That Deadly Space; by Gerald Gillis

MWSA Review
In That Deadly Space author Gerald Gillis spins an interesting yarn about a young man, Conor Rafferty, going off to fight for the confederacy in the Civil War. He does so against his father's wishes and carried with him his father's admonishments that he will be no good in combat. He also does so despite his personal opposition to slavery. These conflicts affect him throughout the war, but he is determined to be a good officer and soldier.

The author is adept in portraying his protagonist's experiences as well as giving the reader insight to a soldier's life in that war. Conor's story is a tragic one, but without doubt resembled the story of many real soldiers who fought in that war. As with most wars, the young men and women who fight and die in it had no role in initiating it. I recommend That Deadly Space to everyone who enjoys historical fiction and especially to those who enjoy reading about the US Civil War. 
Review by Bob Doerr, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
The Civil War has begun in earnest. Conor Rafferty joins the Confederate army as a young infantry officer against the wishes of his father who, in his Irish anger, is adamantly opposed to a war with the North. Conor soon finds himself in many of the war’s most consequential battles, leading from the front and risking all inside that deadly space. He serves with distinction in General Robert E. Lee’s celebrated Army of Northern Virginia as it seeks the crowning victory that will end the war and stop the carnage. Along the way, Conor becomes a protégé of fellow Georgian John B. Gordon who eventually rises to command a Confederate army corps. At the conclusion of each chapter, the narrative transitions to the now aged Conor who answers the probing questions of his grandson Aaron, himself a captain in the U.S. Army and scheduled for duty in Europe during World War I. The grandfather and grandson thus spend a week together—a week of sharing, learning, and bonding.

That Deadly Space is a compelling tale that portrays the drama, heroism, romance, and tragedy of the Civil War.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-692-84062-7
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 340
 

The Killing Practice; by Linda Swink

MWSA Review
A good historical mystery demands concentration on two tiers. On one level, the reader concentrates on the facts of the mystery, while on the other the details of the historical setting. The setting, in turn, enriches the mystery by placing it in cultural and historical context. And The Killing Practice is a good historical mystery.
It is post-Civil War Ohio where this suspenseful tale unwinds. There in the town of Willoughby, the devastation of the losses suffered by the small but growing community still hangs heavily over the town. There are the nine white tombstones not even eight years old for the young men of Willoughby who perished at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. There are the families who lost sons, some more than one.

The novel’s main character is its police chief, Hank Blankenship, a distinguished combat officer in the Civil War, and formerly an experienced investigator with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. But a series of grisly murders and missing children drives home to the thirty-two year old bachelor that he is sorely out of his depth. As he tells his closest friend in Willoughby, the intrepid newspaper editor, – “. . . This is all new to me; solving murders wasn’t one of our duties (at Pinkerton) . . . If we had, perhaps I’d know more about how to go about finding a killer . . . But I did have an exciting time chasing John (Wilkes) Booth after he shot President Lincoln . . . The closest I ever came to being involved in a murder.” Added to Blankenship’s lack of experience is the Town’s pathetically small and ineffective police force.

As the murders keep mounting, the townsfolk find themselves trapped in a collective dark mood of fear and sadness. Blankenship himself, is enveloped by the gloom and has to constantly resist the enervating effect it has upon him, as he fights mightily to overcome his inexperience, a hostile mayor, a frightened populace, an inadequate staff and an arrogant duo of physicians who run the Town’s principal claim to fame -- it’s esteemed medical college. But Blankenship is a man of honor and character, and his efforts to solve the crimes are unrelenting – bolstered by his consuming love for the Town’s school marm and his deep friendship with its newspaper editor, Adam Norville.

The novel is characterized by clean prose and effective dialogue. The plot and character development are equally good. Its pace and suspense hold the reader’s attention as the mystery deepens. The Killing Practice is a good read – especially for the summer months.
Review by Don Farinacci, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
Someone is killing the citizens of Willoughby to cover up a dark secret. As police chief, Hank Blankenship, a veteran of the Civil War, attempts to solve the murders he must deal with a matchmaking busy body, an inept fuzz-for-a-beard deputy, a mayor who wants him fired, and a town hell bent on spreading rumors.

ISBN/ASIN: 10:0692752773
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 244
 

I Promise Do or Die; by Linda Swink

MWSA Review
A well-written who done-it!

Burdened by nightmares of a traumatic event she experienced six years earlier, Catherine Ridenour dreads returning to her hometown, but feels compelled to do so when asked to be maid of honor in her best friend's wedding. Catherine senses that things are not right with the rushed wedding plans to a man Tracy has known for only two months. Yet, no argument can change Tracy's determination to get married. 

