The Renegades, by Tom Young

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MWSA Review

The Renegades by Tom Young takes the reader into the heart of Afghanistan after an earthquake ravaged the country. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Parson, an Air Force adviser to the Afghans, called in his interpreter, Sergeant Major Sophia Gold to assist him with the rescue efforts to deliver aid and attempt to reach the trapped and injured.

Tom Young shares the story behind The Renegades to let readers know the realities of how our service members handle the issues they have to face on a daily basis within a war zone. My personal opinion is that this book might be too realistic for readers who have experienced the impact of IEDs and suicide bombers, or for readers who can’t handle the realities of war. I would give a word of warning to anyone dealing with flashbacks/ PTSD. Young is graphic with many details of war. He doesn’t sugarcoat the story, and gives the reader a real picture of just what those fighting for freedom experience. Some will praise him for this, others will shudder…I wouldn’t call it “easy” reading.

Learning some about the female military team known as the Lionesses was interesting. Sgt. Major Gold portrays a brave woman who works with two of the Lionesses. In a conversation with one of the pararescue jumpers, a discussion ensues regarding being able to make peace with what he does, and doing all that he can do in any situation presented to him. Gold wonders if she has spent so much time in Afghanistan that a part of her won’t ever leave…that it has taken hold of her. That reminded me of the answer a Vietnam vet gave when asked when he was last in Vietnam. His answer: “Last night.” Gold’s mind absorbed the language, the customs, and the history to the point of it all becoming a part of her. She proved that in her service to both her country and the country of Afghanistan. And she acted on her internal beliefs to the point of putting her life at risk, which brings one of the most intense parts of the book.  

The intensity of this book comes from the fact that Author Young doesn’t keep his characters, hence his readers, out of harm’s way, which gets complicated by the fact that knowing just who to trust is a major problem in the war in Afghanistan. They are trying to fight a Taliban group, called the Black Crescent, which is attacking medical workers, shooting down helicopters, and killing those who are accepting aid. Without enough troops, supplies, or information, Parson, Gold, and Parson’s crews do the best possible to fight what seems to be an invisible evil force.

Young states that he had two goals in writing The Renegades: 1) to write an entertaining story, and 2) “to convey something about the motivations and mind-sets of American servicemen and –women.” As a reader of The Renegades, I feel that Tom Young has definitely met both of his goals.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

A catastrophic earthquake ravages Afghanistan, and American troops rush to deliver aid. In his new role as an adviser to the Afghan Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Parson faces one of the biggest challenges of his career, aided by his interpreter, Sergeant Major Sophia Gold. The devastation facing them is like nothing they've ever seen--and it's about to get worse.

A Taliban splinter group, Black Crescent, is conducting its own campaign--shooting medical workers, downing helicopters, slaughtering anyone who dares to accept aid. With the U.S. drawing down and coalition forces spread thin, it's up to Parson, Gold, and Parson's Afghan aircrews to strike back. But they're short of supplies, men, experience, and information--and the terrorists seem to be nowhere...and everywhere.

Hamfist Down, by George Nolly

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MWSA Review

Hamfist Down picks up where Hamfist Over the Trail left off, with Hamilton “Hamfist” Hancock trying to survival and escape after being shot down over Laos. We follow Hamfist as he makes it to safety, only to experience new dangers as he takes to the sky again as a forward air controller. On every mission, he worries about his true love waiting for him in Japan and whether or not he’ll ever see her again.

G.E. Nolly's writing kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. The author’s experience as a pilot shines through every page. The language is authentic, which is to say occasionally there are expletives. If you like a good action-packed adventure tale, this one is for you.

