Unknowable Minds: Philosophical Insights on AI and Autonomous Weapons by Mark Bailey

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MWSA Review

Unknowable Minds: Philosophical Insights on AI and Autonomous Weapons is written by Mark Bailey. Although the author has chosen not to list his academic credentials, he describes himself as an academic researcher who explores the impact of technology on national security at a university that serves the United States Intelligence Community. This is an academic piece written “to help people who may not be AI practitioners better understand how AI works and the risks that AI poses from a complex system perspective.” (P 15)

With extensive endnotes and bibliography, Bailey expresses his concerns through AI theory, philosophy, and mathematics, focusing on large-scale national security implications of AI. He clearly explains the differences between fully autonomous (no human intervention) and semi autonomous systems, with the latter broken further into those with a human IN the loop and those with a supervisor who can intervene, known as being ON the loop. A human in the loop is a gatekeeper who must make a positive decision in order for the system to act. Bailey then applies these lessons to warfare and global dynamics.

He has a simple message: It’s impossible to know how advanced autonomous AI will make decisions, and it’s unlikely to make decisions that humans would make. Therefore, we should “abandon our inclination to seek greater technology simply for its own sake, as well as our tendency to succumb to the pressures of global competition.” (p 155)

Review by Nancy Kauffman (April 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Imagine that in the cold heart of a secret military facility, a new form of intelligence awakens. It is a synthetic mind born from intricate algorithms and complex computations, operating in ways unfathomable to its human creators. Charged with safeguarding national security, this intelligence orchestrates strategies that defy human ethics and laws of war, leaving its creators both awed and unnerved. Unknowable Minds delves into the unsettling reality of entrusting our safety to an intelligence that lacks human essence. As we navigate the Age of Artificial Intelligence, these systems - powering everything from our smartphones to military defenses - remain inherently opaque and unpredictable. The book explores how AI differs from any technology we've ever developed, its inherent complexities, and the profound risks it poses to our future. Drawing on philosophy, AI theory, and national security insights, this book offers a thought-provoking examination of AI's potential and peril. From the complexities of neural networks to the unpredictable nature of emergent behaviors, Unknowable Minds challenges us to rethink our relationship with AI and its role in the theater of global security. Can we control an unknowable intellect, or will it redefine human existence? As we stand on the precipice of unprecedented technological advancement, understanding and navigating the unknowable minds of artificial intelligences become a quest fraught with extraordinary challenges and existential questions.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Reference

Number of Pages: 236

Word Count: 50,000

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

Red Lines by James Bultema

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MWSA Review

Red Lines by James Bultema describes the US response to Iran’s attack on Independence Hall, crossing a red line that the US does not tolerate. In the air, on the ground, on the sea, and under the sea, the US demonstrates not only its might in terms of people but also technology. The Iranian forces are also well trained and have many technologically advanced weapons. This is no walk in the park for the US troops.

In addition to having Iran as the antagonist, the other difference in this book is the use of AI in so many ways. Cyberwarfare is exercised by both sides in ways you may not have thought about. The battle scenes are realistic. Chapter 4 especially outlines the strengths and weaknesses of both the US and Iran. The book makes clear that modern warfare is complex, and communication is strategically important.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (March 2025)

Author Synopsis

From seven-time award-winning author James Bultema, Red Lines is the third explosive installment in the Sea of Red series, plunging readers into the heart of a modern military war between the United States and Iran.

After a devastating attack on a symbol of American freedom by radicalized domestic Hezbollah terrorists, the US finds itself on the brink of war. Tensions escalate as retaliatory strikes lead to a high-stakes confrontation that reverberates across the globe.

In a game of cat and mouse, submarines prowl the depths, fighter jets streak across the skies, and warships clash in an epic struggle for dominance. With advanced weaponry and strategic cunning, both sides push the boundaries of warfare, drawing the world's superpowers into a conflict that threatens global stability.

