Uncommon Valor by Dwight Zimmerman

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MWSA Review

Authors Dwight Zimmerman and John Gresham have written not just a book—they have managed to capture a piece of American history. Uncommon Valor is destined to become a military classic. It should be required reading at all the military academies! It is not just an accounting of six men who won "The Medal Of Honor" but an unfolding of emotions, history and honor itself. In the last decade, I have never enjoyed a military book more than this one. It inspired, educated, and entertained me.

Zimmerman and Gresham have created something very special between the pages—it is so much more than just history and fact telling. It is at times, spellbinding, insightful, and informational. This is a book that stands out from the rest. It is both my honor and pleasure to announce that Uncommon Valor is the winner of "The Military Writer's Society of America's" (MWSA) Founder's Award for 2010.

I personally endorse this book and recommend it to all Americans to read and not just those who like military or history books. WELL WRITTEN. WELL RESEARCHED! Most of all it is A MOVING AND LOVING PORTRAIT of six men who gave their lives in service to their country while fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Since the Vietnam War ended in 1973 and prior to September 2010, the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for valor, has been presented to only eight men for their actions "above and beyond the call of duty." Six of the eight were young men who had fought in the current war in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. All of these medals were awarded posthumously, as all six had made the choice to give their lives so that their comrades might live.
 
Uncommon Valor answers the searing question of who these six young warriors were, and dramatically details how they found themselves in life-or-death situations, and why they responded as they did. Also, for the first time, this book provides a comprehensive history of the Medal of Honor itself--one marred by controversies, scandals, and theft.
 
Using an extraordinary range of sources, including interviews with family members and friends, teammates and superiors in the military, personal letters, blogs posted within hours of events, personal and official videos, and newly declassified documents, Uncommon Valor is a compelling and important work that recounts incredible acts of heroism and lays bare the ultimate sacrifice of our bravest warriors.

Grey Wolf by David Huffman

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MWSA Review

Grey Wolf -- A Novel in History is about life on a German U-Boat at the start of World War II. Oskar Keppler, the commander of the sub, was a veteran of World War I who developed the "wolfpack" tactics used in submarine warfare. The book is about his life and his men as well as some of the British opponents. 

When the war started, the U-Boat packs began sinking British and Merchant Marine ships.  The first vessel that they sank was a tanker. It was unarmed. The sub surfaced and fired a warning shot. Their target stopped and the crew evacuated before the Germans opened fire.

The U-Boats ran on the surface at night to charge their batteries and go twice as fast. During the day, the remained submerged. Most of the crew never got to go topside.  Living conditions were cramped and there was little privacy. The officers' mess was between two beds in an aisle.  They stayed out 6 weeks at a time. To conserve fuel, they did not run the electric heaters which made their living quarters miserably cold. The food was good at first, but the longer they were at sea, the less appetizing it became. After a few weeks, they made do with moldy bread and canned goods.
 
They didn't have many torpedoes, so they used them judiciously.  The boats were vulnerable to attack from the air since they had to spend so much time on the surface. Interestingly, early in the war, they could see the stacks before they could see the ships themselves.

The first voyage, the subs in the pack were too far apart. They were heading back after sinking 3 ships, when they heard that another U-Boat had sunk a tanker. The survivors were in the water and oil was burning all around them. Enlisted personnel bunked forward and the officers had to remove the table in the corridor so that they could pass. The sub was picking up the swimmers when they were spotted by carrier scout planes.  The pilots radioed the carrier for orders -- should they let the U-Boat rescue the survivors or should they sink the submarine?  The order came back, "Sink them!"

The U-Boat submerged and started evasive actions.  The carrier sent its escort ship to help find and destroy the sub. This left the carrier unprotected and the protagonist had the opportunity to go after the big target. Although almost out of fuel, the U-Boat sank the carrier.  As a result, carriers stayed out of the open ocean during the remainder of World War II.

At the end of the book, the U-Boat crew returns to Germany and a hero's welcome -- but the story is far from over.

This was a very enjoyable read... historical fiction is a good way to learn about little known aspects of momentous events.  Most of the events described in this book were taken from actual German war diaries. I was already interested in U-Boat warfare before I read this book, so I was an eager audience. Having said that, I highly recommend this gem of a read to anyone.  In fact, I'm looking forward to reading the promised sequels.

Reviewed by: Buddy Cox (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

World War Two is about to begin and a German Naval Officer is going to war. Again. Oskar Keppler, a U-boat veteran of the Great War, takes command of the Type VII submarine U-115. Based on the actual War Diary of a German U-boat at the outset of World War II, this novel presents the U-boat experience from the perspective of those who lived it. Vivid descriptions of life in a diesel-electric powered submarine: day after day of mundane drilling, horrendous smells and ever deteriorating food are punctuated by moments of action, elation, terror and dread. In perhaps the most important single patrol of the first half of the Battle of the Atlantic, a handful of men will change the balance of power, and strategic capabilities of their adversary, for years to come.

For the Fatherland by Walter Zapotoczny, Jr

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MWSA Review

One of my most personally prized books and which I refer to often is John Toland's Hitler.  When I first read it I was struck by Toland's attention to historical accuracy and his scrupulous even handedness.  He never made a single excuse for the Nazi mass murderer, but his biography put the crazed Austro-German in context.  Hitler, Toland showed, was much more than a madmen, a crazed genius and a psychotic � he was surrounded by people who in their haste to curry favor were even crazier.  It was groupthink gone wild and bizarre. Hitler came away looking pathetic, his career a lesson for the present as well as an eye into the worst in our natures.
 
Walter Zapotoczny's For the Fatherland does much the same for all those Germans who willingly carried out the insane policies of their Leader, putting aside common decency and their own inherent humanity.
 
Told through the flashback recollection of Kurt Schultheiss, an elderly veteran of the SS, Zapotoczny paints a compelling, frightening picture of a whole society gone mad.   
 
The blonde haired blue-eyed Kurt grew up in the 1930s and was caught up in the maelstrom of Hitler's Germany.  Like many other youth his age he became a member of the Hitler Youth and amidst the simple pleasures and joys of childhood and young teenage years -- camping, singing, and learning new physical and mental skills, was indoctrinated into a belief system that portrayed a new Germany the despondent populace could believe in and embrace.
 
Kurt was only one of millions caught up in this perversion of the truth.  Germans, he was taught were a superior race.  The rest of the world, especially Jews and blacks were inferior.  When Jesse Owens won his storied gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Games it was not because he was better than the other competitors, Kurt and his friends assured themselves, it was because he was given drugs to improve his performance -- no Schwartzer could possibly defeat a true German.
 
As the years pass and World War II erupts, Kurt is witness to some of the most dehumanizing and despicable acts in recorded history, and a party to some of them.  His ability to rationalize this sort of brutality, hatred and cruelty in the name of the nation is mind-boggling -- and is a belief he carries to the very end of the novel.
 
Zapotoczny has written more than a novel.  He has written a cautionary tale of how extremism and a simplistic world view can take otherwise ordinary people and make them commit, overlook and justify extraordinary evil.
 