Reviewed by: Ed Cox (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

It's August, 1969. Hamilton “Hamfist” Hancock has been shot down over Laos, and must use all his skill, and luck, to avoid capture and certain, violent death. To facilitate his rescue, he must become a ground FAC and direct airstrikes against North Vietnamese targets on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. And, to survive, he must engage in hand-to-hand combat. But Hamfist may face his greatest battle after his rescue. Back in Vietnam, while recuperating at the hospital at Cam Ranh Bay, he experiences a sapper attack. And, following his return to the air, Hamfist is tormented by a flying error, an error which may have cost a comrade his life. Only time will tell if Hamfist can regain his self-respect and passion. On his final flight, Hamfist faces a brutal enemy in a life-or-death duel that will determine if he will be shot down once again or return home to his soul-mate. The rescue, the airborne mistake and the final battle force Hamfist to reevaluate his priorities in his career, in his flying, and in his life.

The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis, by Elle Thornton

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MWSA Review

“The Girl Who Swam To Atlantis” is well written story of a twelve-year-old losing the naivety and insecurities of childhood as she struggles to find her mother, succeed as a competitive swimmer and win the confidence of her father who wants to send her back to a boarding school.

Gabriella lives a sheltered life until the summer of 1957 when she spends the summer from boarding school with her father, a rigid Marine general at a base in North Carolina.  Her mother is away until, the young girl is told, “she’s ready to come home.”

p; Hawkins, a black NCO and house steward for the general, befriends the pre-teen and helps her develop greater self confidence and swimming skills in the river bordering her home, but that relationship with Hawkins is frowned upon by some neighbors. During the course of that summer, Gabriella begins to recognize and question the racial bias that exists among some of the families living in the officers housing area. She also becomes obsessed with the murder of Emmett Till who was lynched in Mississippi two years earlier. Thinking of the bravery displayed by young Emmett when he faced his killers motivates her to go to extra lengths to prove her worth to the general who seems to only tolerate her.

Gabriella struggles to understand what has happened to her missing mother who her father repeated says ‘has some problems,’ but will nott explain what those problems were. Without her father’s or Hawkins’s knowledge, she sets out on the river to find her mother.

Ideal for teens, “The Girl Who Swam To Atlantis” will delight anyone who enjoys a heartwarming story of a self-willed girl who doesn’t shirk from challenges and treasures the value of friendship and family love.  

Reviewed by: Joe Epley (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

Nearly everything important in twelve-year-old Gabriella's life that summer of 1957 can be traced to the river. On the North Carolina military base where she lives, she meets the African-American Marine Hawkins by the river's brown-green water. Hawkins, a servant in the kitchen of her father's quarters, becomes her swim coach and a person she can talk with--even about the tragedy of the youth Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old was lynched two years earlier, his body thrown into Mississippi's Tallahatchie river. But this river, her river, isn't a place of death. Emmett's spirit is alive in its waters. It's a place of magic.

At the river Hawkins helps her find her strength and her place in the world. Emmett helps her find her heart.

Emmett had been murdered for whistling at a white woman. Could her friendship with Hawkins endanger the tough Marine? It doesn't seem possible. Until a sudden storm on the river changes Gabriella's life--forever.

Pass in Review--Honor, by Brain Utermahlen

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MWSA Review

A compelling, well-written and thoroughly enjoyable World War II yarn

“Pass in Review—Honor” is the second book in Brian Utermahlen’s “Pass in Review” trilogy. Having finished reading this book, my only regret is that I didn’t start with the trilogy’s first installment: “Pass in Review—Duty.”

The book is centered on the lives of the members of the fictional Nolan family—all of whom were drawn into the maelstrom of the Second World War. The story begins to unfold before the US entry into the war. Family patriarch, Dave Nolan (a West Point graduate and combat veteran of the First World War), is asked to leave his highly-successful job in industry to once again don his Army uniform in service to his country. This presents the senior Nolan with many challenges—both in his new job and on the home front.

The two Nolan sons, Mitch and Glenn, also serve in the military; but each of them begin—and eventually end—their service in very different ways. Utermahlen weaves together a fascinating and detailed description of each of the Nolan boy’s combat experiences—lasting from before the war, through the D-Day invasion, all the way to the final Allied victory.

