Smoke on the Water by Jack Bartley

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

May 1971. Jason Conley, a recent college graduate, finds himself about to pay the price for his free university education. He could not afford college, so he had applied for and was awarded an NROTC scholarship. The scholarship had strings attached; he now owed the Navy four years of service. Not wanting to be engulfed in the Vietnam war, he devises a scenario in which he would serve on a ship converted to be an oceanographic research support vessel in Hawaii, thousands of miles from the battle zone. A brilliant plan, if it worked.

It did. Then, it didn’t. 

Through a series of events and miscues, some of his own making and some out of his control, Jason fails to negotiate life on board his first ship and is transferred to a new command, a ship that deploys on a WestPac tour to Vietnam the day he sets foot on board. He now faces new challenges. How does he avoid the same mistakes he made on the first ship? How does he reconcile his feelings about the Vietnam war while at the same time directing a destroyer escort on the gunline supporting U.S. and South Vietnamese troops? How does he stay alive?

“Smoke on the Water” is based on real life events. It is a coming-of-age tale that occurs in less than four years’ time, spanning events from the East Coast to Hawaii to Southeast Asia. It encompasses journeys and adventures in foreign lands, loves found and lost, humorous situations, and a maturation process within one man compressed in the pressure cooker of an unpopular war.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 316

Word Count: 96,000

In Harm's Way by Thomas W. Wing

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

The man who fights for his family is far more dangerous than the one who fights for his king.

Colonial sea captain Jonas Hawke returns home to Norfolk after a year-long voyage only to have his ship and its valuable cargo seized by the British Royal Navy. As the royal governor further tightens the noose on trade, Jonas is thrust into the chaos of a growing rebellion. Desperate to support his family, he sets out to find work. When he is denied a commission with the newly formed Continental Navy, he outfits his own vessel as a private ship-of-war and voyages to the Caribbean in search of enemy merchant ships he can capture and friends he can trust.

But dangers multiply on the unforgiving sea. The Royal Navy reacts mercilessly to the threat posed by privateers like Jonas. How will Jonas fare now that he has boldly defied the king of Britain to preserve his family? And what will happen to his loved ones while he is away, engulfed in a war to oppose tyranny in the name of freedom?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 324

Word Count: 95000

Rescue Run: Capt. Jake Rogers' Daring Return to Occupied Europe by John Winn Miller

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

In an exciting new adventure, Capt. Jake Rogers returns to the North Atlantic as commander of a U.S. Liberty ship with some of his crew from the sunken Peggy C. But disaster strikes, and they end up shipwrecked in Ireland. There Rogers learns from Dutch sailors that the Nazis have arrested the father of the love of his life, Miriam Maduro, and are about to deport him to a concentration camp.

They sneak back into Holland aboard a gun-running ship from neutral Ireland and make contact with a resistance group to help them. Everything goes according to plan until a shocking discovery leaves them stranded in Holland and forces them to flee for their lives across Nazi-occupied Europe.

They struggle to find other resistance groups and escape organizations to help them. But informants, imposters, and double agents are everywhere. And with a huge reward on their heads, they can never be sure who to trust. 

To make matters worse, a giant Dutch bounty hunter is in hot pursuit. The utterly ruthless, one-armed, former detective is desperate for the reward. He has no qualms about beating information out of people or working with–and sometimes double-crossing–Nazi officials, French gangsters, and even a suspected serial killer. 

In this deeply researched thriller, full of real historical figures, Rogers and crew make one breathtaking escape after another. Using disguises, fake documents, subterfuge, and sometimes force, they slowly make their way toward safety in Spain. But as they get close to their goal, another shocking surprise blocks their way. 

As they are backed into a corner, Rogers comes up with one more crazy scheme to save them. It is one that has almost no chance of succeeding.

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 426

Word Count: 117000

The Gangs of Santa Fe by A. Michael Hibner

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MWSA Review

The Gangs of Santa Fe by A. Michael Hibner tells the story of Nazario Alvarid as he struggled with life in the small town of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the late 19th century. The gangs fought not with knives and guns but with words and votes, although shootings did occur, often for personal reasons. Zario was an intelligent young man and a hard worker. He made money as a runner for both parties because he was known to be honest and discreet. He completed college and became a successful businessman, but he also had to fight for his life, which eventually put him in the penitentiary for a period of time.

The story is narrated by the main character Zario, and the reader will feel that he is listening to an older person telling the story in his own words. A large part of the book involves a trial which he attends, since he is a runner for both the prosecution and the defense.

