Broken Shadows by Patrick J Hughes

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Haunted by his past, former intelligence officer Dolan Keane finds himself at the heart of a deadly conspiracy in Broken Shadows. After a failed mission in the Middle East leaves his SEAL team dead and his career in shambles, Dolan retreats to the small, sleepy town of Onancock, Virginia, hoping to escape the weight of his failures and the memories that refuse to fade.

But the past never stays buried. When his son Kevin is drawn into a global web of deceit orchestrated by the enigmatic Rami Al-Mahdi—a notorious terrorist leader—and Slater, a corrupt insider with ties to military intelligence, Dolan is thrust back into the shadows. His search for answers reveals that the catastrophic mission he barely survived was not a failure of circumstance, but part of a larger scheme with far-reaching implications.

With the clock ticking, Dolan must navigate a world of betrayal, uncover hidden truths, and face his darkest fears to save Kevin and unravel a conspiracy that threatens to ignite chaos in the Middle East. The journey takes him from the tranquil shores of Virginia to the harrowing depths of enemy strongholds, forcing him to confront not just the external forces working against him but the inner demons that have long consumed him.

In a breathtaking climax, Dolan must rely on his wits, skills, and the strength he didn’t know he still possessed to face Al-Mahdi and bring his son home. Yet redemption does not come without sacrifice. As Dolan wrestles with the cost of his choices, he discovers that healing is not found in revenge but in the enduring bonds of family and the hope for a future unshackled from the shadows.

You will be captivated by this intense military thriller that masterfully weaves themes of resilience, redemption, and the unyielding power of love. Broken Shadows is a story of a man’s fight to protect what matters most in a world where every step closer to the truth could be his last.

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 459

Word Count: 104272

The Spear and the Sentinel by J. L. Hancock

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MWSA Review Pending

 

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

The Bridge by George Encizo

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Sheriff JD Pickens had never experienced such turmoil in his personal and business life as he did now. Whenever he thought he had the situation under control, something new would crop up. But Pickens forged on undaunted, yet the enormity of the conditions rolled over him like a giant bolder and threatened to crush him like a cockroach. Pickens felt like giving up, but he wasn’t one to surrender without a fight. The problem was whether Pickens could win.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 287

Word Count: 65,720

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

Heroic Measures by Joel Shulkin, MD

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MWSA Review
If you are looking for a medical sci-fi technothriller to read, look no further than Heroic Measures, Book 1 of the Death Benefits series, by Joel Shulkin, MD. Shulkin has crafted a roller coaster ride of a thriller.

Stephen Englehart is a top Armed Forces medical examiner, whose goal in life is to help bring peace to families of the fallen. But during a not-quite-routine, combat-death autopsy, he stumbles onto a mystery when the photos of the body and rank of the servicemember don’t match the physical remains on his autopsy table. During the procedure, the supposedly dead marine wakes up and creates havoc in the morgue. Englehart refuses to let the misidentification mystery rest and pursues what looks like a military conspiracy.

Just when I thought I knew who the good guys were, the author flipped the script, keeping me in suspense to the end. Characters were believable, and the medical sci-fi aspects were explained with enough techy-talk to make them plausible. The surprises just kept coming. There is a bit of a Captain America comic book feel to the book, and the author explains that very well.

Review by Betsy Beard (February 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

Stephen Englehart, an Armed Forces medical examiner. dedicates his life to bringing peace to the families of fallen soldiers. Tagged as one of the best, he’s able to spot forensic clues others miss. But when the body of a US Marine, supposedly burned beyond recognition, shows up with hardly a scratch, even Stephen is stumped. Were the bodies switched? Then, in the middle of the autopsy, the impossible happens.

The soldier wakes up.

Something incredible—and dangerous—is happening to the military’s elite, and Stephen may be the only one who can figure it out. And when Stephen’s sister, a Green Beret, goes missing, the entire military machine seems designed to stop him from finding her. To find the truth and save his sister, one man must stand against an army. Can he be the hero he never thought he could?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 380

Word Count: 87000

Lightning Six by Galen d Peterson

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent and Captain Logan Trondfjell, commander of the tanks and scouts of Lightning Troop, rushes from Fort Carson in Colorado to Dnipro as part of a rapid deterrence force. In a free moment, Logan meets Captain Erin Haag, and is taken by her beauty and charm.