With the future of international order hanging in the balance, Red Lines takes readers on a relentless journey through the complexities of modern warfare and the far-reaching consequences of a single, violent act.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 410

Word Count: 75,765

Author's Synopsis

The Only Ones Left by KE Jennings

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MWSA Review

The Only Ones Left is an intriguing and, at times, thrilling story of a woman and her young son who believe they are the last people on Earth after everyone, including her husband, disappears without explanation.

It is not a new plot (see The Twilight Zone Episode 1, Season 1, "Where is Everyone"), but it provides some unique twists with a nod to modern times. Malia is trying to live as normal a life as possible despite their circumstances. There are some chill-inducing encounters with "Shadow Man" and the red-eyed crow. When Malia is contacted by one other survivor of the apocalypse, an online relationship develops. Ian lives in Australia, Malia in the U.S. Ian has to figure out how to travel halfway around the world to reach her. I was stunned by the ending, as it left a lot for the reader to interpret and provided more questions than answers.
This was a dark thriller that was a good read...but left me a bit in the dark. Perhaps there is a sequel in the works.

Review by James Elsener (March 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

Malia lives with Cole, her little boy. They are always together and live a very quiet life because absolutely everyone else in the world has gone, including Malia's beloved husband Josh. Malia can't think too deeply about what has happened, or why she and Cole are the only people left on the planet. The thought scares her, so she lives what she perceives to be a 'normal' existence until one day, she is messaged by someone on defunct social media channels. In a desperate attempt to connect to this man, Malia strikes up an online friendship with Ian, in Australia. That's when even more strange and unnatural things start to happen. Dark entities and crows begin to threaten Malia and Cole's very existence, which Malia desperately tries to cling onto while Ian is trying to get to her and her son. Will he make it? Will Malia and Cole survive and who are the dark entities that threaten then only ones left?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 208

Word Count: 62805

Women Warriors - The Hidden Spies of WWII by Donna Pedace

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MWSA Review

Women Warriors: The Hidden Spies of WWII by Donna Pedace chronicles the exploits of fifty women spies who either parachuted into France, or arrived by boat, to help the French and British Resistance thwart the occupying Germans. Author Pedace gives faces, names, and backgrounds to these brave souls, some of whom were tortured and executed by the enemy. Each showed incredible courage, ingenuity, and sacrifice in working with the resistance movements in France.
More than once, a woman spy passed through a German checkpoint with explosives in a basket or radio parts sewn into the hem of a skirt. One female spy rode a train with a backpack of hidden grenades while a German officer sat next to her. Each woman was trained to maintain her composure under duress, and it worked.

Out of fifty women spies, eleven were executed while they were prisoners in concentration camps. Two died of disease while in a camp. Others were captured and tortured but survived the war. All the women showed incredible courage, and Nazi records show that not one of them gave the Germans any classified information, even when they faced  certain death.

Odette Sansom, imprisoned and tortured by the Gestapo when serving with the French Resistance Movement, said of the other captured female agents she met while in prisons in France and Germany: “We were all young, we were all different, but we all had the feeling in the beginning that we were doing this to be helpful. That was why we went into it.”

Kudos to author Donna Pedace. Women Warriors is a well-documented, accurate account of women in history who made a difference under harrowing conditions.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

The stories of the 52 female agents trained and sent into France by the Special Operation Executive (SOE). They were a widely diverse group of women by age, education, economic background, and motivation. But all had the goal of freeing France from German occupation. Of the 52 women who went to France, eleven (11) were executed while prisoners in concentration camps, and two (2) died of disease in the camps. Others were captured and tortured but survived the war. All showed incredible courage, and Nazi records show that not one of the captured women gave the Germans any classified information – even when they faced a certain death.

Behind the veil of secrecy, not yet raised by the Air Ministry, there are great stories of courage and endurance. For the agent has no status, no friendly uniform or consul to rely on. With her friends, she is outside the law — until it catches up with her.