In the Acknowledgements section, the author notes that everyone named actually existed; every murder, shooting, and trial happened as chronicled. Then the author made the connections between the various people to create an interesting story.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (April 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Life in Santa Fe in the late nineteenth century for young Nazario Alarid is interesting to say the least. His dad, Canuto, a political force in Santa Fe, introduces Nazario to Billy the Kid in the Santa Fe jail. Nazario decides to walk the strait and narrow, to not be like Billy, but things don’t always go the way one plans…

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 247

Word Count: 63,099

One of Four by Travis Davis

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MWSA Review

One of Four by Travis Davis is a historical fiction novel that gives us a view of World War One through the eyes of an unknown American soldier. While in France on a post-high school graduation trip, Alex Grover, traveling with his retired U.S. Army father, discovers an anonymous U.S. World War One soldier’s diary hidden in an old Bible in a Paris book shop.

Intrigued by the soldier’s diary entries on the horrors, honor, and camaraderie of serving in combat, the father and son alter their vacation itinerary and follow some of the soldier’s wartime journey through several French battlefields of 1917 to 1918. As they travel, father and son grow closer after their separation imposed by the parents’ divorce, and the son is given glimpses of his father’s participation in combat.

One of the strengths of the book is its unique premise, giving voice to one of the over 4,400 U.S. soldiers, marines, and sailors still listed as missing in action from World War One. The story highlights how soldiers' bodies would simply “disappear” after being struck by high-explosive artillery rounds or lost when submerged into whole fields of muddy shell craters. The diary entries ring with authenticity and express the mixed emotions of a young man from the early 20th century leaving his home to fight on European battlefields. At the same time, the father and son characters have less depth, and their existence and interactions seem to serve more as a framework for the story laid out in the diary entries.

As someone familiar with the current state of U.S. World War One missing, whose identification is now only pursued by private organizations and individuals and not our government, I found that the book brought to life the forlorn agony of the soldier’s wife, living out her life never truly knowing what happened to her loved one.

One of Four has an interesting premise and a well-crafted character in the unknown soldier. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy realistic, somber stories of World War One and the plight of soldiers in combat in any war.

Review by Terry Lloyd (April 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

From New York Harbor to the battlefields of France, relive World War One through the eyes of an unknown soldier, as told through his diary. See how the 100-year-old diary brings a father and his estranged son back together by retracing his experiences fighting in the battlefields of France in 1917 - 1918 to his final resting place—the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 210

Word Count: 67,551

When Heroes Flew: Where the Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder by H. W. "Buzz" Bernard

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MWSA Review

When Heroes Flew: Where the Dawn Comes in Like Thunder by H.W. “Buzz” Bernard continues the series about World War II aviators. In particular, this book picks up where Book 3 of the series, The Roof of the World, leaves off. It’s likely a good idea to read that book first, since many of the characters reprise their parts from the first book.

The book takes place in the India/Burma/China theater of WWII, as Major Rod Shepherd is eager to reconnect with nurse Eve Johannsen. They had shared harrowing experiences previously, and Shepherd thought they had an understanding. But amid the fog of war, Eve has disappeared and no one seems to know what happened to her. As he goes about his new duties after being grounded from flying by injuries, Shepherd searches surreptitiously for Eve. But he is not sneaky enough to avoid the attention of a certain general who seems to have it in for Shepherd.

Like The Roof of the World, the historically accurate book takes us into a little-known theater of WWII, keeping the reader interested as the Allies work to establish a base from which to bomb Japan. I recommend the entire series for glimpses into otherwise unknown aspects of the war.

Review by Betsy Beard (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Amidst the turmoil of World War II, a daring Army Air Forces aviator is swept into an odyssey that will carry him to the far corners of the earth. Military duty and personal quest converge in this tale of grit and perseverance.

Despite suffering grave injuries in the savage terrain of Burma, Major Rod Shepherd is returned to active duty to support war efforts against Japan. But his mission extends beyond official orders: Rod is determined to locate missing Army nurse, Eve Johannsen, even as top Army brass deny her very existence.

Rod’s primary mission sees him braving treacherous flight conditions and grappling with the horrors of the Japanese regime—all while he conducts his clandestine search for answers. In the end, Rod must risk challenging the highest levels of command if he has any hope of learning the truth…and finding Eve.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 235

Word Count: 75,500+

Until Our Time Comes: A Novel of WWII Poland by Nicole M. Miller

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MWSA Review

Nicole Miller’s debut novel, Until Our Time Comes, tells a compelling and fascinating story about one brave woman’s quest to save the Polish Arabian breed during WWII. Miller is a masterful writer who leaves the reader caring about the fate of the characters at each twist and turn. The story includes conflict on top of conflict and rising tension to keep the pages turning.

