praise & reviews...........................................

"Guaranteed to give the spellbound reader claustrophobia, Dead Men Tapping is a tale of tragedy in the fishing fleet that sizzles with dramatic tension."

--Joan Druett, author, In the Wake of Madness: The Murderous Voyage of the Whaleship Sharon

"Ms Yeomans has done a terrific job in getting her arms around a complicated event. As one who was involved in the case of the Heather Lynne II, albeit at a distance, I appreciate her objectivity and the thoroughness in which she researched both this case and other search and rescue cases that were not successful. There are clearly lessons to be learned from this tragedy, not only for the United States Coast Guard, but for all who go to sea,
whether for pleasure or to earn a living. This is a must read for even the most casual sailor--when things start to go wrong, [the sea] can be a very dangerous place--but vigilance, planning and foresight can reduce that risk considerably."

--Rear Admiral John Linnon, U.S. Coast Guard (retired)

"In this deftly written account of a commercial fishing boat crew's fateful last hours, Kate Yeomans lays bare the blood-pumping chaos of a high seas rescue gone awry. She peels back the layers of truth and reconstructs this horrific event, guiding us to places we never expected to go. This is a unique and tragic story told in a redeeming, heartfelt manner."

--Spike Walker, author, Nights of Ice, Working on the Edge and Coming Back Alive: The True Story of the Most Harrowing
Search and Rescue Mission Ever Attempted on Alaska's High Seas

"In Dead Men Tapping, Kate Yeomans captures the suspense and the terror of The Perfect Storm while dramatizing and documenting a series of riveting mysteries that casts an unforgettable shadow over the U.S. Coast Guard and the eccentric rules of the open seas."

--Lee Gutkind, author, Forever Fat: Essays by the Godfather and The Art of Creative Nonfiction

"More people die every year on commercial fishing vessels, per capita, than in any other profession. Kate Yeomans' well-written and riveting book graphically shows the dangers of those who go down to the sea. It also illustrates that maritime rescue is not the clear-cut and logical progression that some writers portray. Anyone interested in the sea should read this book."

--Dr. Dennis L. Noble, author, Lifeboat Sailors and The Rescue of the Gale Runner

"This detailed forensic analysis of a tragic accident and the subsequent litigation claiming negligence by the Coast Guard has a Rashomon-style narrative that, as it moves through several points of view, makes clear that there is nothing cut and dried about a death at sea."

--John Rousmaniere, author, After the Storm; Fastnet, Force 10; and The Annapolis Book of Seamanship

"Kate Yeomans has used her considerable skill as a reporter as well as her gift with language to create a compelling and complex piece of work. [Dead Men Tapping] is a highly detailed but well-paced story combining high seas and courtroom dramas. For anyone interested in the inner workings of the Coast Guard's search and rescue process, this is a must-read."

--Wendy Mitman Clarke, Chesapeake Bay Magazine and Offshore Magazine

"Dead Men Tapping keeps the reader riveted to its pages...This is a tale for all who venture out into rivers, lakes, the tributaries and bays. And for those who leave the bays through jetties that bring them into the ocean. All boaters should read these accounts, because there is much truth to be found in what has gone before. Forewarned is forearmed."

--Wayne Spivak, Boating World

"In Dead Men Tapping, Kate Yeomans... recounts the collision and the ensuing federal trial with a sure sense of drama... Her powerful account will remind readers of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm."

--The Boston Globe

"Yeomans allows readers to make up their own minds as to who was responsible for the deaths of the crew.... But it's clear she has a sharp mind of her own.... the story is a good one, she pursues it relentlessly and for the most part is straightforward in telling it."

--Professional Mariner

"Yeomans writes a compelling narrative and backs it up with exhaustive research. Even if you know how things are going to turn out, this is a nailbiter because Yeomans works so hard to make the characters--and their conflicts--real.... This is a deeply sad story, and one all too familiar to any fishing community along the New England coast. But here ther are no demons, nomonster waves, no perfect storm. Here there are only hardworking, good-intentioned but sometimes fallible human beings brought tragically together on a calm sea off Massachusetts one September dawn."

--Points East

"Kate Yeomans'Dead Men Tapping tells the tale of the sinking of the fishing boat Heather Lynne II. As the book goes along, we learn the facts from the subsequent trial and investigation into the boat's sinking, much like the way the story was told in A Few Good Men. The truth of what happened is hidden behind walls of lies, a mystery that draws the reader in like neon lights on the Vegas Strip drawing in tourists. Yeomans spins a wonderful yarn about deceit and corruption on the seas."

--Great Lakes Boating