As Russian forces invade and bullets fly, Logan must find and stop the invaders. On a sprawling battlefield, frontlines are fragmented. Russians shoot down Erin’s MEDEVAC chopper. Alone, she survives the crash and flees into the Ukrainian countryside. She must seek out her own salvation.

Complicating both efforts, Erin’s vindictive ex-boyfriend, Captain Michael King finds himself in a position to thrust Lightning Troop into the heart of danger — and wipe his competitor off the map. In modern warfare, despite the best courses of action, everything is fraught with peril.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 280

Word Count: 82,000

Redcon One by Galen d Peterson

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MWSA Review

Redcon One is a fast-moving military thriller. Author Galen Peterson definitely knows how to draw the reader into a story. When China makes a move to take over the Spratley Islands, a brief confrontation with a small number of US military members results in the Chinese military publicly executing several US officers by firing squad. When they stream this to the world, the US is forced to react. Wanting to keep the response limited, Captain Scott Jansen and his armored company are sent to join a similarly small number of marines to retake two very small, adjacent islands.

The island of Fiery Cross is where Captain Jansen lands and where the main story is set. It is also where the author excels in raising the level of suspense and vividly describes the combat. Up against attack after attack from the Chinese, the author brings the reader into the mind of Captain Jansen. Wounded and seeing several of his team members killed, Jansen fights not only the Chinese but his own mind and body to continue to lead.

This is a good read that I recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller, and especially to readers of good combat fiction.

Review by Bob Doerr (February 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

The world order teeters on the brink of war as China flexes its military might in the South China Sea. With events spiraling toward a crisis, Captain Scott Jansen and his tankers and mechanized infantry of Team Knight are suddenly thrust into the mission of the rapid deployment Global Response Force, ready to deploy in ninety-six hours.

When the balloon goes up, Scott and his team find themselves at the tip of the spear in unfamiliar circumstances against a determined and resourceful enemy. Team Knight joins the Marines in an amphibious landing on the claustrophobic island of Fiery Cross Reef, deep into enemy waters.

Isolated and with nowhere to run, Scott must harness all of his courage and creativity to seize Fiery Cross and save as many of his soldiers as possible. But when the Chinese attacks are too perfect, too targeted, not everyone will survive…

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 288

Word Count: 91,000

The China Factor by Timothy Trainer

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

In the spring of 2005, the FBI foils a government employee’s attempt to provide confidential information to the Chinese. As the FBI struggles to understand why the information is valuable, its investigation entangles Capitol Hill staffer Kellie Liang and jeopardizes her nomination to a State Department position. Under scrutiny, Kellie thrusts herself into the FBI investigation. Seeking a voice of reason, Kellie reaches out to Aaron Foster only to learn that he is vacationing in Vietnam with his uncle, a war veteran. Surprisingly, Aaron believes he has found a Chinese corporate connection to the information theft, and from two sides of the world, Kellie and Aaron work to thwart China’s efforts and save Kellie’s nomination.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 324

Word Count: 112,000

Home is Where the Murder Is by Rosalie Spielman

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MWSA Review

If you want to curl up with a cozy mystery with unpredictable twists and turns—mingled with a delightful dose of humor—Rosalie Spielman’s Home is Where the Murder Is would be a great choice.

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Tessa Treslow, her family, and the small town of New Oslo are shocked by the brutal murder of a stranger who claims a familial connection to a former resident. However, there is a dilemma: all fingers point to Tessa’s best friend, a local police deputy, as the killer. Tessa is convinced Freddie is innocent and is determined to track down the identity of the actual assassin.

But where to start? Help arrives with a gaggle of colorful characters from Speilman’s first yarn, Welcome Home to Murder. These include fellow “She-canic” Aunt Edna; niece Summer; bench-sitting-all-seeing Hollis and Hank; the eccentric Prunn sisters; and Nick, Tessa’s fellow veteran and love interest. But to solve the case, Tessa and her allies may have to put themselves squarely in harm’s way.

In the small hometown, everyday life offers ups and downs with a sprinkling of unknown secrets. Spielman artfully intertwines her fictional narrative with the real-life challenges of our warriors adjusting to civilian life and how they cope with the physical and mental trauma of conflict and loss. The result is well worth the read, thanks to this author’s gifted storytelling.