When Nobel Prize winning author Sinclair Lewis wrote his frightening novel, It Can-t Happen Here, he was writing about a country in the midst of a national identity crisis, financial meltdown who found solace in a charismatic ideologue whom they allowed to destroy their freedoms in the name of "liberty" and "right thinking."  Truth in Lewis" America bore no resemblance to the pronouncements of extremists who thought liberty was not universal and that freedom was confined only to those who agreed with them.
 
Zapotoczny echoes that sentiment in For the Fatherland and makes clear that the lessons of Hitler's Germany are just as worth learning today as when Lewis wrote.  In the epilogue he writes: "We must always be vigilant of extremism and those who would profess to make the next new world."
 
If you only read one novel this year, make sure you read For the Fatherland.  Then turn on the news and listen to the commentators on the radio. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Reviewed by: David Tschanz (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Growing up in Germany in the 1930s, Kurt Schultheiss was like the other kids in his neighborhood: rambunctious, inquisitive, and the center of his parents' world. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he was also the picture of Aryan purity, a poster child for the band of "magnificent youngsters" with which Adolf Hitler plotted to build his "new world." As Hitler's power grew, he created the Hitler Youth, a breeding ground for the Nazi SS. As members of the Hitler Youth, Kurt and his friends enjoyed camping, weapons training--and complete indoctrination into the Nazi philosophy of world domination. Eventually Kurt became part of the infamous Einsatzgruppen, a group notorious for atrocities committed against Jews and Russians at the German Eastern Front. In this captivating novel, an elderly Kurt looks back on his life and struggles to find atonement for the terrible sins of his youth, offering in the process his explanation for how youthful potential can go so terribly wrong.

Sisters of Valor by Rosalie Turner

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MWSA Review

Sisters of Valor is a unique and thought-provoking glimpse into the life, heart and mind of a soldier's wife, more specifically a Vietnam era soldier's wife.  
 
Having actually lived the experience of which she's writing lends author Rosalie Turner unimaginable insight into her characters -- insight that would otherwise be impossible.  This personal familiarity authenticates her story like nothing else could, shedding much deserved light on the silent sacrifices made by our nation's military wives.  
 
The reader is invited into the heart of the main character, Susan Mitchell, and her three fellow "sisters of valor," Rose Magda and Texanne.  The story follows the lives of these four friends as they endure the hardships of maintaining their homes, raising their children, and sustaining normalcy as much as possible while their husbands are deployed to the jungles of Vietnam in service to their country -- a country that is unabashedly vocal about protesting the war that these dedicated men are so valiantly fighting.   
 
As if being estranged from their husbands isn't bad enough, the wives have to deal with the social unrest and controversy over U.S. involvement in Vietnam, dissension that sometimes invades the confines of their very own families.  
 
All four of these wives have distinctively different personalities and varying ways of dealing with twelve months of deployment separation.  As dissimilar as they are, they share a common thread -- a bond of sisterhood.  They share the loneliness, the fear, the void, the despair, and the ever-looming threat of the knock on the door that will deliver the devastating news that their husband won't be coming home.  
 
When that knock came for one of these four women in the story, my heart broke as surely as the character's did.  I felt myself gasp as I read what she was hearing -- that her husband had been killed in the Republic of South Vietnam.  
 
This is a deeply poignant reading experience.  It honors military spouses of not only the Vietnam theatre, but all theatres of war.  It's a great book for military lovers, and lovers of romance alike.  
 
Turner has a wonderful way with words, and a gift for sharing the character's emotion with her reader.  This story will tug hard on the heart, tempt some tears, and rekindle poignant memories of the tumultuous era in American history that claimed the lives of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and 58,000 heroic American soldiers who paid the ultimate price for their service in Southeast Asia.

Reviewed by: Claudia Pemberton (2009)

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Author's Synopsis

The '60's were a turbulent time in our country, and it was especially difficult for the service wife as protests against the war were so personal against the serviceman.  In SISTERS OF VALOR four very different service wives come together to find the support they need.  The story continues until today when the wives look at what the Vietnam Era meant to us as a country, as families, and as individuals.

Digger Dogface Brownjob Grunt by Gary R Prisk

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MWSA Review

Gary Prisk's DIGGER DOGFACE BROWNJOB GRUNT will be a huge hit with infantry combat veterans, and especially Vietnam veterans. 

Lt. Edward Hardin finds himself in Vietnam as a platoon leader.  Losing most of his platoon at Dak To, he vows that the survivors will all make it home.   But the Viet Cong have other ideas, and they aren't the only ones against him.  The South Vietnamese Army and even his own operations officer seem out to make sure Edward comes home in a body bag, or maybe not at all.  First as a platoon leader, then as a company commander, Hardin takes them all on, and deals punishment to anyone who threatens his men.  But will it be enough?

Any reader of this book will quickly see that Prisk not only talks the talk, but he walked the walk.  Only a man who led soldiers in jungle combat could so vividly capture this special brand of Hell.  In addition, Prisk's creative and darkly humorous writing style, keep the reader on his toes, forcing him to pay close attention to the scenes portrayed so that nothing is missed.  Most readers will appreciate that Hardin is a "grunt's grunt," focused on his men and only his men, his own career and reputation be damned.    Most readers too will catch one of the underlying themes: generals and colonels didn't know what they were doing fighting the Vietnam War, and left the average foot soldier holding the bag.  

I particularly liked Hardin's human side, especially when referring to his wife Linda.  I admit, I cringed when Hardin went on R&R to meet his wife and little girl, knowing it would be too easy for Prisk to go overboard on how Hardin was unable to shed the war while with his bride.  But the author handles the situation well, and the book flows up to and around this tender moment without any loss in focus, and rather than detract from the story, it actually strengthens Hardin's character even further.

Combat veterans, and Vietnam combat vets in particular, will relate to this book, and while they may find that parts of it stir up some less than pleasant memories, overall I'll wager they will be glad they read it.

Reviewed by: Rob Ballister (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Digger Dogface... is the winner of "Best New Fiction"and "Fiction & Literature: Literary Fiction" in The National Best Books 2009 Awards. (May 2010) Digger is a winner in ForeWord Reviews' Book of the Year Awards 2009. (May 2010) Digger is the Winner for "The Best Fiction Book 2010" in the International Book Awards. Gary Prisk brings to the art and craft of fiction the sensibility and the facility of a poet, rendering his narrative with a depth and texture that is unique and rare. Raw, gritty and saturated with black humor, "Digger..." is tender in a way most will struggle to understand. *****APEX REVIEWS 5-star. Over the past four decades, countless books have been written about the Vietnam War, often highlighting the experiences of soldiers who fought -and -died in it. Very few works, though, offer the unique perspective of the soldier on the ground, in the heat of battle, detailing the conflicting thoughts and emotions that often consumed them from day to day - and moment to moment.-----Throughout the pages of "Digger Dogface...", though, Gary Prisk provides the reader with just such insight. Based on his own experiences in Vietnam, "Digger..." takes the reader on a vicarious journey through the heart, mind, and soul of a soldier struggling to come to grips with the unfamiliarity of his surroundings, as well as the uncertainty surrounding his future. Deep, raw, and real, Prisk's riveting narrative will serve as an eye-opening introduction to the gritty truths of war and conflict for readers heretofore influenced by pop culture's more glamorous depiction of its true nature. Furthermore, the not-so-subtle commentary that Prisk proffers on the Vietnam War - and such conflicts in general - ultimately proves to be quite difficult to rebut. Equally tinged with humor and gravitas, "Digger Dogface..." is an intellegent, insightful take on a pivotal time in world history that will never be forgotten. A highly recommended, enlightening read.