The author crafts her novel in a realistic drama sprinkled with frequent comic moments of wedding preparations and old friends remembering the antics of their high school days. The reader's attention does not stray as Catherine uses the investigative skills she developed as a news reporter to unravel the mystery of a serial rapist who may have also attacked her. Overcoming panic attacks and apprehension, she follows leads unknown to the police to determine the identity of a sexual predator threatening young women in the community. Yet because the fear of having to reveal that she also was the victim of a sexual assault six years earlier, she can't tell Tracy she suspects the culprit may be the friend's fiancé. 

I Promise Do or Die as a delightful a mystery that would be at home on Hallmark Mystery Theatre. Yes, there is some violence, but no excessive mayhem that seems to dominate most mystery/thrillers these days. It's a darn good read.
Reviewed by Joe Epley, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
Catherine Ridenour, a fledgling journalist, has a secret she vowed never to disclose, not even to her best friend, Tracy.

When Tracy asks Catherine to be her maid of honor, Catherine is overjoyed, but when she learns her friend is marrying a man Tracy’s known for only two months and the wedding is in one week, Catherine suspects something strange is going on.

Catherine investigates the fiancé and comes to believe the man her best friend is about to marry is a serial rapist.

She must find a way to stop the wedding and save her friend from making the biggest mistake of her life. But to expose Tracy’s fiancé for what he is, Catherine must disclose her own secret, something she just can’t do.

ISBN/ASIN: 10-0692530509
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 278

 

The Third Reich's Last Eagle; by Bob Mustin

MWSA Review
This is the story of one German flying Experten from June 1941 through the summer of 1945.  Hans Ulrich Rudel (Uli) was the most highly decorated member of the German Armed Forces during WWII.  This fictionalized account is based on information from German Archives, Rudel’s own writings, and media reports.  Rudel flew an incredible 2,530 combat missions, some after losing his left leg below the knee while his right leg was still healing from an earlier wound.  As the war developed, Rudel became much more aware of strategy and the errors that were being committed by his superiors.  He was repeatedly ordered to stop flying by his superiors, including the Fuhrer, but he was always able to convince them that his leadership and strategic knowledge were needed in the eastern front.  He work ethic came from his preacher father, and his endurance came from his athleticism.  He did not drink, but he did like his sweets.  

The author always makes clear where each section of the book is taking place.  And pages that are not directly part of Rudel’s story (such as on location with Hitler or Stalin) are italicized.  At times, I wished for a map to show the locations where the wing was located and where it was attacking, but then I accepted that this is not a history book.  Rather, it is a story of a dedicated warrior.  

The Prologue, the Epilogue, and the cover of the book are well designed to give the full story of a flying ace from a point of view not usually studied.
Reviewed by Nancy Kauffman, MWSA Reviewer
 

Author's Synopsis:
The Third Reich's Last Eagle is a fictionalized account of Hans Ulrich Rudel, the most highly decorated member of the German armed forces during WWII. Rudel was a Stuka pilot on the Eastern Front credited with 513 tanks, one battleship, two cruisers, four destroyers, four armored trains and sufficient artillery and transport vehicles to equip a few Russian divisions. In addition, he shot down nine Russian fighter aircraft flying a bomber with the aerial possibilities of an 18-wheeler. He won the equivalent of five medals of honor along with numerous other decorations while flying an incredible 2,500 combat sorties. On six occasions he landed behind Russian lines to pick up downed pilots and crews. He was wounded six times and shot down thirty-three times by ground fire, never by another aircraft. His last wound severed his leg below the knee. He got the plane back to his base and was flying again in less than a month using a home-made prosthesis.

Rudel was a man like no other. The German word Experten defines his flying skills, his incredible loyalty to his comrades, his bravery under the most adverse of situations, his refusal to bemoan the hand fate dealt and his unending desire to excel no matter the odds. Rudel was an Experten---the best of the best in all that came his way.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-9985759-1
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 247
 

The Albatross; by Gerry Hawes

MWSA Review
Have you ever glanced at the open cockpit door of one of those giant passenger jets and wondered how on earth the pilot can find his way around that maze of dials and instruments? In his new book, The Albatross, author Gerry Hawes answers that question.  He takes us deep into the character of Jack Rheinstrom, an airline pilot, and an ordinary man. But he is much more than your usual nice guy.