Review by Sandi Cathcart (January 2025)

Author's Synopsis

Retired US Army officer Tessa Treslow has settled in with her Aunt Edna in her hometown of New Oslo, Idaho. After the disasters of the previous fall, Tessa and her family are back on their feet as they start a new dream venture: a vehicle restoration business, "BOSS—Band of Sisters Services, call the She-canics."

Tessa and the enticing local math teacher, Nick Hunt, are also working together to organize a charity run during the New Oslo Pioneer Days festival. All seems to be going well... until Tessa finds a dead body in the town park!

The murder victim is a stranger to their small town, who claimed that she was the illegitimate cousin of Tessa's best friend, Deputy Petunia "Freddie" Frederickson. The victim's bloody finger is pointing to a mark on the veterans' honor roll sign, circling the names of Freddie and her grandfather. Complicating matters, Freddie was witnessed in an altercation with the woman just before her death, and it was Freddie's knife found at the scene.

In order to help her best friend, Tessa and Aunt Edna search for the real identity of the victim. Was she actually a long-lost family member? Who would want her dead? And what was she doing in New Oslo? Tessa is determined to find out... even if the answers lead her straight into the crosshairs of a killer!

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 257

Word Count: 73,500

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

Another Death at Gettysburg by Peter Adams Young

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MWSA Review
Peter Adams Young has done a masterful job with his new contemporary mystery tale, Another Death at Gettysburg. His characters are well-developed, likable (at least the good guys), and credible. The details of the story are vivid, and the language is colorful. At the annual reenactment of Pickett’s Charge, our players are stunned to discover one of their own tragically shot with no reasonable explanation for the death. Is it an accident or murder? When the police investigators are stumped with several inconsistencies, a small group of reenactors take matters into their own hands. Newly relocated history professor Mike Davis and his librarian wife, Annie, are drawn into the camaraderie of the group. The mystery becomes more curious when it appears that several other crimes and motives are intertwined. But are they really connected, and how?

Young provides superb information about the role of the Civil War reenactors who keep our history alive—the men and women who are dedicated to authenticity and knowledge of the battles that shaped our country. Gettysburg was a victory for the Union and a turning point in the War, but many paid the price for that victory on both sides. The fields and hills of the battlefield belonged to farmers who not only had their land devastated afterward but also had to bury the dead (including horses), open their homes and barns to the wounded, and, over the years, unearth thousands of small and large artifacts.

Another Death at Gettysburg is a story well worth the read. Despite some minor technical errors, it is quick and enjoyable.

Review by Sandi Cathcart (June 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

JUNE 29, 1997

An annual reenactment of Pickett’s Charge ends tragically with the shooting death of a participant. When the investigation stalls, a Navy combat veteran and professor of American history is drawn into the challenge with his Vietnamese librarian wife — a journey that uncovers corruption, extortion, grand larceny, and ties to organized crime beneath the façade of local government.

In the follow-up to his award-winning debut novel of the Vietnam War, "One Hundred Stingers," Peter Adams Young's "Another Death at Gettysburg" unfolds a modern-day murder mystery set in and around the historic Gettysburg battlefield.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 422

Word Count: 119,276

Saigon Nights: The Elephant in the Room by David S. Lewis

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

This story follows Tom Grey, a Vietnam War Veteran and free-lance newspaper reporter, as he uncovers a smuggling ring that includes the trafficking of young women from Vietnam to the United States.The story begins in 1973 Los Angeles, and takes Grey back to Saigon, South Vietnam. It is a world fulll of treachery and deceit before there were cell phones or the Internet. It is a world where nearly everyone smokes.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 259

Word Count: 72,647

A Dangerous Season: A Sheriff Matt Callahan Mystery by Russell Fee

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MWSA Review

A Dangerous Season by Russell Fee is an interesting mystery set during winter on Nicolet Island, Michigan. This book is the third in the Sheriff Matt Callahan series and has all the twists and turns of a good who-dun-it. Author Fee throws a lot at his protagonist in the form of a missing girl, several murders, poisoned lake water, and a civic protest regarding his own competence as sheriff. Add in organized crime and Indian evil spirits, and one can see why Sheriff Callahan may want to throw in the towel.  Fortunately, Callahan finds an ally in the nearby Indian reservation's chief of police. Together they try to get to the truth. However, that truth is as slippery as the ice that surrounds them. This book is an easy read full of characters that you will like and bad ones that you will not like. I recommend it.