Utermahlen will bring you along for the terrifying ride from bases in England and eventually parachute drop you deep behind enemy lines as part of the D-Day invasion. Again, the author’s description of the fighting is intense, realistic, and gripping. If you enjoyed the classic movie, “The Longest Day,” you’ll definitely appreciate the author’s expanded treatment of these iconic battles.

Depictions of air combat are riveting and realistic, likely due to author’s background in military aviation. So are the portrayal of behind the scenes in-fighting and friction between military and political figures (both amongst Americans; as well as between Americans and their wartime allies—especially the British).

Through it all, the author skillfully and seamlessly combines fictional and real characters and world events into his storytelling. The reader will enjoy the interactions with historical figures such as: Winston Churchill, Omar Bradley, George Patton, “Wild Bill” Donovan, and Chuck Yeager. You can just feel the detailed research that Utermahlen has done in every chapter... but “Honor” is much more than a retelling of history. Characters are well-developed and totally believable—so much so that you'll find yourself completely immersed in the story. It’s only after you finish reading, that you begin to wonder which part was fiction and which historical fact.

Highly recommend this book—especially for World War II enthusiasts—but also for anyone looking for well-written and action-packed storytelling.

Reviewed by: John Cathcart (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

This is the second book of the 'Pass in Review' Trilogy - a saga of the Nolan family spanning the 20th Century. HONOR follows on the heels of Pass in Review - DUTY. This second book covers the WW II years as the son of DUTY's protagonist takes center stage militarily as a fighter pilot in Europe. Pass in Review - HONOR is primarily, though not exclusively, the story of Mitch Nolan, the first born of the second generation. To him the Army and flying Air Corps fighters over North Africa, Italy, and Germany are a grand and glorious adventure, though not his entire life or existence. He is a symbol of the Greatest Generation to whom winning was everything, and who effortlessly made the transition from winning the victory on the battlefield to winning for themselves in the economic boom and the tenuous peace of the Cold War. The second generation protagonist is a young man different in many ways from his father. He is more the adventurer and less the committed soldier and family man compared to his father. His passions for excitement and adventure revolve around flying fighter planes and conquering the hearts of many women. Interwoven with the fictional characters are historical figures including: Wild Bill Donovan, FDR, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, George Patton, Donald Bennett and many others whose paths the Nolan famiily and their friends cross during WW II.

Tullykillane, 1943 by David Andrew Westwood

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MWSA Review
Missing In Action
MWSA Reviewer: 
 

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Author's Synopsis

A young American, who only signed on as a seaman to forget the humiliation of his football career's disastrous end, is shipwrecked in neutral Ireland three months before Pearl Harbor. He soon becomes entangled with the IRA and the Nazis, but he's determined to get his revenge.

For God and Country, by Mark Bowlin

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MWSA Review

New readers of Bowlin will find this third installment of the Texas Gun Club series to be strongly reminiscent of the best of W.E.B. Griffin - and every bit as satisfying. For God and Country tells the story of the 36th Division’s tragic assault across the Rapido River in January, 1944 - a bitter and controversial episode in American military history that resulted in Congressional hearings over Lt Gen. Mark Clark’s (Commander of Fifth Army in Italy) conduct of the battle.

Closely following the actual history of the “Texas Army” during the Allied advance through Italy, For God and Country begins as the 36th Division halts at Monte Cassino to recuperate from their epic battle at San Pietro - having taken 1400 casualties, and providing the subject matter for John Houston’s Academy Award-winning documentary, “The Battle of San Pietro,” (almost censored because of its graphic illustration of the plight of the ordinary infantryman). While the rest of Fifth Army prepares to resume its advance towards Rome, Captain Perkin Berger and First Lieutenant Sam Taft are sent to the Adriatic for a week, where they quickly become involved in a covert battle between the German Abwehr and a secret Vatican network evacuating Allied troops out of Italy (also based on historical events). After considerable adventures, the two officers find their way back to their unit in time for the Rapido River assault.

