter Wake USN is on special assignment as the official American neutral naval observer to the War of the Pacific raging along the west coast of South America Chile having invaded Bolivia has gone on to overrun Peru and controls the entire southeastern Pacific region Washington concerned over European involvement in the war and the French effort to build a canal through Panama has sent Wake to observe local events During Wakes dangerous missionas naval observer diplomat and spyhe will witness historys first battle between oceangoing ironclads ride the worlds first deepdiving submarine face his first machine guns in combat advise the French trying to build the Panama Canal and run for his life in the Catacombs of the Dead in Lima PeruMacombers sixth novel in the Honor series won the highest national honor in his genre the American Library Associations 2008 WY Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction