Four days after 27-year-old Robert Keaton is rescued from the sea after his ship hit a mine, he is promoted to Lieutenant Commander, put in charge of three torpedo boats and dispatched to Malta.

Rommel's Afrika Corps is in full retreat. The next target for the Allies is likely to be Italy. The enemy airfields in Sicily are only 60 miles away from Malta. Beleaguered Malta has been the most bombed place in the world and has been under siege. It sorely needs fuel, ammunition and canned rations. It becomes Keaton's mission to protect the convoys bringing supplies to Malta from enemy ships and submarines.

The Glory Boys gives an excellent picture of life on the island under siege. Much attention is given to the preparations for their missions. The scenes of the encounters with the enemy are vivid and graphic.

I have only one complaint: an explanation of the naval language and abbreviations for the uninitiated would have been helpful.