MWSA Review

This installment of the Jackson MacKenzie series focuses on the ordeals of one of its principal characters, Army Major Harry Russell after he suffers a debilitating combat injury in Vietnam. While struggling to recover from the loss of his left foot, Harry also takes on the challenge of helping his best friend – Lieutenant Colonel Jackson MacKenzie, falsely charged with treason.

The book is a flashback that fills in the backstory for one of the MacKenzie series supporting characters, Major Harry Russell. The period setting is the waning days of US engagement in the Vietnam War. Russell's opening challenge is the aftermath of a crippling combat injury. He is initially overwhelmed by the physical and mental trials of the loss of his left foot. The pain and setbacks of his long recovery are complicated by bouts of self-doubt and the abrupt end of his promising Army career.

Russell's personal trials are soon eclipsed when he finds out that LTC Jackson MacKenzie has been imprisoned with the members of his Special Ops team on trumped-up charges of treason. His efforts to contact MacKenzie are met with covert deterrents by government officials trying to sustain their cover-up.

A happy ending for all of the characters—except, of course, the bad actors—sets the stage for follow-on books in the series.

The Kindle version is well laid out and readable, but lack of a Table of Contents makes it difficult to navigate the text. Chapters are identified by dates and locations, assisting the reader in keeping track of the setting in time and space. Listings of previous works by this author would also help the reader know where this book fits into the series.

Review by Peter Young (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

Duty. Honor. Country. The motto by which Major Harry Russell lived as a United States Army Special Forces officer. How does he move forward when his entire life has been turned on its head? Everything Harry worked toward all his life is gone. Gone like his foot in a nighttime mortar attack. Gone like his career since the Army kicked him out as worthless dead weight. Gone like his friends, missing on a secret mission. All he has now is himself. And as a Vietnam veteran, that may not be enough.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 153