The Letter by Jerry Yellin

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MWSA Review

From the get-go, the reader is drawn into the story by a letter written by a woman from Bellingham, WA, right before she passed away.  Her attorney has been instructed to deliver the letter to a Samuel Davidson, an eighty-two year-old judge residing in FL.  But instead of mailing the letter to Judge Davidson, the Seattle based attorney first contacts the judge's son, Rabbi Mark Davidson, of New York City.  It's important to note that the dying woman was Catholic.
 
The letter is a revelation to all concerned. Can a chance encounter between a dashing young P-51 fighter pilot and a pretty USO girl on Iwo Jima in 1945 have repercussions sixty-one years later?  Throw in a former priest and a powerful Fundamental Christian Senator and you've got a delightful tale.
 
"The Letter" is well written, entertaining and enlightening. There is a redemptive quality to Jerry Yellin's prose. He is a gifted storyteller and a visionary. He pulled off the same thing in his remarkable memoir "Of War and Weddings." The dialogue in "The Letter" is spot on, and even though his characters sometimes talk for extended lengths of time, it all seems to work. The author manages to juggle the subjects of war, religion and politics without sounding preachy. Not an easy feat. He can make the complex seem simple and the simple complex. The reader looks at all angles of a subject through the eyes of different characters. While the subject of Intelligent Design (Creationism) versus science (Nature) comes up, somehow Mr. Yellin is able to do this without sounding heavy handed or judgmental. 

The hint of violence is always on the back burner, and kept me turning the page.  My favorite line in the book:  "This is where grown men come to cry." A deep compelling story that will keep you awake at night, wondering about the future of this planet, the human family and where we came from.

Reviewed by: Kathleen Rodgers (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

A powerful fundamental End Time Christian Senator, anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic, discovers that his birth parents were Catholic and Jewish through a letter written by his dying Catholic mother to the Jewish father who knew nothing about having fathered a son. 

Crack Between the Worlds by Carmen Stenholm

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MWSA Review

Crack between the Worlds is a historical fiction account of four generations of one wonderful woman's female ancestors, and their gutsy, heroic fight for survival, escape from poverty, and eventually, political brutality.  Through the voice of this author, as she weaves a story befitting her own family's experiences, we are reminded that our immigrant ancestors clawed their way through extreme adversity to find safety, hope, and homes in the United States, and blend into the great melting pot that makes Americans so unique.
 
It is a difficult thing to add the music of life to what is usually just a genealogical timeline for most families, as they glance backward, but the author does an admirable job, filling the gaps of history with the stories of real people, her people, as they make their way toward a murky destiny.  Daughters, who become mothers, and then grandmothers, have always been the bedrock of the earliest tribes, clans, and now modern day families. The author demonstrates this with a personal touch, identifying these unsung heroes in her own way, from her own lineage. 
 
What a lucky family to have their genealogy captured for all time by a book like this, to know who your great, great grand mothers were, and the hardships they endured. A story that is all too common in our great land, it is nevertheless a story that too often goes untold.  Many blessings for Carmen Stenholm for telling it, and sealing such love and beauty in the book of time, and life.  Recommended for female readers who share such a story in their own family's history.

Reviewed by: Bob Flournoy (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

There is an interesting story to tell about all of us and our families.  Crack Between the Worlds is such a story.  It has universal appeal because, through this family, we have a mirror that reflects our own ancestors --- and the courage, unyielding tenacity, and occasional bouts of luck that
must have occurred in a somewhat similar fashion, to bring each of us into the world. The power of this story comes from an unflinching look at the character's lives.  In it, heroism is balanced with selfishness and petty concerns; perseverance is sometimes rewarded and sometimes dreadfully crushed.  It's a story of horrific tragedies and unquestioning resolution to keep living despite the cost.  It's a story of big mistakes and small kindnesses, of roads taken at great cost and roads untaken, perhaps at greater cost.  It's the story best summed up by the words of Johanna, the family matriarch, who, on the day the Nazi soldiers ravaged her town said to her granddaughter in response to the child's desire to simply give up, "You have to care, Ella.  That's what this is all about, you know---to care even when it hurts, to have the strength and courage, my little one, to care even when your mind and body want nothing more than to run away."

Internal Conflicts by Flint Whitlock

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MWSA Review

Flint Whitlock's novel, Internal Conflicts, is both distressing, and endearing. With its amusing but flawed protagonist, it mimics the cynical symbolism of a 1960s anti-war movie, The Americanization of Emily. However, Peter isn't an intellectual coward.  The actual story begins with a flashback. Peter Lutin is a Second Lieutenant in the US Army who obsesses on his personal inadequacies. He's too short, not athletic enough, a virgin at an age when the status reflects on manhood rather than character. He has abandonment issues. He worries about his inability to make moral stands--and while he recognizes that the times are changing, his personal journey is one of confusion and self-doubt. He's the proverbial lonely man in a crowded room. 
 
The author uses Peter's wobbly perspectives to demonstrate the anxious 1960s. A product of the manic paranoia brought home by many World War II veterans, Peter's naive view of the world sets him up for one disappointment after another.  Women are illusive Madonnas. The Kennedy Assassination both breaks his heart and inspires him to take up the banner of his fallen hero.  Authority figures are always right and just. One must be responsible and make the hard decisions. Like many young men of the times, idealism ruled most of Peter's life.  The rest was a restless search for sexual intercourse.
 
Unfortunately, Peter's treasured precepts seem quaint and untenable as he starts his Army career. He discovers that women can be as coarse and free-wheeling as any college frat. The military shakes his naive view of justice and his new friends present him with a cynical world view that he can't quite accept or defend.  Worse, when he suspects that a friend has been murdered, Peter doesn't have the courage to challenge the wrongdoer.
 
Internal Conflicts is a page-turner. However, the final chapters do not tie-together all the issues the author raises in the first 200 pages. Interestingly, this doesn't detract from the novel, but adds a twist that rings true. In Whitlock's somewhat shocking conclusion, we see Peter face many of his fears and take a stand -- unfortunately, like the less-than satisfactory ending of The Americanization of Emily, that stand can't be sustained and the choices presented to the protagonist are muddy combinations of right and wrong. Unlike the movie, Peter pays an enormous price for his choice. 