Young American horse trainer Adia Kensington finds herself in the unexpected position of being behind enemy lines when the Germans invade Poland in 1939. Despite recommendations for her to return to the United States, Adia remains in Poland to save the precious horses. As a beautiful and talented trainer, she captures the eye of British intelligence operative Bret Conway, also a world class horseman. Together they must defy all odds to evacuate the herd to safety with danger at every turn.

The author penned brilliant lyrical descriptions, for example, “But God felt so, so far away as all of Poland bled. Could He even hear the crying of her heart over the agony of a million people?”

Until Our Time Comes combines the right amount of romance with historical facts to create a completely satisfying book. Most highly recommended for readers of both genres.

Review by Valerie Ormond (April 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

American horse trainer Adia Kensington is living her dream of working at the famous Janów Podlaski stables in Poland, where they breed the best Arabian horses in the world. But her plans to bring the priceless stallion Lubor to the US are derailed when the German army storms into her adopted country in 1939. Little does she know this is just the beginning of six long years of occupation that will threaten her beloved horses at every turn.

Bret Conway is at Janów Podlaski under the guise of a news reporter, but his true mission is intelligence gathering for the British. That and keeping Adia safe, which is harder and harder to do as she insists they must evacuate 250 horses to save them from being stolen, sold, or eaten by the invading forces. What follows will test their physical, mental, and emotional strength, as well as their faith in God, humankind, and each other.

Drawn from true events of World War II, this epic story of escape, capture, resistance, and love from debut novelist Nicole M. Miller will thunder into your heart like a herd of beautiful horses across a raging river.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 372

Word Count: 95,000

Degrees of Intelligence by Miranda Armstadt

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MWSA Review

Degrees of Intelligence by Miranda Armstadt provides an entertaining spin through America’s evolving counterintelligence community, beginning with “Wild Bill” Donovan and the OSS of WWII, to the creation of the CIA and into the Cold War of the 50s and 60s. It culminates in the Kennedy assassination.

There are primarily two parallel stories with several sidebars. David Markoff, is a brilliant Jewish American, a Harvard graduate well versed in foreign languages, who follows the path of so many fellow Ivy Leaguers into a career at the State Department. His relationship with his wife carries its own deep mystery, as does his family’s backstory.

George Fernsby-Waite, is his wealthy British counterpart, who works for MI6. During WWII he is embedded with Yugoslav partisans fighting the Nazis. He works with the powerful Yugoslavian communist leader Tito, trying to keep him as a friend of the Western allies rather than a foe after the war.

During the 50s, Fernsby-Waite travels the world as a bon-vivant broadcaster and foreign correspondent who maintains his commitment to the British Intelligence organization.

Markoff becomes a Foreign Service officer whose ability to deal with high-powered political figures such as Roy Cohn is highly valued by his State Department superiors at Foggy Bottom. Their paths only cross occasionally as they deal with their own life tragedies.

Multiple characters are introduced in the first few chapters. The main spinoff is with Allen Dulles, the shrewd and long-serving director of the CIA.

There is much to like about this story told by an author whose family experienced real-life history. Armstadt stays true to history as she weaves a readable and entertaining tale.

Review by James Elsener (February 2025)

Author's Synopsis

A Gripping New Historical Fiction Geopolitical Thriller of WWII and the Cold War:

It’s 1943 … World War II is raging across the pond … and a shy but brilliant Jewish-American young man—whose own father grew up on the mean streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side—finds himself at Harvard … with no clue how he got in.

Miranda Armstadt’s new historical fiction geopolitical thriller—inspired by her own father’s time with the US State Department in 1950s Cold War Europe—takes readers behind the scenes of the early years of the CIA and how it unfolded into a powerful government arm, as America pushed back against Communism after the war.

Along the way, we meet the beautiful daughter of a TV news pioneer, caught up in a web of deceit her own family doesn't know about … a dashing British viscount who steps out of the world of wealth and prestige in which he was raised … and a teenage Holocaust survivor who’s determined to succeed, despite losing his entire family to the Nazis.

Five years in the making, Armstadt has used volumes of family letters and photographs—and researched hundreds of CIA, State Department, and government and military memos—to create a fascinating story about how high-level intelligence operatives were scouted, trained and used to glean information in a world before computers.