Written by Squadron Leader William Simpson, Distinguished Flying Cross, regarding the female SOE agents in March 1945.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 328

Word Count: 123,171

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

A Nation Born – A Homeland Lost: Native Americans and the Revolutionary War Era by George J. Bryjak

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MWSA Review

We’ve been taught the history of the founding of the United States by Europeans. A Nation Born – A Homeland Lost tells the lesser-known story of what happened to the Native Americans who inhabited North America, as settlements of these newcomers spread across the land. Battles for territory raged between the French and the British, and then the British and the Patriots. Alliances of Native tribes were constantly shifting, as they tried to hold onto their land, support their families, and maintain their cultures. The final battles were between the settlers and the Native Americans, as they claimed all of the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, south of Canada and north of Mexico. The few Natives who survived were left with broken treaties and confined to isolated patches of territory as prisoners of war.

This is a well-researched book that includes maps, pictures, and sources. Points of view in the book included the French, the British, the colonists or settlers, and the Native Americans. The extensive descriptions of the various tribes, including their territory, customs, beliefs, and leaders, gives the reader a Native American perspective that is missing from most other accounts of history in this time period. The author included stories about several women warriors and leaders.

The book is easy to understand, with a lot of specific details. More sensitive readers may find the graphic details of the brutality of many of the battles against the Native Americans to be very disturbing, as I did. If so, I recommend you skip over those narratives.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in a more complete picture of the battles that defined the settlement of North America through the early 1800s.
Review by Eva Nevarez St. John (March 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

To fully understand the American Revolutionary War and its aftermath, we must also examine wars involving Native Americans in that era, and how they influenced the destiny of a people and a continent

.

As France and England battle for control of North America in The French and Indian War, most of the Indians who fight side with the French.

Pontiac’s Rebellion – often called the first American Revolution – is a concerted effort by Native Americans to halt European expansion and safeguard their ancestral homelands.

From Pontiac’s Rebellion to the battles of Lexington and Concord, a shifting political landscape results in most of the Native Americans who fight in the Revolutionary War siding with the British.

The Treaty of Paris and birth of the United States results in Native Americans battling for their sovereignty once more in the Northwest Indian War.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 285

Word Count: 84,000

Revive the American Dream by Edward Corcoran

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MWSA Review

This outstanding book sheds great light on, and provokes deep thought about, our American Dream. The book provides a “comprehensive assessment of the totality of threats and challenges facing the nation and how we address them” (p. xix) if we want to rebuild and strengthen what is now a torn and tattered American Dream.

The author provides a fully detailed and referenced review of four major challenges and threats to our nation and its dream of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” expressed in the U.S. Constitution. These include: 1) Natural Threats (e.g., earthquakes, global warming, pandemics); 2) Domestic Challenges (e.g., threats to life, personal liberties, democratic dysfunction); 3) Global competition (e.g., globalization, terrorism, China, Islam); and 4) National Strategy (e.g., fix America first, realign foreign policy, and develop and implement strategies).

The book is professionally organized, well written, and highly detailed and referenced. In this regard, the book reflects the knowledge, skills, and professional capabilities and experiences of its author, Edward Corcoran, a retired U.S. Army officer with extensive experience in the Army Soviet Affairs Program, military intelligence, and nuclear affairs. His service took him to tours in Germany, South Korea, and Vietnam. He concluded his career as a strategic analyst at the U.S. Army War College.

The book is rich with facts and details, which bring to life four threatening issues and corresponding recommendations for action. Perhaps the most important point: We’re running out of time to refresh and rebuild our fading American Dream.

I highly recommend this excellent, thought-provoking work.