Review by Bob Doerr (April 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

A Dangerous Season, the third Sheriff Matt Callahan mystery novel, depicts life on Callahan's iced-in island during a brutal winter. Callahan, who originally sought peace on Nicolet Island after a fatal acid attack on his fiancée, one that left him both physically and emotionally disfigured, now discovers a lone young girl hiding in the island wilderness. She is unable to speak but agile at surviving on her own in the desperate cold. In the quest to discover the girl's identity, Callahan teams with the Ojibwe tribal police and is drawn to a place where myth and reality merge deep in the Northwoods' most dangerous season and where a haunting malevolence threatens both his island and Indian country. Callahan and his two young deputies, together with an Ojibwe detective, work to uncover the source of the threat that endangers those they are sworn to protect.

Besides the mystery of the girl and what brought her to Nicolet Island, this winter begets other dangerous conundrums: contaminated lake fish, an island murder, and a dead body in the woods. As Callahan's experienced young deputy, Amanda, and her neophyte partner, Nick, work with Callahan to solve the island's crimes, they face the additional challenge of piggybacking a professional relationship on one that began as deeply personal. Callahan faces his own relationship challenges when he and Julie, his romantic partner, disagree over the eventual placement of the found girl.

Knitting A Dangerous Season together is the indelible sense of place the Northwoods convey. In contrast to the bustling tourist environment of earlier Callahan novels, winter imbues Nicolet Island with both icy danger and lyrical beauty-a fitting environment for a teeth-chattering thriller.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 307

Word Count: 60,000

The Million Dollar Club by Marlené Carter

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MWSA Review

Someone is killing off the millionaires. Author Marlene Carter brings us an intriguing mystery in her book The Million Dollar Club. From page one, Carter guides the reader into her protagonist's hunt to identify the person behind a series of murders. At first, they seem unrelated, but the connection to the murders of three separate members of the Million Dollar Club provides a definite link.

Carter's protagonist, an investigative reporter and blogger, becomes obsessed with tracking down those responsible. Despite warnings from the police, her family, and her friends to back off, she aggressively digs deeper. As a result, friends and family members get attacked, and someone tries to kill her. Refusing to be deterred, even when a link to the Russian mob is established, Carter's protagonist keeps pursuing her target.

This is an easy-to-read mystery that most fans of the genre should enjoy.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

The Million Dollar Club is a mystery/suspense novel that takes place in Seattle Washington. Men of an elite private club are being murdered one by one. The killer has an insatiable thirst for justice and believes death is the only solution. Detective Cian Molloy along with Amara, a pesky blogger and magazine investigative journalist are trying to learn why and who is behind the killing. The story takes the reader through twists and turns until the killer or killers are revealed and why. The killer garners a massive following on social media which only hampers the investigation. Tick Tock...time is running out as the body count continues to rise.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 408

Word Count: 124,911

The List: A Vince Torelli Mystery, Book 4 by John R Schembra

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MWSA Review

The List by John Schembra is a mystery set in San Francisco that begins when a naked corpse is found in the 19th-century tunnel system beneath the city. Detective Vince Torelli is on the case and soon begins to receive cryptic notes from the killer, taunting the detective to catch him and promising that there will be more bodies.

The serial killer, John Bruber, is a complex character. Bullied unmercifully in grade school, he vows to murder each person who took part in his mental and physical torture. Buber fancies himself to be of higher intelligence than Detective Torelli and the police in general, because he manages to elude the police after every murder, leaving no evidence behind. As the cops determine Bruber’s motive, the killer becomes more anxious and slips up. Vince Torelli must stop John Bruber from killing again, and all the law enforcement resources are called into play.

The cat and mouse game had me on the edge of my seat, and I had a difficult time putting the book down. I appreciate a good crime mystery written by a cop. As a reader, I enjoy getting a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes investigations. The List did not disappoint.