The German retreat through Italy was methodical and punishing for the Allies, who now waited behind the Gustav Line - considered by both sides to be an impregnable last line of defense. The brilliant German commander, Feldmarschall Albert Kesselring, had more than twenty dug-in and prepared divisions, many of them elite and hardened units, including the Herman Goring SS Division and the First Parachute Corps. The Germans occupied the high ground and commanded the flat open plains of the Liri Valley, traversed by three fast-flowing rivers (all mined) and dominated on both sides by sheer mountains from which the Germans fired preregistered artillery on all Allied movement.

Knowing the futility of trying to break through such a formidable defensive line by frontal assault, the Allies planned a flank attack with an amphibious landing at Anzio, to the north of the Gustav Line - an operation considered so important that it postponed the D-Day invasion from the first week of May until June so that the Anzio invaders would have enough landing craft available.

However, despite the knowledge that a frontal assault would be a slaughter, the Supreme Allied Commander in Italy, British General Alexander, ordered an assault across the Garigliano and Rapido rivers by Fifth Army as a method of holding the German forces in the Liri Valley and preventing them from reinforcing the relatively light defenses at Anzio. The crossing of the Rapido River was given to The Texas Gun Club, with predictable, and devastating results.

Bowlin handles the seriousness of his subject with alacrity. There is no romance in his retelling of the slaughter, but neither does he turn this book into a tale of carnage. Rather, he humanizes the characters and pulls us into the story, making the reader hope against hope (and history), that this time the boys will somehow manage to break through. Moreover, the lighter tone of the first half of the book and the Vatican subplot ensure that the book doesn’t get overly heavy or morose. Bowlin’s characterization is outstanding, and we can forgive him for making his heroes larger than life -- both physically as well as in their embodiment of the best qualities and values of military service. The real villains in the story aren’t the enemy forces, rather, they are the usual weaknesses and incompetencies found among servicemen and women whenever a nation fields an enormous force to fight wars of such magnitude on short notice.

Bowlin is a fine writer and For God and Country is an enjoyable, engaging, and enlightening read. You won’t want to put it down, and when you do, you’ll want to do more research on the 36th Division and the Battle of the Rapido River. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Robert Schaeffer (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

In Mark Bowlin's third installment of the award-winning Texas Gun Club series, the chronicle of Sam Taft and Perkin Berger's journey into the hell of the Italian campaign continues. The Fifth Army remains stalled before the formidable German defenses at the Gustav Line, and the prospect of reaching Rome has never seemed as remote. In an attempt to break the stalemate, and against all sound military judgment, the exhausted and under-strength Gun Club is ordered to cross the Rapido River and breach the Gustav Line...alone.

Solo Vietnam, by Jeanette Vaughan

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MWSA Review

When an author creates characters that pull you into the story and the reader finds himself/herself wanting to continue to turn pages to keep up with the events, all occurring while history is being brought forth in such a way that makes it come alive, then we have a winner in this historical fiction book. Jeanette Vaughan has done just that in SOLO Vietnam. I enjoyed Nora Broussard as she traveled her life’s journey, making some decisions that I wouldn’t have chosen as a mother, but Nora took the road that led her in the direction she felt she needed to go. Her journey takes readers into the heart of the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. I always love a great love story, but also appreciate the research that Jeanette Vaughan needed to accomplish making the realities of war so vivid to her readers. SOLO Vietnam will take the reader through a range of emotions, which truly is the strength of each character presented. I have discovered an author whose books are going to find their way into my reading basket in the future.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

Information provided by the author. A French Cajun Aviatrix. An A-4 Skyhawk pilot. Vietnam. Nora Broussard dares to earn her wings gaining liberty. Despite the heroics, her heart remains unrequited and broken. When she finds out her star-crossed lover is now free, yet thousands of miles away from New Orleans flying bombing missions in Vietnam, nothing will keep her away. The U.S. government won’t let her fly combat in a war zone, so she uses her next best assets – her vamp and her voice. Traveling with Bob Hope as a torch singing USO girl, she is thrust into the perils of the 1968 Tet Offensive. As mortar attacks and napalm shake her to the core, she quickly realizes the short-sightedness of her decision to stay and manage a USO club. The shocking realities of a senseless war catapult her values into place. But is it too late? When Steve is shot down over Laos and listed MIA, Nora is forced to accept one of life’s greatest lessons.