Review by Bruce K. Berger (March 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

America has been a Beacon of Freedom to many, yet today it fails to live up to its credo, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The American Dream that working hard would lead to a good life has faded for many who now struggle for affordable healthcare and housing, higher education, and a living wage. Efforts to promote a more democratic and prosperous nation are thwarted by an economic system that favors the top levels. Society is wracked with racial and political unrest that has resulted in violence even in the sacred halls of its Capital. Globally, America has moved past the Cold War threats of the Soviet Union. Those we now face are more diffuse and in many ways more dangerous-Islamic radicalism, a rise of autocratic governments, fragmenting alliances, global refugee flows, expanding military technologies, cyber intrusions, and global warming. A National Strategy is badly needed to provide a comprehensive assessment of these challenges and to balance the allocation of resources to revive the American Dream. That is the focus of this book.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Reference

Number of Pages: 247

Word Count: 74,051

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+

Some Angels Have Rotor Blades by Darcy Guyant

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MWSA Review

Based on a true story, Some Angels Have Rotor Blades by Darcy Guyant tells the tale of a boy named Dale, who ventures alone out in the ocean in his family’s boat. When the boat hits something underwater, it capsizes. Clinging to the overturned boat, Dale is rescued by Coast Guard HH-52 Seaguard helicopter number 1415. Years later, Dale takes his grandchildren to an aviation museum, where they discover the same helicopter that saved Dale on that fateful day.

This picture book allows children to see how actions can impact the lives of those around them. The book contains discussion concepts and questions at the back, along with information about the illustrator and the author, who retired after 25 years flying helicopters for both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard. The book’s reading level is above that which is normally used in picture books, so it will likely require reading by an adult to explain words and concepts as the child follows along by looking at the pictures.

Review by Betsy Beard (March 2025)

 Author's Synopsis

When Dale's plans for a fun day on the water turn into a struggle for survival, he is left clinging to his overturned boat, hope dwindling with each passing minute. Just as his strength begins to fade, a Coast Guard helicopter unexpectedly appears on the scene, its crew risking their lives to pluck him from the frigid water.

Fast-forward forty years, and Dale's world comes full circle. While exploring a museum with his grandkids, he stumbles upon the helicopter that once saved him!

This remarkable tale weaves together themes of survival, heartfelt gratitude, and the lasting impact of the rescuer’s bravery. It's a poignant reminder of how courage and compassion can transform lives in unimaginable ways.

Perfect for parents and educators, this inspiring narrative showcases the profound influence of one person's actions on another's destiny. This story powerfully illustrates that even the most minor acts of kindness can create ripples that echo through generations, potentially shaping the future and sparking inspiration.

Format(s) for review: Paper & Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Number of Pages: 38

Word Count: 911

Maryland Sasquatch Massacre by Ethan Richards

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MWSA Review

In The Maryland Sasquatch Massacre, author Ethan Richards has given us a new look into the Sasquatch. Unbeknown to the outside world, a herd of these mythical creatures have found a home in the Savage River State Forest. Eerie Eb, our protagonist, and his team have been hired to find a young woman who has gone missing there.

Author Richards leads the reader along on the search while creating the most formidable environment. Bad weather, thick forests, and ominous sounds would have me dropping out of the search, but Eb and his team carry on. As the title suggests, the climax comes with multiple man versus Sasquatch battles. Who is really hunting who and who will survive become the obvious questions as the reader nears the end of the story. This is a book the avid horror reader or Sasquatch fan should enjoy.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

Maryland. Mercenaries. Sasquatch.

Ebenezer "Eerie Eb" Edwards is ready to hang up his rifle. After years in the military and security contracting, he's set on leaving his tactical profession behind and focusing full-time on podcasting. But when a lucrative final contract crosses his path, Eb agrees to one last mission—a search deep into the heart of Savage River State Forest for the missing sister of Cora Rhodes, a wealthy heiress with a fierce determination.

Cora's sister has disappeared into the remote, abandoned forest, and Cora will stop at nothing to find her. With Eb leading the way, they're joined by a band of mercenaries—each with their own specialties and reasons for taking on the job. Together, the team must navigate treacherous terrain, but it's not just the wilderness they have to survive. Something brutal and ancient lurks in the shadows—something far worse than they could have imagined.

This isn't just a search-and-rescue mission. It's a battle for survival against a creature long thought to be myth. As the team members fall one by one, Eb and Cora must rely on each other, pushing their limits as they confront a force of nature no one was prepared for.