Baby boomers will relate to this tale. Trying to live up to the expectations of the "Greatest Generation" was not an easy task and the transition from confused and insecure childhood to independent adulthood was difficult for many. Peter's struggle will resonate with those who faced a changing social structure, bitter disappointment in friends, family, and the object of our affections--and the angry reproachment of parents whose youthful passion had been channeled into more acceptable avenues. While not technically a "war" book, there is a single, heartbreaking, bifurcated scene.

This book deals with adult themes and although not overt, the sexual scenes are not intended for youngsters.

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

The novel follows the life of Peter Luton, a young, idealistic Army officer in the mid-1960s caught up by the events of the Vietnam War and desperately seeking a path to manhood.  Stationed in West Germany where he is enjoying the hedonistic good life, he is fearful of being sent to Vietnam.  At last the inevitable happens and he finds himself in the war zone.  He comes to the conclusion that manhood can only be won on the battlefield--a realization that leads to a shattering climax on a South Vietnamese highway.

Dangerous Past by A. F. Ebbers

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MWSA Review

Dangerous Past is a mystery-thriller in the spirit of both Scott Turow and Ernest K. Gann. When a bomb detonates in the hold of a West Sky airliner, Captain Frank Braden conducts a harrowing emergency landing, heroically saving the plane's 110 passengers and crew. During the investigation, the FBI accuses Braden of planting the bomb in a brazen attempt at suicide. To clear his name, he is forced to dredge deep into his Vietnam service, sifting through a world of narcotics, espionage, and murder. Discovering his demise will clear the way for a political appointment, Braden must prove his innocence before his nemesis can eliminate him and rise to the highest levels of government.

A.F. Ebbers is already established in publishing and aviation circles. His debut novel will be well received in both. It will also prove a good read for anyone who enjoys action and intrigue.

Reviewed by: Stephen Phillips (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

This is a contemporary story of Airline Captain Frank Braden, a former Vietnam pilot, who is being stalked by unknown assassins who must arrange his death to look like a suicide or an accident before a specific deadline. And Braden has no clue as to why people would want to kill him. 
 
Soon after the assassins arrive in Austin, Texas, the airliner Braden is flying undergoes a terrifying and deadly decompression explosion. Braden is suspended from his flying job and is suspected of being unstable since the FBI is led to believe he caused the airliner explosion in a suicide attempt.
 
Little by little Braden and his wife are pulled deeper and deeper into a dangerous web of intrigue that will eventually rock the highest levels of Washington.
 
Several attempts are made on his life and even his wife and children are threatened with death. And when Braden turns to the local police for help, they do not believe his stories since they think he is schizophrenic and suicidal, exactly what his assailants want the authorities to believe.

Muted Mermaid/Shaved Ice/Chocolate Soup Trilogy by Del Staecker

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MWSA Review

Del Staecker's Trilogy is the continuing story of a group of characters centered around Ledge Trabue,  a private man who draws trouble and goodness in equal parts.  Charming, cleverly plotted, and endearing, the three books are as addictive as M&Ms.  The themes aren't especially new -- good versus evil is as well-worn as my grandma's house shoes. However, I couldn't stop reading.  I tried. I'm a busy woman, after all.  I tucked the first book, The Muted Mermaid, under the seat in my car -- but as the evening wore on, I started thinking about it out there in the cold garage and fancied that it was calling me.  In the middle of the night, I snuck out with the flashlight app on my cell phone and retrieved it for one more hit before sleep. 

Around 4 am, I splashed cold water on my face and brushed my teeth. I went to bed, but figured, what the hey?  I just had to know why anyone would murder the luckless Karen Blaine. The novel finishes with a satisfying bang -- the bad guys and girl bite the dust...er... water. I yawned and stretched, relieved that my obsessive fascination with the hard-headed, sour-stomached protagonist and his motley circle of friends had reached a conclusion. There now.  I had work to do, but I promptly fell asleep and didn't wake up until past noon. I opened my eyes, still tired from my late night adventures in Staecker-land.

There, sitting on my night stand, was Staecker's second novel in the series, Shaved Ice.  I tried not to look at it. I got up and got dressed.  I focused on my laptop, my cell phone, my little red poodle dog, my work -- but my eyes kept finding their way to the red, white, and black dust jacket. What IS shaved ice, I wondered.  I squinted, trying to figure out what the beckoning cover was trying to tell me. No, I'm busy. Shaved Ice -- hmm, sounds like a delicious, sinful treat -- something you'd buy at a ball game -- or a circus. I picked it up.  Just one chapter, then I'll get down to business, I told myself.  Ledge and his buddy the Professor are called back to Nashville. Oh no!  It's Reggie and Win. I LOVED Reggie and Win. Poor Amelia. Poor Elvira. I HAD to find out about them, didn't I?

So there I sat at Denny's the next afternoon, my Senior Country-fried steak growing cold as Trabue and the Professor made a pact with the Devil to take down another evildoer. "NO," I muttered, "Don't do it.  You'll be sorry." I bit my tongue and glanced around. Everyone stared at their Grand Slams. People are used to cell phones and Bluetooth earpieces these days. They don't look at you quite as accusingly when they catch you talking to yourself. I returned to my book. You have to watch those southern boys, I thought to myself.  They can't stand to leave a wrong unrighted -- and of course, Ledge and Albert ignored my warning and the dirty deed was done -- in Mexico of all places. I closed the book -- glad the bad guy had been dispatched so efficiently after all the sorrow he'd caused. Good riddance!

Now back to my life. I figured I'd catch up on all the things that I should have been doing the last week -- but no, like that last M&M in the bag, the third novel, inexplicably called Chocolate Soup, awaited. Well now, how in the world is a person supposed to focus on meat and potatoes when candy awaits?  It's impossible, I tell you. So, like the sinner that I am, I sat down and was immediately drawn into Trabue and company's lives in New Orleans -- and you KNOW how much trouble one can get into in New Orleans. It's worse than Vegas and what happens in New Orleans ends up on the Six O'Clock News. So, I go through the laughter and the tears, the horror and the sorrow, the shock and the awe -- and the dad-gummed book ends and I don't have another one in hand. 

As I put the final book on the shelf, I imagined Del Staecker snickering at me with the same grin that Forrest Mars wore the day he invented M&Ms.  

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Del Staecker's awesome literary skills are revealed with our release of The Muted Mermaid. Set in Nashville, the murder mystery introduces recurring characters in the Ledge Trabue Mystery Series while captivating readers with a fast-paced story that's impossible to put down. 

Child Finder: Resurrection by Mike Angley

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MWSA Review

Child Finder: Resurrection, award-winning author Mike Angley's second novel, is rich with sensory images and Catholic philosophy. Mixing those two very literary techniques with a bang-bang shoot-em-up tale might seem risky to some--and it is. However, Angley has created a super-hero who transcends comic-bookery while maintaining the genre's idealistic view of good overcoming evil. He created this approach in his first book, Child Finder, but the reader will find a maturation of style and new complexity in plotting in Resurrection. In this story, not only does Major Pat O'Donnell, the psychic protagonist, talk to God and the Saints and Angels, but God and the Saints and Angels communicate back to him. It's a nice touch. 
 
