Deception Underway

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

In Deception Underway, debut author and U.S. Navy veteran Patrick Riley delivers a gripping, coming-of-age naval memoir-turned-novel that explores loyalty, deception, and the pursuit of love across oceans and duty stations. Set against the backdrop of late Cold War naval operations, the story follows young Electronic Warfare Technician Richard as he navigates the intense camaraderie—and betrayal—within his crew while holding onto a long-distance romance with a woman he met while stationed in Japan.

With powerful reflections drawn from his service aboard the USS Towers DDG-9, USS Hewitt DD-966, and USS Mount Whitney LCC-20, Riley brings authentic detail and emotional depth to a story thirty years in the making. Veterans will find familiar truths in the bonds of shipboard life and the inner resilience required when trust is broken.

This novel is a tribute to the experiences, relationships, and sacrifices of those who served—and a reminder that the real battles aren't always fought at sea.

Synopsis of Deception Underway

Deception Underway follows Richard, a young Navy sailor whose journey through love and friendship becomes entangled with his manipulative shipmate Stewart's web of lies. From his first love, Sachiko, in Japan, to heartbreak with Mindy in Canada and Jennifer in Virginia Beach, Richard navigates relationships while Stewart's pathological dishonesty destroys lives around them. Set against the backdrop of naval life in the early 1990s, this coming-of-age story explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the search for authentic connection. Richard must learn to distinguish between genuine friendship and toxic manipulation as he discovers his path to happiness and integrity.