In this action-packed thriller, will Eb's final mission be the one that costs him everything? Or will he and Cora survive The Maryland Sasquatch Massacre and uncover the truth about the horrors lurking in the forest?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Horror/Fantasy/Sci Fi

Number of Pages: 162

Word Count: 43217

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

The Spear and the Sentinel by J. L. Hancock

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MWSA Review

J. L. Hancock has delivered an outstanding sequel with The Spear and the Sentinel, following his previous work, The Hawk Enigma. The fast-paced thriller continues the exploits of Voodoo and his courageous special operations compatriots in their mission to uncover secrets in the sinister world of advanced artificial intelligence (AI). The team is tasked with a covert assignment deep in the heart of Kazakhstan with little to no lifeline to the outside world. The reader will experience a rapid tempo of unexpected turns, twists, unpredictable relationships, and old adversaries that will keep the pages turning.

Hancock exhibits his mastery of character development. They are credible and wonderfully flawed. His knowledge of black ops/special forces is impressive; the dialogue and narratives demonstrate this unique quality. His world of technical advancement in weaponry, surveillance, and AI is almost unbelievable and many times highly sinister. Is this a glimpse into the future, or are we already there?  The reader will not be disappointed. The language is sometimes technical and specialized, but Hancock takes us along for the ride. And what a ride it is—thoroughly worth the trip!

Review by Sandi Cathcart (March 2025)

Author's Synopsis

Voodoo and his team of special operators are thrust into the heart of a global conflict. The stakes have never been higher as China’s Belt and Road Initiative pushes into Central Asia, exposing dark ambitions and a secret lab advancing AI warfare.

Set against the vast steppes of Kazakhstan, this story unfolds in the shadow of the former Soviet Union. Tensions rise as Voodoo’s team embarks on a covert mission. New team members add to the friction as more troubles from Voodoo’s past return to the present.

They soon find themselves on the brink of a perilous future the Western world is unwilling to face: a world where AI reigns supreme, and there's no turning back. Fans of Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy, and Clive Cussler will snatch this thriller and refuse to let go.

Will Voodoo’s team succeed? Or has his luck finally run out?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 340

Word Count: 80,000

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

Crucible 1972: The War for Peace in Vietnam by J. Keith Saliba

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MWSA Review

Crucible 1972: The War for Peace in Vietnam, by J. Keith Saliba, is a fascinating fast-paced account of military and diplomatic action during the last 14 months of U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. The book details the massive, but unsuccessful, North Vietnamese and Provincial Revolutionary Government (the Viet Cong) attack into South Vietnam as U.S. ground troops completed turnover of responsibility for the conduct of the land war to Republic of Vietnam forces. Despite the North’s early successes, the South Vietnamese military, with overwhelming U.S. air support, beat back the communist assault and regained much of its territory.

At the same time, faced with ever-growing domestic sentiment against the war and a Democrat congressional majority capable of defunding the war effort, President Richard Nixon was determined to use unprecedented U.S. air and naval power to force North Vietnam into a “peace with honor” that would allow for the complete end of U.S. military involvement in the war. What ensued was a marathon game of four-dimensional chess that not only involved the political and military moves of the two Vietnams and the U.S. but grand-scale diplomacy with Moscow and Beijing as well.

The author does a superb job of blending these diverse currents into a comprehensive and detailed account of these “last” 14 months. The air campaign is extensively described, and the narrative also includes the seldom-mentioned U.S. Navy surface warfare action into the hearts of vital North Vietnamese ports such as Haiphong. The action, though always factual, often achieves the level of a high-tech military thriller.

The book wisely includes a glossary upfront of the many military and government entity terms, acronyms, and abbreviations, most of which have now passed into history. Several useful maps are also included. This book is perfect for military history enthusiasts, Vietnam veterans, or anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the last days of the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

Review by Terry Lloyd (April 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

By early 1972, America’s long struggle in Vietnam was nearing its end. President Richard Nixon’s policy of “Vietnamization” had seen U.S. troop strength plummet to its lowest since 1965, even as military planners ramped up efforts to train and equip South Vietnam to stand alone. In an effort to kickstart peace negotiations, Nixon that January revealed that for more than two years his administration had been in secret talks with North Vietnam to end the war. Nixon proposed a withdrawal of all foreign military forces from South Vietnam and the release of prisoners held by all sides. After which, the president intoned, the people of South Vietnam would be free to decide their own fate through peaceful, democratic means. All that remained was North Vietnam’s acceptance. But Hanoi said no. General Secretary Le Duan, seeing that the United States was already on its way out and calculating that Vietnamization had failed, decided war not peace would bring final victory.

