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MWSA Review
Down a Dark Road by Buzz Bernard is the fourth in his World War II historical fiction series When Heroes Flew. While based somewhat on a real person and some of his experiences, additional characters bring the story to life. The characters and the setting were superbly done and quite believable. Many of the descriptions are not only creative and different with the use of literary devices, but they also have a memorable quality.
The characters were written so that I cared about them and was sad when any of them died.
The author uses language that is precise and paints a picture that is easily understood. He uses repetition only for effect (scenes of the death camps). The death camp scenes are well told, although a difficult subject, and may seem overdone to some, but I find that the repetition pointed out exactly how horrible they were.
World War II aficionados will find new material relating to some of the less well-known missions.
Review by Betsy Beard (January 2024)
Author's Synopsis
DOWN A DARK ROAD, based on a true story, hurls readers into the shadowy forests of WWII Austria where a weary and battle-worn Army platoon is about to discover the war’s most horrific secret.
As the war in Europe draws to a close, young Army lieutenant, Jim Thayer, finds himself and his platoon on the point of the American advance into Austria. Jim and his men are no strangers to the horrors of war. But what they find hidden in the forests of western Austria plunges them into the true heart of darkness.
Battling remnants of the legendary Waffen SS, Germany’s elite fighting force, Jim and his men come face to face with the cruel brutality of the Nazi regime. They bear witness to the fields of death left in its wake.
Determined to catch the architect of this atrocity, Jim dispatches an unofficial team of unlikely allies—an American bomber pilot, a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot, and a young Austrian woman—to track him down.
The war may be ending. But for these strange comrades in arms, the final battle is only just beginning.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 220
Word Count: 65,000