USS Hamilton - Broadsides

I’ll admit, I was skeptical when *Broadsides* opened in a naval brig. How much action can you pack into a cell? Turns out, *a lot*—because McGinnis uses Quintos’ confinement to build a powder keg of tension. The moment Admiral Block slides that classified file across the table, the story explodes into a cat-and-mouse game with the kind of tactical detail that’ll thrill armchair admirals. The combat scenes are visceral, but it’s the quieter moments—Quintos debating whether to trust his crew, or the chilling efficiency of the political maneuvering—that stuck with me. This isn’t just ‘pew-pew in space’; it’s a study in how systems fail the people who believe in them. Cronin’s performance is *almost* flawless. His Quintos is a revelation—a voice worn rough by years of service, with a dry wit that cuts through the military jargon. Where he stumbles slightly is in differentiating secondary characters; a few officers blur together in pitch, forcing me to rely on context clues during rapid-fire dialogue. The pacing, though, is impeccable. McGinnis and Cronin sync like a well-oiled gun turret, delivering a story that never drags but also doesn’t rush its emotional beats. My only real critique? The ending sets up a sequel *hard*—so hard that the final act feels more like a cliffhanger than a resolution. Still, for fans of morally gray commanders, high-stakes naval combat, and audiobooks that *sound* as sharp as they’re written, this is a must-listen. Just clear your schedule; you won’t want to pause.