It is a year and a half since the tragedy that sent Pat's secret government unit into early retirement. It's time to resurrect the department with new rules and new goals. Shortly after his return to the task of finding lost children, O'Donnell battles his evil doppelganger--a nameless psychopath who's psychic talents rival his own. It's a private war between two mental giants that leaves a trail of collaterally damaged victims including O'Donnell's friend and colleague Woody Davis. As the story evolves, Angley allows his cast to grow. Pat's young son Sean, who shares his father's gift, steps into the fray with important information at crucial moments. General Swank's cranky persona turns human when his grandson is kidnapped by the villain. Dr. Jasper Jacobsen is a young psychologist fresh from Berkley. His idealism, while different, matches Pat's in intensity. In Jake, Angley creates a character that Pat dislikes but the reader loves. Finally, Pat himself evolves as he recognizes the value of alternative paths. 
 
There's a hint of Hitchcockian suspense -- the reader knows more than the characters. The bad guy is really bad. What Pat can sense and what he can't is a mystery, leaving the audience to scream out warnings about what's behind that closed bathroom door. The mood is ominous and the threat isn't only to Pat himself, but to his family and friends. If it's so easy for Pat and the killer to see into the minds of others, shouldn't we all be erecting brick walls around our own thoughts? Racing through corners and falling through space on the other side of a rickety climb, the novel is a tooth-grinding rollercoaster ride. 
 
Like Child Finder, Resurrection is a general audience thriller which will also appeal to religious audiences and young adults. Fun and thought-provoking, the book can be read as a spiritual allegory or as a fast-paced action piece. Keep your bible and your valium nearby! 

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Child Finder Resurrection is the highly-anticipated sequel to Child Finder, which Library Journal placed on its 2009 Summer Reads list, calling it a "compelling debut novel" and "a real find" and recommending it to readers of both mystery/thrillers and Christian fiction.
 
Child Finder also garnered the prestigious Silver Medal Award in the Fiction category of the Military Writers Society of America's 2009 Annual Awards Program!
 
It has been a year and a half since Air Force Special Agent Patrick O'Donnell, a psychic-savant, left the federal TOP SECRET child rescue program after it went horribly off-track, resulting in murder and endangering his own family. And just when he thinks he's comfortably put this painful past behind him, he receives a call from his mentor. The murky, shadowy TOP SECRET community where he once was center-stage has been revised, revamped, resurrected!
 
The government needs his psychic skills more than ever. A sick, twisted, menacing child killer is on the loose, and no one but Pat can stop him. However, Agent O'Donnell soon discovers this new nemesis is more than he bargained for. Nothing can prepare him for the psychotic genius he must fight...and the life and death cat-and-mouse game that entraps him! Once again, Pat must call upon his faith and strong spiritual connection with God to sustain and guide him, especially during his darkest hours as he battles...pure evil.

Saigon Gold by Hugh Scott

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MWSA Review

Saigon Gold is a mystery thriller enhanced by the job well-done regarding the setting.  Authors who do their research to take the readers into the "real world" make their stories seem closer to nonfiction than fiction. Hugh Scott was able to do that, as well as to keep the mystery going right up to the very end.  This book is filled with surprises at every turn.  For those who appreciate a thriller, this is a book not to miss.  Another great addition to the book is the website www.saigongold.com which takes you to Vietnam via photos of locations in the story along with snippets from the book and then gives "bits of history" that relate.  This adds a depth to Saigon Gold that I really appreciate.  This book would make a great addition to anyone's library.
 
Hugh Scott wrote Saigon Gold set in present-day Vietnam with the main character being a U.S. war veteran, Robert Anderson, going back to the country where he served many years earlier, expecting a business venture revolving around a winery consulting job.  However, from the moment he enters the country things just don't seem right.  Just why was he questioned at the airport? And who was the interviewer?
 
Mr. Scott takes us through Vietnam via the experiences of his main character, remembering the country as it had been during the war and noticing changes in this his first return.  The connection Robert Anderson had with a Vietnamese officer, who had saved his life during the war, puts him into a scheme to get recovered gold out of the country, from a fortune that went missing in 1975.  Mr. Anderson went into Vietnam with all good intentions, and even in the gold scheme, he planned to give back to the Vietnamese. 
 
So just who was that man that questioned Anderson at the airport?  Is he just imagining being followed?  Anderson has to get answers to why his name is on enemy documents.  What did the ambush that he survived years ago have to do with this trip to Vietnam? Who can he get to help him that he can trust?  He turns to the American consulate employee Jenny Ngo who knows the language and will help him get to the people he needs to question.  The plot thickens as the people that they question end up dead. The mystery of it all is very intense and takes the reader right along with Robert Anderson who if he wants to remain alive must figure out the person(s) plotting against him.  All the while, China's expansionist navy lurks in the background, planning an operation that threatens America's supremacy in the Western Pacific.
 
Hugh Scott served his country for twenty years as an army officer.  Saigon Gold is his debut novel and I am hoping for many more books to come from this great author.  He is now serving readers worldwide with this great work of historical fiction.  Be sure to read this book and keep your eyes open for more to come from Hugh Scott.

Reviewed by: Joyce Gilmour (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Saigon Gold won the 2010 Gold Medal award for fiction from the Military Writers Society of America.

Veterans and tourists will be entranced by this fast-paced thriller in which a decorated American officer returns to Vietnam and must face the harsh truths of his military exploits. The daring plot includes China's expansionist navy attempting to seize a key base, thus upsetting the balance of military power in the Western Pacific. 

Robert Anderson is lured into a scheme to help a wartime friend recover a gold fortune. But a vengeful North Vietnamese official is watching. Discovery of cryptic documents about an ambush that only Anderson and a Vietnamese officer survived launches Anderson and companion Jenny Ngo on a wild chase around scenic Vietnam to unravel their secret before every witness is silenced by a mysterious killer.

Breath of the Choson Dragon by Jack L. Wells

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MWSA Review

Breath of the Choson Dragon is a high energy, well researched, completely plausible scenario of patient, but fanatic war planning by North Korea.  A gripping tale of their desire to reunite the Korean peninsula, the north is shown, accurately, to be an enemy that is not to be underestimated, or taken lightly. Their quest, against staggering odds, to deal a severe surprise nuclear blow to the United States, and Japan via a plot that spans decades of tedious preparation, at levels so secret as to be almost impossible, is told with meticulous detail by the author, an ex naval officer, who has been there, and done that. So many military books are written without the benefit of firsthand experience that they bog down in the minutia that is second nature to veterans.  This one feeds voraciously on those details that authenticate the book as the real deal.  This author writes, and thinks with the no time for nonsense frame of mind that is necessary in the military when it is faced with clear danger. 
 
