When World War II becomes imminent, Roman decides to put aside minor league baseball in order to enlist in the US Army, leaving behind his fiancée Hannah.

During basic training he discovers that he has a definite talent for driving tanks and Roman is eager to join his fellow soldiers on the front line.

Dead in the Water focuses on the older of two brothers, Hank, who joins the US Navy to fight in World War II.

Hank is assigned to work on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, where he quickly bonds with his crewmates over a shared love of baseball.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books reviewed Dead in the Water, writing that "Although part of an ongoing series, this volume stands sturdily on its own as a expertly crafted war story, with fluid prose, bleak humor, careful attention to historic detail, and a view of “The Good War” worth pondering.