With incredible insight into the real life of a Foreign Service officer, Armstadt weaves a vivid tableau of America and Britain’s intelligence operations from World War II through to the Kennedy administration of the 1960s and their aftermath—and how a life of secrecy affects everyone it touches.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 350

Word Count: Approx. 93,000

Distant Dreams - Standby At Tay Ninh by Randy Millican

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MWSA Review

Distant Dreams by Randy Millican reads like a personal account of a young medic assigned to an unarmed Army helicopter crew, racing in to evacuate wounded soldiers, often under intense enemy fire. I was on the edge of my seat while reading about the “The Milkman” and the DUSTOFF crew’s heroic actions. Through every harrowing mission, the thoughts expressed by the main character are riveting. The emotion that I felt as a reader came from author Millican's explanations of desperate actions to stabilize a young woman who had just given birth and was hemorrhaging, or a young man with horrific battle wounds and the efforts to keep him alive long enough to make it to the hospital.

Over their deployment, "The Milkman" and his crew mates pull the broken bodies of hundreds of war-fighters out of the jungle and into the helicopter, and feverishly work to stabilize their critical wounds until reaching the Evac Hospital. As a nurse myself, I was astounded by the medic's incredible skill and knowledge. Faced with atrocious scenes of blood and gore, he prays as he does what he was taught to do: “Dear Lord, please guide me. Let my hands become your hands.”

Upon returning stateside, these veterans were greeted with hate and derision. They were not welcomed. They never received recognition for their heroism. Years later, when visiting the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, the author writes: “The huge majority of us simply blend in, and function anonymously in their world, working at our… insignificant jobs, providing for our families, all the while unashamedly loving the nation that sent us to do its bidding. The stories are suppressed, and we never mention our experiences, unless it’s to another vet…

The author claims his book is Historical Fiction, but it sure reads like a narrative from the guy who lived it. Welcome Home, Randy!

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

In those frightening minutes after being wounded in combat, the soldiers were expertly attended by the company medics, and a helicopter evacuation was called in. That call went out to the DUSTOFF crews. Racing to the coordinates of the unit requesting help, the helicopter crew locates the troops by the colored smoke marker, then swoops in for the pick-up, most often under withering enemy fire. The bright red crosses painted on the unarmed ship offer a beacon of hope to the wounded as well as a point of aim for enemy gunners. The pilots skillfully settle the helicopter into an area that without the emergency nature of the call would never be considered as a landing zone.

Once on the ground, the medic leaves the helicopter and races toward the wounded-gathering them up and delivering them to the waiting crew chief who helps them aboard while watching for enemy soldiers and hazards to the aircraft. Only when the last wounded man is aboard do the pilots lift-off, fighting the unforgiving force of gravity, desperate for the altitude necessary to avoid the dense jungle foliage and trees.

Assisted by the crew chief, the medic attends to the wounded: slowing the life draining flow of blood and replacing IV fluids, performing airway preserving maneuvers, and too often, CPR. As the pilots expertly coax the helicopter beyond its limits for speed, triage is performed while enroute and the most appropriate medical facility is selected. The wounded are finally handed off to the doctors and nurses for surgery and more definitive care.

This was the scenario replayed hundreds of thousands of times during the Vietnam War. The DUSTOFF crews were few, and the missions were many. Each one was carried out with skill, bravery and dedication to the mission—Saving Lives.

This is the story of a medic who flew those missions.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 485

Word Count: 51,673

SAMs and Night Carrier Landings by Roland McLean

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MWSA Review

SAMS and Night Carrier Landings offers a thrilling, insightful view into the lives of US Navy pilots during the brutal early days of the ten-year air war against North Vietnam. The three-year period from1965 through 1967 saw the heaviest losses of Navy aircraft and crews. More than half of Navy airmen killed or captured in the entire war met their fates in those years.

Author Roland McLean, a Navy veteran who flew the F-8 Crusader fighter jet during the war, tells the stories of the aviators of a fictional Crusader squadron as they go through the crucible of combat amid the challenges of flying off an aircraft carrier.

McLean populates his squadron with seasoned, senior officers and first-time “nugget” pilots as they forge the unique bonds of a Navy fighter squadron at sea. In the course of the narrative, readers experience the raw excitement and fear felt by a pilot alone in the cockpit of a fighter jet in the months spent on Yankee Station. Colorful details take readers into the personal lives of aviators on board ship and on shore at Far East liberty ports.

The author uses his own intimate knowledge as a former F-8 pilot to add vivid realism to his flying scenes. He has drawn on the combat experiences of his flight training instructors for their first-hand accounts of flying against the relentless anti-aircraft defenses over North Vietnam. He also highlights the deadly challenges of carrier aviation. The inevitable volume of technical terms and acronyms can be daunting for a non-military reader, but the author largely decodes these as part of the narrative without seriously impeding the story flow.

This is a riveting account of the little-known but tragic early years of the Vietnam air war, seen through the eyes of courageous aviators who fought down their fears to face danger on a daily basis.