As fascinating as the realities of submarine warfare, and nuclear weapons systems are, the story line that weaves in and out of those technical revelations are just as compelling. The tech, and human interest aspects dance in tune, step for step. Neither Clancy, nor Ludlum have written anything better, and the author, Jack Wells, is their equal, at least.  A fast paced story (a movie producer's dream) is fed by the intriguing reality of our nation's military, and intelligence agencies' daily challenges, told with the voices of real human beings that the reader can identify with. The political dilemmas of the main characters, which come hand in hand with their highly secret jobs, give this yarn dimensions that are consternating, frustrating, and agitating, just as they would be in the real world.  The ending is clean, and satisfying. I wanted to cheer. I felt good about it. I choose to believe that if this, or a like scenario ever came to pass in reality, our soldiers, sailors, and airmen, would receive the support they needed from their political masters to affect the same conclusion.  Nowhere in the human experience is teamwork, trust, diligence to detail, and precise behavior as required as it is in the armed forces when lives are at stake.  Thanks to this author, readers who did not serve in such capacities are offered the opportunity to appreciate these men, and women.

Reviewed by: Bob Flournoy (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

The Book: Breath of the Choson Dragon. Awarded a GOLD MEDAL for Mystery/Thriller by the Military Writer's Society of America, Oct. 2010 and a SLIVER MEDAL for fiction, Branson Stars and Flags Book Awards, Nov. 2010. North Korea is always in the news, sometimes front page, sometimes buried in the back. It is a vexing and problematic child that won't be ignored and won't go away. My new book is a created scenario investigating how North Korea could make the front page with a vengeance. It is based on actual history and current events. Remember, there is nothing quite as dangerous as a maniac with a mission. And nothing as concerning as such a maniac with weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivery. "Breath of the Choson Dragon" captures the ideas and emotions of the people caught up in implementing, discovering and precluding a surprise attack; a surprise attack that is very plausible. Summary: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), surreptitiously, acquires two ex Soviet Juilett class guided missile submarines in 1993, and then missiles, and later thermonuclear warheads and prepares to use them in a preemptory strike against US bases in South Korea, Japan, and Hawaii 18 years later. Their objective: reunification of the Korean peninsula under their flag. The US Defense Intelligence Agency ultimately becomes aware by putting together divergent pieces of the puzzle and finally takes last moment action to covertly stop the threat just prior to the attack. Writing Concept: The story is told through the experiences of individual North Korean, American and allied officers and others and the locations move to various sites around the world. I have personally visited most of these locations. There is a lot of realistic military, business and personal dialog. Characters develop and grow and some ultimately even change their perspective. It is an accurate technological suspense novel told through human interaction. It is not buried in jargon and is written for the layman. Military and strategic terms are explained through dialog and the reader learns capabilities through situations, not just narrative.

Echo of a Distant Planet by Wayne Lutz

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MWSA Review

How do you reconcile aliens and C-130s?  By reading Wayne Lutz' exciting new novel, Echo of a Distant Planet! 

As the reader considers the evocative cover art  of Wayne Lutz' "Echo of a Distant Planet," depicting both C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and a distant galaxy, he/she will wonder how these very different images will be brought together in the novel.  Trust me; the reader will not be disappointed with the answers found in this thoughtfully-crafted book.
 
USAF maintenance officer, Shawna Whitney is haunted by recurring and often frightening images.  Over a period of 33 years, her life is impacted by strange and unexplainable events and by what appear to be glimpses into the future.  Through the years, these intermittent "dreams" lead her to question her sanity and eventually to wonder if her concept of time is being challenged by forces beyond her control.  Through the help of a friend and lover, she slowly begins to accept her fate and unravel the mystery when her future becomes her present.
 
Echo of a Distant Planet succeeds in large part because Lutz' main characters come across as normal human beings, living normal lives--"normal" within the constraints of military rules, culture and customs.  The reader is slowly, but inevitably drawn into Shawna's life--and those around her--by measured narration, thorough character development, and level-headed story-telling.  

This book is recommended for both the Sci-Fi enthusiast as well as anyone wanting to know more about the USAF, its flyers and maintainers and the venerable C-130 Hercules.

Reviewed by: John Cathcart (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

How would a distant intelligence contact earth? Shawna is an Air Force officer with unearthly remembrances of the future and the C-130 Hercules as her hero. Trapped in a structured military world, her eerie memories persist for nearly three decades, culminating in a message from the stars. Meanwhile, on a distant planet, alien life is struggling with their attempt to communicate with life on earth. Shawna is their target. The author of six books in the series "Coastal British Columbia Stories" ventures into an exciting new genre, military aviation science fiction.

Rhombus by Bob Gore

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MWSA Review

Area 51, also know as Groom Lake, has been the source of rumors, speculation, wild stories, and conspiracy theories for decades. It is also part of the famous "skunk works" and the birth place of the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk light bomber, and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Today, rumors circulate about: Aurora, a super secret successor to the Blackbird; ceramic engines; and UFOs. Groom Lake, know as Area 51 because it is located in grid square 51 on an early Nevada map, is northeast of the main Nevada Test Site (NTS). Area 51 accomplishments provide the factual foundation for Bob Gore's RHOMBUS.
 
What if America, at the end of the Vietnam war, had developed a super secret stealth bomber, code name Rhombus, that was invisible to the eye, almost invisible to radar, and could project itself as any aircraft programmed into its memory bank? A bomber that could enter Soviet air space at will and never be detected?
 
Could such a secret development program remain undetected? What would it take to maintain security?
 
How would such a bomber effect the balance of power maintained by mutually assured destruction (MAD)? How would the Soviets react if they learned of the new bomber? Would the Soviets launch their missiles?
 
Bob Gore's novel, RHOMBUS, a military science fiction and political thriller, is built around these questions. He has incorporated several real events into his story, and in one case offered a unique explanation for the event.
 
RHOMBUS has the possibility of developing a cult following--conspiracy theorists will love it, and it is sure to be a best seller at the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel, Nevada.
 
RHOMBUS is also the story of Mike Christum, a Navy pilot who is chosen to be the chief test pilot for the Rhombus. It is the story of Mike's family and friends, his triumphs and personal loses. A story of a military man and his family's sacrifices for country. A story of military family where the husband leaves on mysterious assignments and returns with no explanations. If you haven't done this for real, try it out on your wife the next time you take a trip. Remember, duck and cover.
 
RHOMBUS is a military story that will be appreciated by those who have served. It is also an excellent story for non-military, for it presents a vivid picture of the sacrifices military (and others who serve in the dark world of intelligence) families make to keep America safe. A modern day Shakespearian tragedy.
 
RHOMBUS in not light weight science fiction, it is a serious story that challenges and educates the reader, but remember its science fiction. There's no such thing as an invisible airplane with ceramic engines. But ... there really is an Area 51, stealth planes, ... Hmmmm!

Reviewed by: Lee Boyland (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Deep in the Nevada desert, on a military base that doesn't exist, the U.S. government has developed the most sinister warplane ever to rule the skies. Its name is Rhombus and it's the pinnacle of man's genius applied to the art of mass destruction.

Rhombus is death come alive.

Lt. Michael Christum is America's finest aviator, a supreme and lethal warrior. A man of honor, his love for his wife and children are as profound as his sense of duty. Christum will pilot Rhombus. Time after time he's answered his country's call, unflinching, unfailing. But this mission is different. It if fails, it will mean the eradication of mankind.