Wedded to War, by Jocelyn Green

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MWSA Review

Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green is the first book in a series titled: Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War. This book was “inspired by one Sanitary Commission nurse, Georgeanna Woolsey, whose letters and journals, written 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering women nurses endured during these turbulent times.” Reading books based on good research helps to put readers right into the life and times of the characters. Jocelyn Green is a gifted writer who created characters that show the difficulties of living during Civil War times. One can only imagine the struggles these women faced…not just with the casualties of war, but with the attitudes of the men serving in the army hospitals, believing that women should not be allowed in these situations.

Charlotte Waverly is a woman of privilege who makes the decision to serve the Union Army by caring for the sick and wounded. Throughout the entire trauma of war, two men want Charlotte to be a part of their life. One is Phineas Hastings, a man of privilege, with secrets and behaviors that the reader knows about, but Charlotte does not. The other is Caleb Lansing, Charlotte’s childhood friend, who became a military doctor. The tension between characters and events keeps readers turning pages and “pulling for” Charlotte…wanting her to be happy after all that she has given up to serve others via her support of the war efforts.

Readers who appreciate well-researched historical fiction, Civil War stories, women’s rights, early medical history, and romance will all enjoy Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green. I, for one, certainly enjoy learning about aspects of our country’s history through the eyes of such compelling characters. Thank you, Jocelyn Green, for your great efforts to share this story with your readers.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

It's April 1861, and the Union Army's Medical Department is a disaster, completely unprepared for the magnitude of war. A small group of New York City women, including 28-year-old Charlotte Waverly, decide to do something about it, and end up changing the course of the war, despite criticism, ridicule and social ostracism. Charlotte leaves a life of privilege, wealth-and confining expectations-to be one of the first female nurses for the Union Army. She quickly discovers that she's fighting more than just the Rebellion by working in the hospitals. Corruption, harassment, and opposition from Northern doctors threaten to push her out of her new role. At the same time, her sweetheart disapproves of her shocking strength and independence, forcing her to make an impossible decision: Will she choose love and marriage, or duty to a cause that seems to be losing? An Irish immigrant named Ruby O'Flannery, who turns to the unthinkable in the face of starvation, holds the secret that will unlock the door to Charlotte's future. But will the rich and poor confide in each other in time?

Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured.

Dog Soldier Moon, by Mike McKendree Long, III

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MWSA Review
This sequel to "No Good Like It Is" continues the story of Dobey Walls and Jimmy "Boss" Melton. The writing style, dialogue and historical imagery carry on with the same "you-are-there" intensity. As with another series I read where the full-length story was split into two, I wish publishers today weren't against letting a saga be a saga. Can you imagine "Gone with the Wind" split into two books? I know the movie did it with intermission between, but the satisfaction of that great book -- or "North and South" -- is because the entire story is told intact. I believe these two novels fall into the same category. Everything that made McKendree Long's first novel great carries on in this one as more tragedy befalls the two men between 1866 and 1869. Two Pinkerton men continue to hunt them down for stealing a Yankee payroll at the end of the Civil War while roaming buffalo hunters defile Canadian Fort and rape their women when the two men are away trading or selling hides along the Sante Fe trail. Once Dobey and "Boss" return, their purpose turns to retribution and vengeance as they hunt the raiders. Their journey introduces readers to such historical figures as Chief Black Kettle and General Custer, who massacred Black Kettle's Cheyenne camp, along with the famous Bill Hickock. This second novel rounds out this intensely lifelike western series with a wonderful Christmas surprise. For fans of western history, you have to read both books to enjoy the continuity.