Review by Peter Adams Young (March 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

On Yankee Station, some 110 miles east of Dong Hoi, NorthVietnam

Latitude1730North,10830East

3 March, 1967

Somewhere below, in the darkness, the giant old warship thundered along, firing into the dark night its lethal payload of fighters and dive-bombers. In calm seas, it churned at more than thirty knots, making its own wind to help the flight of the planes off the twin catapults mounted on the bow. Phosphorescence glowed white in its wake. Old boilers were pushed to the maximum to drive four massive propellers.

The third combat deployment of Navy Fighter Squadron VF 188 to Yankee Station and the raging air war over North Vietnam. The young replacement pilots known as nuggets are forced to quickly adapt to flying in the most deadly anti-aircraft environment ever known.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 251

Word Count: 83,454

Cherry Blossoms in Winter: A Riveting Soldier's Story of the Korean War, Friendship, and Love in Post-War Japan by Michael J. Summers

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MWSA Review

First-time author Michael J. Summers has crafted a readable and entertaining debut novel that takes place during America’s post-World War Two occupation of Japan leading up to the disastrous start of the Korean War.

It’s both a love story and a war story. Jack Pierce, an American expatriate, relates his tale of love and combat to a journalist half a century after he lived it. Though the plot is familiar—lonely GI falls for the “good” dance hall girl in a romance challenged by an unpopular war—it is still a touching story with new twists. In a note to readers, Summers states that 45,000 marriages occurred between American soldiers and Japanese women during that time.

The dialogue captures the rough sex talk of young soldiers. The descriptions of men looking for love occasionally borders on soft porn. But the relationship between Pierce and Michiko seems genuine.

The plot shifts quickly from love to war. The combat scenes are a bit confusing but real. Pierce’s unit, soft from peacetime duty in Japan, is thrust into the opening weeks of America’s Forgotten War—Korea. Pierce emerges as a natural leader who overcomes his inexperience and fears. The scenes highlight instances of courage, cowardice, and violence.

Summer's strongest writing occurs in the last two chapters when the plot returns to the current time, previous story locations, and a twist to a touching reconnect. The end is satisfying and leaves the reader with a smile.

Review by James Elsener (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

In a world scarred by conflict, can the tender beauty of cherry blossoms withstand the winter of war?

Manila, Philippines, 2003.

Dane Chandler is on a writing assignment in Manila, where he meets Jack Pierce, a tough-talking Korean War Veteran. Their chance encounter leads Dane into Jack's past, beginning in 1949 Tokyo, where Jack, stationed at Camp Drake, meets Michiko Okura at Club Florida. Their budding romance is cut short by the outbreak of the Korean War, which transforms Jack amidst the brutal fight for "Rat Mountain."

As Dane listens to Jack's story, experiencing his hellish battlefield encounters and tremendous loss, he witnesses Jack's undaunted outlook on life and discovers newfound maturity in himself.

Cherry Blossoms in Winter is a masterful blend of historical fiction, multi-cultural romance, and military adventure, exploring the bonds of brotherhood, the harsh realities of war, and the enduring power of love, highlighting the unyielding strength of the human spirit.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 259

Word Count: 82,000

Putin's Interpreter by Ward R. Anderson

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MWSA Review

Ward Anderson’s Putin's Interpreter blurs the line between fact and fiction by featuring characters with the names of current political figures. This intriguing premise invites the reader to ponder: What if the secret conversations between two political opponents were actually plots to further their own power? Dmitri Petrov, a fictional character, claims to have recorded these clandestine discussions between Putin and Trump, and he offers to hand them over to the CIA in exchange for political asylum. This sets the stage for a thrilling narrative that challenges the boundaries between truth and fiction.

The story begins with Foreign Services Officer Gavin Benson’s daring plan to extract Petrov and his family from Russia. Benson’s longtime friend, retired Navy captain Nick Lawrence, initially dismisses the idea. However, the insurrection of January 6, 2021, heightens security concerns, prompting Lawrence to reconsider. This sets the stage for Operation Blue Skylark, a suspenseful mission that underscores the integrity and expertise of military personnel. Petrov embodies the tension between duty and survival. His interactions with Benson reveal the complexities of loyalty and the moral dilemmas of those in power.

The author intertwines historical and geographical contexts to bridge the past and present. The skillful dialogue between Russian and U.S. family members highlights how the actions of those in power directly affect the lives of ordinary people. A poignant example is when Dmitri’s son, Genrich, is ordered to steal helicopter engine drawings from Ukraine’s Motor Sich plant and relocate his factory to Russia. His wife, a speed skater disillusioned by blood doping during the Sochi Olympics, questions the morality of the act. Genrich’s response, “Motor Sich steals from Dassault Aviation in France. The Russians steal from Boeing in the U.S. It’s nothing new,” underscores the pervasive nature of ethical compromises in the pursuit of power. As our world teeters between authoritarianism and liberalism, the novel prompts deep reflection on the impact of political actions on individual lives.