Rhombus is a high-tech action-adventure thriller penned by a U.S. Air Force Top Gun who employs his intimate knowledge of the military mentality, tactics, and weaponry to put you in the cockpit of the world's ultimate weapon--heading toward a target that no one could possibly imagine.

America’s Finest by Stephen Peterson

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MWSA Review

Petersen has compiled a collection of not just sixty short stories but sixty examples of what truly makes this country great.  The title says it all America's Finest.  These are the stories of real Americans and the job they are doing to improve the lives of others, stories all too often gone missing in our media.

No other nation and its military can compare to the excellent job this country does in terms of helping the less fortunate, most certainly not something thought of by others as part of the militaries job or purpose.  Highlighting the fact that our military is "all volunteer" Petersen provides a "job well done" to all our veterans.

The stories are centered within a religious theme but the book is not a book of religion.  The interaction between military personnel amongst themselves and with the civilians in the areas where they are serving demonstrates clearly and exactly how much alike we all are.  There are many messages indirect and direct and much to learn from reading each of these short stories.  It is worth your afternoon to balance out all the wrongs we are bombarded with on a daily basis concerning our military.

Reviewed by: jim greenwald (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

The more than sixty short stories that make up "America's Finest" details the humanitarian service as well as the personal sacrifices of the men and women of each of the branches of the United States Armed Services in Iraq. United States service members provided Iraqi citizens health care services, formal education, public works and many other services too numerous to describe. Though the United States Armed Services are trained in the art of war, more than 70% of its activities, even during the period of armed conflict, was dedicated to non-combative work for and on behalf of the Iraqi people. within days following combat action, American service members began initiating public service work toward re-building the infrastructure and personal lives of individual Iraqis in a spirit of compassion, mercy and forgiveness towards those who had been enemies only hours before. Airmen/women, Marines, Sailors and Soldiers gave thousands of manhours each week in their attempt to make life better for the Iraqi people. A number of these service members gave the citizens of Iraq the greatest gift any person could render-their lives. Privates, junior enlisted non-commissioned officers and junior company grade officers most between the age 18 and 24 years of age make up the majority of the figures in these stories. These brave, resourceful young men and young women are the REAL heroes and heroines. From rural communities, suburbs and inner cities; rich, middle class and poor; every racial and ethnic group make up the United States armed services. As an all volunteer force, there is no compulsion to serve. Yet each do so willingly for freedom and liberty for all. They are indeed "America's Finest" and patriots all!

Surviving the Folded Flag by Deborah Tainsh

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MWSA Review

Deborah H. Tainsh has compiled a book of stories by parents who have lost their children to war. What a brave undertaking for a woman who herself, has experienced one of the most crushing grief's of life.
 
These true stories show how horrendous it is to lose a child. But losing a child to war brings its own set of questions.
 
The book's dedication says a lot: 
 
This book is dedicated to America's heroes
those who serve,
those who have served,
those who have sacrificed all,
and the families who love and support them.
 
There is much to be learned from this book. In the foreword by Command Chaplain John C. Powell, 335th Signal Command, he writes, "These are the stories of parents who have lost a son or daughter to war, relating the difficulties of their journey since the day they learned that they had become a part of the fraternity no one wishes to join. These are stories of tragedy, full of heart-wrenching pathos, dealing with the pain of horrific and irrevocable loss. 
 
These are also stories of triumph, and in each families story we find the reason for America's strength and once again discover the sublime truth that freedom is only maintained by those who are willing to fight for and defend it."
 
The book is enlightening in many ways. For those of us who haven't experienced such a loss, we learn of the many aspects of such a death. For instance, the author's son, Army Sergeant Patrick Shannon Tainsh, was killed during the first year of the war in Iraq. Deborah and David Tainsh's son's body was brought to Atlanta by commercial airliner from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Dover is where autopsies and final dress are handled.
 
Patrick's parents did not have the strength to drive the 100 miles to Atlanta, and then follow the hearse back home. So they waited for the call from their local funeral home, confirming that their son's body had arrived. They then drove to the funeral home, to meet with the soldier who had accompanied Patrick Tainsh back home.
 
Today things are different, thanks to the efforts of Gold Star mom and dad Stacey and John Holley, of San Diego, California. After the death of their son, Matthew, in Iraq, they fought for legislation that was signed in October 2006 by President George W. Bush. By spring, families began receiving the option to have their loved ones returned by private jet to the airport nearest their home.
 
Families can now choose to wait with an honor guard on the tarmac as the plane lands with the military escort and flag-draped casket. With quiet stillness and salutes, our fallen heroes are returned home with the honor and dignity they deserve.
 
This is just one aspect of the necessary arrangements. Then there is the funeral to be considered. A Casualty Assistance Officer (CAO) helps plan the funeral. There are forms to be signed, and numerous details to be attended to.
 
After the funeral, comes the struggle to go on living. Kim Smith speaks on the loss of her son, Army Private Robert Lewis Franz. "The loss of my child has been the lowest point in my life. However, I consistently remind myself I can either let this tragedy eat me up or I can do my best to live a worthwhile life in honor of Rob. I cannot change life's course, but he wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life not living. And I know my son's spirit is helping to press me forward."
 
There is a section in the back of the book that contains advice from Gold Star parents. Such as:
-      Grieve at your own pace and in your own way
-      Accept help
-      Comfort your other children
-      Give people permission to talk about your child
-      See if a support group is right for you
 
I believe this book should be required reading for every president, politician, policy-maker, and all United States citizens, so that they will truly understand the full, lingering consequences of war.
 
Surviving the Folded Flag contains 27 stories of our fallen heroes. Each one is a permanent testament to the power of love. The love of family and country is what has held America together through the years. This beautifully and courageously written book shows us that love never dies. It lives on in the memories of those who were blessed to personally know these brave soldiers, and to forever remember them.
 
And in spite of the sorrow contained within its pages, the book is actually about hope, and how Gold Star parents are passing that hope on to others who will need it. 
 
An outstanding piece of work.

Reviewed by: Charlene Rubush (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

Author of Heart of a Hawk and Gold Star mom Deborah Tainsh has gathered essays from more than twenty-five parents who received the dreaded news that their child had died in military service. These invaluable stories show how today's military families are surviving the folded flag and give a glimpse into the lives of fallen service members as Gold Star parents tell the stories and celebrate the lives of their fallen heroes.
 
Surviving also includes advice for other Gold Star families, their friends, and family members. 
 
Bonus essays from a casualty assistance officer and a former soldier give deeper insight into how wartime death affects comrades left behind.

A Life Well-Built by Lee Kelley

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MWSA Review

A Life Well-Built is a loving tribute to Richard E. Fisher, one of America's great men of the 19th century.  Told by Lee Kelley in collaboration with Joyce Fisher, this is the story of a hero.  It is a look at the life of a man who had the talents his country needed and the passion and patriotism to serve both as a military leader and civilian corporate giant in the field of aviation.