And so on 30 March 1972, the first terrible wave of 30,000 North Vietnamese infantrymen, armor, and heavy artillery rolled across the DMZ separating North and South Vietnam. Within a month, that number would grow to more than 225,000 troops and hundreds of tanks pressing South Vietnam on three battlefronts. But what Le Duan did not calculate was the ferocity of the U.S. response. American airpower—now unshackled by a president determined to win an “honorable peace” in Vietnam—would rain destruction unlike anything the North Vietnamese had experienced. Before it was over, Washington, Hanoi, and Saigon would be pushed to the brink—and toward a deeply flawed peace that merely sowed the seeds of further war. Drawing on archival research and interviews with veterans who were there, J. Keith Saliba tells the tale of America’s last fateful year in Vietnam…and its desperate attempt to achieve an honorable peace.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 444

Word Count: 95,000

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

Persons of Interest by Mark Fleisher

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MWSA Review

Mark Fleisher's Persons of Interest offers appealing autobiographical stories interspersed with poems that provide thoughtful moments of reflection on the author's past experiences growing up in Brooklyn, going to college in the Midwest, and working as a combat journalist in Vietnam. There are a number of memorable characters in the stories ("persons of interest"), including Mrs. Narinsky, a neighbor who yelled at young Fleisher and his friends to "Stop making such noise, you nogoodnicks. If you don't I'll pour hot water on you", and Baby Blue, the author's second car bought on his return from Vietnam, a 1968 Pontiac LeMans which soon began spilling pools of rust-colored liquid then spewing flames reminiscent of Puff the Magic Dragon, the Air Force AC-47 that bombed enemy forces in South Vietnam.

But the most interesting and appealing character is the author himself, the narrator with his wry humor, evident even in troubled times. For example, when Fleisher is struggling with PTSD and is offered hypnosis, he gamely thinks, "Why not?" and is then able to laugh at his first conversation with his comrade Rick, later killed in action in front of Fleisher (and perhaps the most crucial reason for Fleisher's PTSD): after Rick had mentioned that he was Mormon and had never met a Jewish person before, Fleisher counters with, "Well, Rick, I've never met a Mormon."

Of the 13 stories and 13 poems in the collection, most—according to the author—are autobiographical, but others are fictional. The protagonist and his experiences seem to be the same throughout, but the other characters are fictionalized, and it is difficult sometimes to tell who is a real-life character and who is fictional. But on the whole, the collection presents a companionable glimpse into the mind and heart of a fellow traveler on this up-and-down road of life.

Review by Nancy Arbuthnot (March 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

Persons of Interest is a law enforcement term to describe someone who is involved in an incident, not yet a suspect but may become one. In Mark Fleisher’s work entitled Persons of Interest, he investigates, follows up clues and names names. Fleisher, who enjoys dabbling in the kitchen of his Albuquerque homecooks up a Baker’s Dozen each of poems and stories, fiction and nonfiction alike. The menu ranges from tales of his childhood, through college days and Air Force experiences to more contemporary times.

From a misbehaving car to a scary plane ride to his first paying job Fleisher weaves his way through wistful and humorous tales as well as portrayals of loss and grief, all reflecting the author’s ability to give readers a buffet of emotions. The poems found in Persons of Interest often relate directly or indirectly to the stories told.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Other—Anthology/Collection

Number of Pages: 115

Word Count: 22,000

Swift Boat Skipper by Robert H. Bradley III

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MWSA Review

Reading military memoirs can be a roll of the dice. Some are suitable maybe as a record for future generations of family members, some you encounter are great stories but poorly written, some are great stories with great writing, and many are somewhere in between. Swift Boat Skipper has the arc of a great story and is very well written.