Review by Janette Stone (February 2025) 

Author's Synopsis

Author's Synopsis: An alternate history of the election interference of 2020, Anderson's second literary fiction about Ukraine is a political thriller that mixes real world and fictional events. A writing style akin to Phillip Rucker, Anderson's protagonists, a retired U.S. Navy fighter pilot and a Foreign Service Officer, delve into secret meetings between Presidents Putin and Trump at summits, intent to learn of any duplicity by Trump regarding Ukraine. When Putin's longtime interpreter, Dmitri Petrov, hints at his defection, a plan is set in motion to convince candidate Biden, if elected, to approve Petrov's escape. Anderson takes us from Annapolis, Maryland to Washington D.C., to Moscow, and Latvia, where the CIA is to deliver Petrov. After hours of tension and disappointment, Petrov delivers a digital recording of Putin and Trump discussing how to undermine Ukraine. The revelations are so consequential that President Biden delivers an urgent letter for Senator Leahy to read before he calls for the Senate vote at Trump's second impeachment trial.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 157

Word Count: 48,380

Nightmares in Green by Dale Kelley

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Author's Synopsis

The darkest dreams meet the light of day.

It’s 1968. Sean Hurley is a hot-headed platoon leader deep in the jungles of Vietnam. This immersive novel brings you betrayals, friends killed in action, and an unexpected spy to keep you guessing rings up to the end.

Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Format(s): Soft cover, ePub/iBook

ISBN/ASIN: 9798334347021

Brothers Bound by Bruce K. Berger

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MWSA Review
Brothers Bound by Bruce K Berger is a phenomenal story of two men bonded through combat, capture, survival, and escape from a prison camp during the Vietnam War. However, its reach extends far beyond a typical historical novel about war. It contains hard-earned life wisdom and is written in such a way that the entire book feels lyrical, poetic, and profound. This quality is juxtaposed with well written prose that depicts the raw and horrible side of war.

Narrated in the first person by Buck, a school teacher who is drafted in late 1969, the story captures the emotions ranging from laughter (a few times) through fear, loss, grief, and redemption. Buck’s buddy Hues, a tri-racial soldier who was a street minister in Detroit, first meets Buck when Buck saves him during a bar fight in a backward and backwater bar near Fort Polk, Louisiana. They are deployed to Vietnam in nearby units near Phu Bai and occasionally serve together on missions. When they are shot down and captured, Hues carries the unconscious Buck until he can march on his own to the prison camp, thereby returning a favor and saving Buck’s life. They survive the beatings and hard labor by sharing their histories, their hopes, and their dreams, focusing on the good memories and sustained by Hues’s faith.

Throughout the book, Berger punctuates the text with original contemporary psalms that Hues creates for every occasion. When they escape the camp, Hues’s life force and spiritual connection keep Buck moving toward freedom, step by painful step.

Review by Betsy Beard (January 2025)  
 

Author's Synopsis

How much can the human spirit endure? Buck, a Caucasian teacher, and Hues, a multiracial street preacher, form an unlikely friendship after meeting in a bar fight near their Army training base in 1969. When their helicopter crashes later in Vietnam, they’re captured by Viet Cong soldiers, and marched to a brutal prison camp.

Each day begins with the ominous question: how can they survive another day? They discover the gift of good memories and find great hope in Hues’s incredible life spirit which lights their darkest days.

Fourteen months after their capture, Hues damages his ankle so severely he can’t walk. With death closer than ever, they escape and begin a harrowing journey through dense jungle filled with predators. Buck vows to carry Hues every step until they reach safety, but can they possibly make it? Their brotherly love drives them onward.

Format(s) for review: Paper & Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 256

Word Count: 83,000

An Absence of Faith: A Tale of Afghanistan by Craig Trebilcock

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MWSA Review

An Absence of Faith effectively conveys the underlying causes of the twenty-year debacle in Afghanistan that followed the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. The author uses fictional characters to illustrate both the deep-seated intricacies of Afghan culture and the well-meaning efforts of a few principled individuals to infuse Western values and ethics into the equation.

Within weeks of the devastating terror attacks of September 11, 2001, The United States molded a coalition of more than fifty other nations to support the invasion of Afghanistan, considered to be the wellspring of global terror. At the time, Afghanistan had been under the rule of the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban, which had gained control of the country following the departure of Soviet forces.