Brigadier General Fisher, according to testimonies he gave prior to his passing in 2004, the memories of his wife of 4 years, Joyce, and the records he kept in the form of journals and photographs, was a man with a bigger mission than most.  And, he had the spirit and strength to meet his challenges.  From humble beginnings on a farm to world-wide service engineering the construction of airfields and developing relationships with foreign leaders all over the world, "Dick" Fisher was the kind of man the United States needed during the tumultuous years of wars and uneasy peace.

At the end of the book, I wanted more.  I wanted to speak to the Brigadier General about impressions and feelings he had during the many historical events he helped to shape.  I also wanted to visit with Joyce, the General's second wife, and learn more about what made her fall in love with this extraordinary military man.  The events, both historical and personal, are true and will delight any reader who was a part of the era in our history that may be remembered as the bloodiest and most glorious time of our lives.

Reviewed by: Carmen Stenholm (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

From the tapestry of human history and experience, some individuals rise above the fabric's common braid and seem destined for great achievements. Richard Fisher was one of these souls. In A Life Well Built, author Lee Kelley tells the story of this natural-born leader who was an extraordinary soldier, father, husband, pilot, engineer, and friend.
 
Raised in Ohio, Richard "Dick" Fisher showed natural signs of leadership at a young age. This biography spans his lifetime--through ninety years and twenty-six countries--and touches on his widespread successes. It follows him from the Ohio State University School of Engineering, to the Pennsylvania Railroad, to his work as an engineer in Ohio, and to building airports for the Army during World War II. A lifelong pilot, he flew airplanes and managed operations for Air America. He co-piloted the last aircraft to escape Saigon when the Vietnam War began and retired from the Army as a brigadier general.
 
A Life Well Built shows the depth of this man who accomplished feats that most people could only dream of. This biography demonstrates that Fisher's life was a solid, inspired piece of engineering; he created a personal masterpiece in the art of living.

This is Latch: The Story of Admiral Roy L. Hoffmann by Weymouth D. Symmes

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MWSA Review

Not Just a Biography but a History Lesson Too! Author Weymouth D. Symmes has captured so much more than just the story of Admiral Roy Hoffman in his biography "This is Latch". This book weaves in the social, military and political history of the Admiral's life. The reader will come away with a much better understanding of those historic times and the people with whom Hoffman lived through and associated with. The book not only honors the service of this great naval commander but also gives glimpses of his family life and his own beginnings. 

The book takes us to Korea and the war there in 1950, with sinking of the ship he was on and his rescue from those icy cold waters. The book follows his career through those years between wars. However, it really grabs the attention of the reader with the details of not only the Admiral's time and service in Vietnam but also provides many insightful tidbits and personal history of those under his command. One those this book focuses on is the war service in Swift Boats of Senator John Kerry. The writing is surprisingly balanced, as the author does actually mention some positive statements and accounts of Kerry. However, there is no way that one can hide the ugly truth. Kerry is raked over in much of this section of the book and later on as well. It provides an interesting back drop to the whole book itself. Admiral Hoffman eventually forms a group of former Swift Boat crew-members who oppose Senator Kerry's bid to become President. This section is well worth the read and might give non-veterans a better understanding of what brought this action about. It might also give some understanding as to why Vietnam veterans in general and Swift Boat veterans in particular, consider Kerry in such low esteem. Some, in fact, consider him to this day - as a traitor. 

The author has done an outstanding job creating a book that is both informative and still entertaining. It very well researched, has great photos and maps and is an easy read.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

This is Latch is a biography of Rear Admiral Roy F. Hoffmann, who served in three wars (WW II, Korea and Vietnam).  Adm. Hoffmann commanded four ships in his career.  He was the gunnery officer aboard the USS Pirate when she struck a mine during the Korean War and sank in less than five minutes.  Admiral Hoffmann was the Commander of Task Force 115 (the Market Time forces) in Vietnam, which included U.S. Navy Swift Boats. during the advent of the SEALORDS operation under Admiral Zumwalt.  In retirement, Admiral Hoffmann founded and led Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth during the 2004 election. This is Latch has 529 pages, and 162 photos, three maps, 60 plus interviews, a glossary, sources and index.  It is a hardbound edition.

An American Family in World War II by Sandra O’Connell

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MWSA Review

I can recommend this delightful new collection of evocative family letters & memorabilia, maps & photos, of a Wilmington, Delaware son's journey ('41-'45) from Dickinson college boy to seasoned pilot & group leader in his B-17G Flying Fortress dubbed the Blue Hen Chick in the 8th Army Air Force, 447th Bomb Group, 709th Bomb Squadron out of the Rattlesden base in Suffolk, England.

Charmingly sewn together by a narrative which expands on both of what was happening in America & what Ralph's family wrote they were going through on the Home Front & what he was doing, both as a pilot & a youthful Yank tourist in war torn London. Only with his father did he share a little of what his 67 missions entailed.

A deeply absorbing tribute to The Greatest Generation and the families who supported them.

NOTES:

Rattlesden: Suffolk County, East Anglia, England, United Kingdom - 9 miles SE of Bury St. Edmund, is a village and civil parish of 900 souls in the Mid Suffolk district.  Located 4 miles west of Stowmarket, the parish also includes the hamlets of Hightown Green and Poystreet Green.  It's large and ancient church, St. Nicholas, dates from the 13th century and incorporates many additions and changes from over the centuries.  In 1975, the historic core of the village was named a "Conservation Area" by the District Council under the guidelines of English Heritage.

The village and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia, was a hotbed of Puritan sentiment during much of the 16th and 17th centuries.  In 1634, a local wheelwright, Richard Kimball led a relatively large company from Rattlesden to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration.

During World War II, Rattlesden was the site of a U.S. Army Air Force 447th Bomb Group, heavy bomber base known as RAF Rattlesden.  The site is now used by the Rattlesden Gliding Club.

Reviewed by: Dave Brown (2010)

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Author's Synopsis

An American Family in War II is the story of a young B-17 pilot, his parents and sisters, captured in the extraordinary collection of 800 letters that tell the story of one family's daily struggle to keep faith and hope alive.  Starting in February 1943, Lee Minker writes from eight different U.S. Army Air Corps training camps, the voices of the family come from mother's kitchen, dad's office, Shirley's dorm room, Bernice on the front porch. The letters capture daily events as they happened; race riots, theft at the rationing board, black-outs, military stalemate in the Pacific and Europe, the lonely holidays and missed birthdays.  And then, the conversation gains new tension as their son and brother leaves for a base "somewhere in England."  

Unlike any other story of World War II, An American Family is the diary of an entire family from February 1943 to the end of the war.  Eighteen year old Lee Minker's letters contain complete detail of the rigors of pilot training, as he progressed through flying the Piper cub at age 18 to taking command of a B-17 crew just after his 20th birthday and then flying missions 37 missions over Nazi Germany.  The letters from the homefront nurtured and sustained him, all the while leaving a highly detailed record of life in America, totally changed by war.  This is our history, as people lived it, their voices poignantly speaking to us.  The timeless correspondence of the five members of the Minker family will resonate not only with those who remember those years, but with those separated from loved ones in war zones today.