As the title implies, the author commanded a Patrol Boat Fast (PBF), or Swift Boat, as a young Navy officer during the Vietnam War. Without stating so, I believe one of the author’s main purposes was to write his story for those to whom the Vietnam War is now history, while also seeking to tell the story of one facet of the often-overlooked naval war in Vietnam.

Much of the information in the book will be familiar to those who served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The author does a great job of overlaying the story of his small boat unit with the macro issues affecting the overall conduct of the war, emanating from Saigon, Washington D.C., college campuses, and main streets across America, all far from the combat zone.

The mission of the Patrol Boat Fast sailors and their comrades operating other rivercraft was to deny the interior waterways of South Vietnam to communist insurgent Viet Cong guerrillas and soldiers of the army of North Vietnam. Like their ground combat and aviation counterparts, they were hampered and frustrated by onerous rules of engagement that their enemies took full advantage of to both evade and ambush U.S. forces.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of the book is the author’s deft explanations of the motivations of the communist enemy and the often-reluctant South Vietnamese forces, and his ability to enable the reader to walk in their shoes (or barefoot).

This book will interest those interested in the Vietnam War, naval combat, and any story of men in combat in a unique environment.

Review by Terry Lloyd (February 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

This book is a memoir based on letters I wrote and the diary I kept in Vietnam.

I started writing in 1979 to counter the despicable depiction of the actions of sailors on Swift Boats and River Patrol Boats in the movie, Apocalypse Now. It was my attempt to tell about the Vietnam War that I knew while serving in DaNang in 1969-1970.

This book is a coming-of-age story of a callow college graduate whose service, first as an officer on the USS Savage (DER-386) and then as skipper of a Swift Boat turned a boy into a man.

Coastal Division 12 Swift Boats patrolled mostly along the coast, but one of our key missions in 1969 was the perilous patrols in the Cua Dai River Basin. Many men were wounded there in the firefights; one of our officers died.

The book recounts the great professionalism and courage of Swift Boat sailors but also the gradual disillusionment that many of us felt, as the Vietnamization of the War supplanted our original mission of winning the war.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 338

Word Count: 162,000

Crow Wisdom: A Seasonal Journey by Wanda W. Jerome and Jasmine Tritten

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MWSA Review

This is a book of poems about the subject of…crows! I’ve read and written many books of poetry, but nothing extensive about crows until this book. Overall, the book is a blend of poetry, photography, and artwork, which collectively create a vivid portrait of the spiritual power of crows. This power is heartwarming, hopeful, and reflective of the human experience. The community of these birds underscores the importance of community in our lives, too.

The story that opens the book, Community of Crows, captures the storyline and potential impact of the spirituality of crows on our lives, if we but pay attention to crows around us and others around us. We can learn we are linked in life in good ways: “They can teach us if we will stop a moment, watch, and listen” (p10-11).

The poetry is tight, using as few words as possible, which underscores the overall impact. Here’s a brief example in the haiku, Soul-itude, on p. 15: “morning light is here/punctuated with crow caws/now is time for prayer.” There are at least 10 traditional haiku in the book, plus longer poems, and prose poetry. One of my favorite poems was Snow on Ashes (p. 72). This is a moving and musical story about memories of, and love for, the poet’s mother and her spirit. This book may help drive our own self-reflections.

Review by Bruce Berger (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Crows have symbolic meanings in many cultures. Incredibly smart, these birds carve a unique place between the natural and spiritual worlds. They fly into our lives and communicate important insights as harbingers of change to come. In homage to the family of corvids – especially crows – we compiled this collection of uplifting poetry, photography, and artwork to shed light on their unique contributions to our human experience here on earth. We hope you enjoy this book and crows find their way to you when you need them.

Format(s) for review: Paper only

Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book

Number of Pages: 137

Word Count: 6,385