The central narrative takes place between August of 2015 and October of 2016—a critical period following the assassination of Osama Bin Laden and the declared official end of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The key protagonist is an American Army Reserve colonel, sent on a one-year tour of duty to stem the rampant corruption in the Afghan military and government. Perspective into the culture and plight of the Afghan people comes through the eyes of an Afghan army private who ultimately joins the Taliban. The narrative alternates between these two viewpoints, effectively describing the complex challenges on both sides of the conflict.

In addition to the engaging fictional story lines, the author takes great care to provide historic and contemporary backgrounds that help the reader to better understand the cultural environments confronting his characters.

The result is an absorbing and understandable explanation of the many misconceptions and failures of the latest attempt by Western nations to impose their values and ethics on the unruly country which has rightfully earned the epithet “graveyard of empires.”

An Absence of Faith is recommended reading for anyone looking for clearer understanding of at least some of the many reasons for the failure of America’s involvement in Afghanistan.

Review by Peter Young (March 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

An Absence of Faith: A Tale of Afghanistan is the story of Daniyal, a Kabul University student kidnapped into the Afghan army where he is caught up in a vast criminal conspiracy to steal Western military aid. The story takes the reader into the heart of the Afghanistan war, where Afghan soldiers are daily brutalized and their food and medicine are sold by their generals for their personal profit.. While Daniyal struggles to survive, Colonel William Trevanathan, U.S. Army, is given the mission to stop Afghan corruption to convince NATO allies not to abandon an increasingly unpopular war. Both Daniyal and Trevanathan struggle to maintain their humanity and principles amidst a conflict where your ally is your enemy and the strong prey upon the weak. An insightful view into how Afghan corruption, Western bureaucratic infighting, and a lack of accountability over billions in Western aid money paved the way for the return of the Taliban.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 392

Word Count: 112374

Boot: A Sorta Novel of Vietnam by Charles Templeton

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Author's Synopsis

The true test for surviving war lies in the mind, not on the battlefield. Inspired by the author’s own experiences of US military operations during the Vietnam War. Boot is a debut literary novel that became an Amazon Best Seller on July 21, 2020 and was an Award Winning Finalist in the Best New Fiction category of the 2020 International Book Awards. Boot charts the journey of Marine George Orwell Hill, known affectionately as G. O. by his brothers-in-arms, as he comes to grips with the psychological impacts of war in the jungles and rice paddies of Southeast Asia. Faced with military life ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, G. O. must navigate the absurdity of warfare and suppress his humanity to survive psychologically. The war challenges his presuppositions—about the world, about life, about himself—as soon as he lands in Vietnam. And his pondering deep questions about humanity becomes a fruitless task in a situation forcing him to accept life for what it is in every gory, absurd detail. Boot is a credible contribution to new literary fiction about the Vietnam War, combining satire and psychology in historical fiction.

Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, History, Memoir

Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook, Audiobook

The Scarlet Oak by Jerry Aylward

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Author's Synopsis

Murder, Spies, and Spirits will take you on a historic time travel journey back to the American Revolution to General Washington's Culper Spy ring to reveal Washington's first female spy, code-named # 355, who has successfully prevented the brutal British Colonel John G. Simcoe from collaborating with Benedict Arnold to turn West Point over to the British.

Genre(s):

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Format(s):

Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook, Audiobook

Weeds of War: Those Who Bled at Dien Bien Phu by Paul Alenous Kluge

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MWSA Review

Weeds of War: Those Who Bled at Dien Bien Phu by Paul Alenous Kluge explores a part of history not often examined by Americans. Sometimes referred to as the ignominious last gasp of the French Empire, the battle of Dien Bien Phu is certainly a worthy focal point for a work of historical fiction. Surprisingly, Weeds of War doesn’t restrict itself to the jungles of Vietnam. The novel’s opening chapter takes place in faraway Northern Ireland—providing an unexpected and mysterious introduction of a young man who’ll eventually reappear to become one of the main characters caught up in the epic and empire-ending titular battle.

It’s not until the 179th page that the reader discovers the poignancy of the book’s title: “weeds” refers to the “grunts, the privates” in the French military and Foreign Legion. Kluge’s alternating focus on the weeds on both sides of the battle—including the tenacious Viet Minh—provides the human dimension of this book.