Reviewed by: Bonnie Toews (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

In this sequel to his novel, No Good Like It Is, McKendree Long continues the saga of Dobey Walls and Jimmy Boss Melton during the three years following the Civil War. In Dog Soldier Moon, a great crime decimates the tiny Panhandle community of Canadian Fort, twisting relationships and putting Dobey and the Boss on a trail of retribution and frontier justice, yet unaware that they are targets of two Pinkerton teams. Black Kettle, Meotzi, the 'Boy General' Custer, and J.B. Hickok flesh out the cast in this all new classic tale.

Chosin File, by Dale Dye

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MWSA Review

Dale Dye is the author of Laos File, Peleliu File, and his latest Chosin File, which is the first book that I’ve read of his…and it definitely is a “stand alone” book, not needing to have read the first two in the series, but this reader wants to catch up on the first two. He writes in the forward that he has a “sorely missed buddy, who told him what the Frozen Chosin in the Freezin’ Season was really like.” He is referring to the Chosin Reservoir where a decisive 17-day battle took place during the freezing weather in the Korean War. Author Dye takes us to this place, and through his characters, we experience the same snow-blown mountains that surrounded the Korean War battle site.

The book begins with retired Gunner Shake Davis testing out some weapons at a firing range, enjoying his time with younger Marines, feeling the need to prove himself due to the fact that he had shot his mouth off during a beer session with guys from the Marine Special Operations Command. This was as close as he figured he’d get to any “action,” now that he wore the distinguishing title of “Retired Gunner.”

But what gets Dale Dye’s characters to the Chosin Reservoir? Do the topics of nuclear weapons, North Korea, international partnerships, communists, and war bring about some thoughts? The CIA calls on contacts in China to run a mission over North Korea from a top-secret drone base. Mike Stokey has been involved with running an investigation into North Korean nukes. Then it becomes known that Mike Stokey goes missing in the Chosin Reservoir area, while checking out a tip that the North Koreans were up to something there. His best friend, Marine Gunner Shake Davis comes out of retirement to search for his buddy.

The tension comes through with the death of the North Korean Supreme Leader, which sets the whole world on high alert, not knowing what will happen because of his death. The fact that the North Koreans have a weapon that threatens all other societies…will not make this rescue mission an easy one for Davis. How does one just sneak into North Korea? Davis is asked to go because he can go in there as both “unofficial” and “deniable” if he were to get caught.

Dale Dye does a great job of taking the reader between the people pulling the strings back in the U.S.A., Mike Stokey in a real mess in North Korea, Shake Davis having to somehow find a way to track Mike down, their families having to live through not knowing what is happening to either of them, and those in the governments trying to cover up various operations. It becomes a very complicated (in a good way) story with a lot of tension, which keeps readers turning pages. Personally, I enjoyed the fact that there were short scenes, and the book kept taking the reader to different perspectives of what was happening on all sides, which culminated in a deadly confrontation in the midst of a howling storm. Readers will appreciate the action and tense drama in Dale A. Dye’s Chosin File.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

Nuclear saber-rattling in North Korea has created international palpitations and some unlikely partnerships in an effort to keep communist loose cannons from causing a war that no one wants and everyone fears. The CIA calls on clandestine contacts in neighboring China to run a dark—and wholly unauthorized—reconnaissance mission over North Korea from a top-secret drone base along the Yalu River. All is well and under international radar until Gunner Shake Davis’ best friend goes missing on a mission near the infamous Chosin Reservoir to check on a tip that the North Koreans are up to something sinister around the infamous Chosin Reservoir. That brings Marine Gunner Shake Davis out of retirement once again to locate his buddy on a risky trek through the snow-blown mountains surrounding the Korean War battle site where an earlier generation of Marines fought a classic withdrawal that became an iconic chapter in military history. While Shake is on his risky mission, the North Korean Supreme Leader suddenly dies and the entire world goes on high alert to see what might happen next in Pyongyang. That puts serious pressure on Shake and his South Korean allies who have discovered—and must deter—a potentially world-shattering North Korean weapon that threatens the very fabric of modern computer-based societies. It’s a high-stakes game and the clock is ticking as an international team of technical experts and military special operators launch a desperate search that culminates in a deadly confrontation in the Korea Straits in the midst of a howling storm.