Review by Nancy Panko (April (2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

A recently mutilated, naked corpse is found in an early 19th century tunnel under San Francisco. With no forensic evidence, solving the crime seems nearly impossible

After San Francisco Homicide Inspector Vince Torelli begins investigating, notes from the killer, addressed to him,start showing up. Vince realizes this murder may be the first of several, leading him on a deadly, multi-state investigation.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 233

Word Count: 59,000

Deadly Depths by John F. Dobbyn

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MWSA Review

John Dobbyn’s Deadly Depths is not a mystery thriller—it’s two action-packed thrillers! A pirate story, tucked within a complicated multi-murder mystery, is so intriguing it could stand on its own.

Archeologist Barry Holmes dies by suicide (not!). His protégé and dear friend, law professor Matthew Shane, embarks on a treacherous and tenacious quest to find out who killed Holmes. Holmes was one of five members of a secret society in search of an elusive treasure. Matt traipses all over the world, following cryptic clues, jumping through hoops, trying to stay one step ahead of an unknown, but quite dangerous enemy, not knowing who to trust. Clarity for Matt only begins to set in when he meets Mr. Mehmed and his daughter, who explain: When the Spanish attempted to decimate the Aztec culture in the name of Christianity, a particular statue (“jeweled facets set in the purest gold, standing higher than my waist”) was salvaged. It was the ultimate cultural, financial, and spiritual possession; the secret location was handed down from leader to leader.

Matt’s escapades include deadly baboons, alligators, snakes, and diving down to a sunken slave ship in an attempt to retrieve a 400-year-old pirate’s journal. “I followed him through that particular moment that only those who dive can comprehend—an instantaneous passing, as through Alice’s looking glass, into a world as alien as outer space, the submerged realm of the sea.” This reader was mesmerized by the tale (or is it historical fact?) documented by the young protégé of the famous privateer, Captain Morgan.

Whether describing horrifying scenarios or jet-setting yachts and mansions, complete with delicious meals (“croissants so light they required fresh butter and jam to keep them on the plate”), Deadly Depths doesn’t disappoint. It’s consistently vivid, with an air of suspense from beginning to end.

Review by Sue Rushford (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Five adventuring archeologist, self-dubbed The Monkey's Paws are drawn into a quest for a priceless object that originated in the Aztec Kingdom of the fifteenth century, appeared again in the golden age of piracy on the Caribbean, and was finally located in the Jamaican mountain village of the former slaves known as the Maroons. The death of one of the archeologists, called a suicide by the police, involves Michael Shane in the mission to prove that it was murder. The search takes Michael, a former investigator with United States Air Force Intelligence, from the steamy bayous of New Orleans to the backstreets of Montreal and a sunken pirate vessel in the Caribbean.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 307

Word Count: 87,000

Cobalt: The Rise and Fall of the Great Reset by Travis Davis

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Author's Synopsis

After China’s discovery of a rare form of Cobalt located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all the pieces and players are now in place for the Great Reset. The United States must be brought to its knees at all costs. The only thing standing in their vision of a perfect world order is a determined CIA agent, Mary, and Team Texarkana, comprised of Tex, Will, Kim, and Lucy. If they fail, the world will never recover. There is no turning back. Civilization is at stake; The Great Reset must be stopped before it’s too late.

Format(s) for review: Kindle or Paper

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 294

Word Count: 88,000

The Widow and the Warrior by John Wemlinger

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MWSA Review

Author John Wemlinger’s The Widow and the Warrior takes readers on a thrilling ride from Washington, D.C., to Michigan and through the deep south. The story keeps readers on the edge of their seats, not sure where the next hit will come from. With a cast of both likeable and remarkably unlikeable characters, the plot includes interesting and unexpected twists that keep the pages turning.

A family mystery, a large inheritance, and political intrigue come together to bring out the best and the worst of people in this story. Old and new military and intelligence alliances deepen to help pinpoint players across the country involved in an elaborate scheme for power and control. The author has some of his characters act in unpredictable ways, which keeps readers guessing throughout. I highly recommend this suspenseful military and political thriller.