Review by John Cathcart (June 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

It was clear by the first days of 1954 that impending battle at Dien Bien Phu would tip scales everywhere. By then, France was desperate for a win, and Ho Chi Minh was willing to roll the dice, betting on the support of the Soviets, the Chinese, and his own fire-eating army. It was the conscripts, the coolies, and the privates--who had the least to gain and the most to lose--who would pay the heaviest price. They were the weeds of war! The privates depicted are fictional, the battles are not; the historical context is real.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 236

Word Count: 103,837

A Grand Pause: A Novel on May 14, 1945, the USS Randolph, Kamikazes, and the Greatest Air-Sea Rescue by Gary Santos

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MWSA Review

A Grand Pause: A Novel on May 14, 1945, The USS Randolph, Kamikazes, and the Greatest Air-Sea Rescue by Gary Santos is an action-packed historical fiction book that takes place in the war-torn Pacific Ocean during World War II.

Gary Santos had me (the reader) inside and atop the ships and planes during the heart-stopping action of fighting the Japanese and the kamikazes. His knowledge of the ships and their inner workings was apparent through his portrayal of characters responsible for the myriad of jobs to keep the craft functioning.

Santos paints a graphic picture of Ensign John Morris and his gunner Cletis Phegley as they are shot down in the Seto Inland Sea in the heart of Japanese territory. Morris and Phegley are convinced they are doomed to be prisoners of war if they live, but the brass of the Navy mount an all-out effort to rescue them. The plan put together and executed by the bravest of the brave was insane but insanely successful.

If you like U.S. Naval history or World War II action, A Grand Pause is bound to have you on the edge of your seat.

Review by Nancy Panko (June 2024)

 

Author's Synopsis

Based on a true World War II story, almost lost to history. Set on May 14, 1945, A Grand Pause follows two naval airmen, Ensign John Morris and gunner Cletis Phegley, as they ditch their burning dive bomber into the Seto Inland Sea, surrounded by the Japanese home islands. What ensues is a daring rescue mission by the USS Randolph and her war-weary crew, as they struggle against enemies, both physical and psychological, to bring their brethren home safely.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 314

Word Count: 89,568

Trust No One by Glenn Dyer

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MWSA Review

Trust No One by Glenn Dyer is a well-researched and written WW2 historical novel that entertains, informs, and intrigues readers. It’s the 4th book in the Conor Thorn espionage series inspired by true events.

The story, locations, and historical period evoke images of “Casablanca.” It’s missing Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, but Trust No One doesn’t lack heroes or villains. We get cameos or at least shout-outs of Eisenhower, Churchill, Admiral Jean Darlan, Klaus Barbie—the Butcher of Lyon—Charles DeGaulle, Ian Fleming, professional spies, a courageous brothel owner, an evil priest, and multiple others—real and imagined. A good use of dialogue keeps the story moving.

The action alternates between Algiers and Lyon, with forays into Marseilles, London, Gibraltar, and Tunisia. The locations provide a mysterious backdrop of dark alleys, smokey cafés, and foggy airfields, where nothing is as it appears.

All the significant and influential WW2 organizations play a role in the political puzzle and multiple storylines: the Allies, the Axis Powers, the French Resistance, the Gestapo and SS, MI6, SOE, OSS, Vichy France, the Abwehr, and…the Catholic Church. We get double-dealing, thrilling escapes, and violence. All the boxes are checked.

About halfway through, I felt overwhelmed by the multiple plot lines, so I jumped to the author’s notes and acknowledgments, which helped me connect the dots. At 107,000 words, the narrative may test readers’ patience and challenge their ability to fit all the pieces of the puzzle. But those willing to stick with Trust No One to the end will be rewarded with a memorable and thrilling reading experience.

Review by James Elsener (May 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Loyalists meant to rid their country of a double-dealing collaborator. Instead, they created a threat that could destroy Allied unity.

Algiers. Winter 1942. Conor Thorn is devastated. He’s been fired from the OSS. His wife, Emily, has been fired from MI6. They allowed their morals to bend certain truths concerning the outcome of their last mission. Forever dedicated to defeating Axis powers, these skilled operatives jump at the chance to secretly help General Eisenhower deal with a political time bomb threatening Allied harmony and to redeem their honorable standing. To recover a rumored archive holding the truth about an assassination plot, they must travel deep into perilous Axis territory.

In the crosshairs of those determined to keep the information out of Allied hands, Conor and Emily fall victim to a violent assault. Though the resulting injuries leave him severely concussed and confused, Conor refuses to stand down while his beloved ventures deeper into danger.

Can Conor and Emily piece together a political puzzle in time to keep Allied unity from fracturing?

Trust No One is the high intensity, gritty fourth book in the Conor Thorn WWII espionage series inspired by true events. If you like heart-pounding action and white-knuckled tension, then you’ll love Glenn Dyer’s thrill ride through history.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 402

Word Count: 107,710