Review by Valerie Ormond (February 2024)


 

Author's Synopsis

Set in Frankfort, Michigan, along the shores of Lake Michigan, The Widow and the Warrior is the story of one wealthy family's tragic 130-year history. Anna Shane, national political editor of The Washington Post, is poised on the brink of turning that tragic history into triumph until a secret society and a greedy relative conspire to have her murdered. Shawn O'Toole, an ex-Special Forces operator who was forced to retire rather than possibly face a court-martial is called to protect her. To do that, however, Shawn finds himself having to use some of the very same vigilante tactics that cost him his career in the military.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 308

Word Count: 80,000

Sea of Red by James Bultema

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MWSA Review

Author James Bultema's new book, Sea of Red, is a fast paced, fictional novel that gives us a very interesting account of a possible war with China. This book gets right to the point and had my attention from the very beginning. The author uses China's well-known goal of bringing Taiwan under Chinese rule as the catalyst for the war. From there, the scenario as set out by Bultema is believable, and the strategies used by both China and the United States are realistic. The book is filled with numerous offensive and defensive combat situations that the author describes in detail. The results are not one-sided and had me wondering how he would bring his book to a satisfactory conclusion. Although a longish book, I would have read more. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Sea of Red is an action-packed Military Thriller involving a war between China and the U.S. in their fight over Taiwan.

With Chinese hypersonic cruise missiles thundering toward the aircraft carrier USS Reagan, the captain has only minutes to decide how to save his crew of 5,000 before they all end up at the bottom of the South China Sea.

As the battle rages, under the sea, U.S. fast attack submarines silently maneuver against the PLA Navy while jet fighters battle for air superiority. On the ground, Marines fight for control of Chinese-held Woody Island. A Taiwanese tank squadron confronts a superior attacking force on Kinmen Island in a courageous attempt to halt Chinese forces.

In the White House, the president strategizes with his National Security Council on overcoming China's advantage in ballistic missiles and ships. His counterpart, the president of China, develops a daring plan to destroy America's fleet of aircraft carriers.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 423

Word Count: 114,381

Monroe Doctrine Volume VIII by James Rosone & Miranda Watson

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MWSA Review

Monroe Doctrine: Volume VIII is the final book of the series by James Rosone and Miranda Watson. Even though it is the eighth, it serves well as a stand-alone military thriller. As the book begins, you are dropped into the end stages of a war between the allies (most of the world) and China’s super-AI named Jade Dragon. Set in the not-too-distant future (2027), we find the war entering its third year. Futuristic weapons are believable (and maybe not too futuristic), and given the current geopolitical posturing and humanitarian breakdowns, the book is plausible in a rather frightening way. In this last volume, the allies are finally taking the war to China’s doorstep, having pushed them back from other outbreaks around the world. But China’s AI has begun to take charge of the entire war, ignoring China’s president and generals. Its destruction is vital to the world, and the allies are doing everything they can to make that happen. I recommend the book to those who enjoy military thrillers with a good dose of battle scenes and political behind-the-scenes consultations.

Review by Betsy Beard (February 2024)

 

Author's Synopsis

To destroy Jade Dragon’s lair…

…an unthinkable weapon is unveiled.

Had the Allies gone too far?

The Chinese super-AI had achieved its master plan—an autonomous robotic army, air force, and navy. As President Yao and the People’s Liberation Army faced defeat on the battlefield, full command of the PLA was handed over to Jade Dragon, which says it can slay the enemies of China to usher in a new dawn of global Chinese hegemony for the 21st century.

The robots were coming…

With the Terracotta Killers walking the land, Shadow Dragons and Dark Swords prowling the skies, and Sea Dragons roaming the Yellow Sea, a dystopian science fiction nightmare had become real. Machines now dominated the battlefield.

Were these wonder weapons being unveiled too late?

Was Jade Dragon’s robotic army enough to turn the tide?

Every inch of ground was surveyed, monitored, and fought over as man fought machine for survival. Could the arsenals of democracy outproduce China? Could the West outlast the East, or would Jade Dragon pull off the impossible—and win the AI war?

With victory or defeat balancing on a razor’s edge, the Allies refused to go quietly into the night. They had a secret technological breakthrough of their own. Would the ends justify the means if it led to victory or were the unknown risks too big to accept?

President Delgado was about to order the unthinkable.

Format(s) for review: Kindle or paper

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 669

Word Count: 128,354