He has a deep appreciation of the value of life and the beauty of the world around him. He can look at the stars in the sky or the earth stretched out below him and see the design of the universe. And he knows how lucky he is to be able to view the world from his cockpit. Even when it looks as if his life is about to end in a fiery crash, he can look back on his flying career and say, along with one of his crew members, “Lucky me. Lucky, lucky me.”

He has an abiding love for his fellow human beings, whether they be his crew members, his passengers, the ground personnel who support him, or the strangers waiting for him to deliver their loved ones. He cares about their needs and their safety. His compassion even extends to those his life does not touch. In one incident, he sees, but only from the back, a little girl staring longingly at a worn-out stuffed rabbit in a pawn shop window. He never sees her face, but he returns to the shop, pays for the rabbit, and asks the shopkeeper to give it to the little girl the next time she comes to visit.

He has an encyclopedic, almost photographic memory of every training manual he has read. He knows every inch of his plane. He has read the reports of dangerous incidents these planes have experienced so that he knows what to do in almost any emergency.

And last, he has an almost super-human ability to remain calm and detached in a disastrous event, even when everyone around him has given up or succumbed to fear. He is the voice of reason, the one who can access, from somewhere deep in his memory bank, the single detail that can save the lives of everyone involved. 

But such compelling character traits come at an enormous personal cost. His love for everyone around him keeps him from recognizing that one special person whom he could love more than all the rest. His ability to control his emotions keeps him from expressing what he feels. His gratitude for what he already has stops him for wishing for something more. Because he tries to protect the lives of everyone around him, he is in danger of losing his personal life. 

Mr. Hawes is, himself, such a pilot, and it shows. His vast knowledge and his attention to detail sometimes add so much information that his story slows. The voices in the cockpit ring absolutely true because they are word-for-word transcripts of what happens. The story is realistic because it is real. You’ll believe the story because the author makes you trust him. Read this book and be prepared to have your emotions wrenched. But don’t take it with you to pass the time on a long over-water flight. 
Review by Carolyn Schriber, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis
Jack Rheinstrom was the kind of guy that everyone liked. His graduating yearbook read like a Who's Who of high school students--leader, scholar, athlete. He was a special kid that shunned personal attention and cared passionately for others. He never appeared to be in a bad mood; just being around him made you feel  good inside. But there are no guarantees in life. There were two special events that occurred in his life, both having dramatic effects. You can be agile and you can be tough but sometimes that is just not enough. Jack Rheinstrom was an airline pilot. He was an ordinary man -- his life was not.

ISBN/ASIN: 13: 978-1-940244-73-0
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 285
 

Eternally at War; by Jeanette Vaughan

MWSA Review

Captain Robert Lathrop left behind more than just a manuscript—he left a detailed history of his wartime experiences in Vietnam and a good part of himself on its pages.  Struggling to cope with the  effects of PTSD, Lathrop wrote about his time in Vietnam and its aftermath as part of his therapy.  Lathrop’s musings might have languished unnoticed and unread if not for the efforts of co-author/editor Jeanette Vaughan, who organized and compiled Lathrop’s manuscript in this heart-wrenching memoir.  
 
Lathrop’s detailed description of his combat flying as a Marine A-4 pilot are quite detailed, believable, and are a valuable addition to the historical record. Lathrop’s short tour on the Battleship New Jersey was also quite interesting and informative, as were the details of his flying the C-117 in cargo and flare-dropping missions "on the side."
 
The first three quarters of the book deal quite effectively with Lathrop’s time in war-torn Vietnam.  The end of the book is a much more personal and harrowing look at the devastation caused by combat injuries that can’t be easily identified or treated.
 
Struggling to cope with his deteriorating mental state, he became caught up in a strange series of conspiracy theories—all the time pushing away family and friends—which contributed to the downward spiral into deep depression and drug dependence. Lathrop is lucid while describing his combat tour in Vietnam.  However, as the book progresses toward its devastating conclusion, the writing darkens and at times becomes almost impenetrable—deteriorating just like the mental state of the author.
 
Eternally at War is not an easy read.  It is, however, a necessary one for those interested in one Marine pilot’s experiences during combat in Vietnam and his continuing struggle to deal with the aftermath—of being “eternally at war.”
Review by John Cathcart, MWSA Awards Director
 

Author’s Synopsis:
Vietnam. A USMC A-4 Skyhawk pilot. PTSD. He survived Vietnam, but would he survive its aftermath? The experiences of combat produce different memories by those whom have served. Some return as warriors, seemingly unscathed. With others, their life is never the same. The horrors of each mission come back to haunt them for years. Ten years after returning from Vietnam as a two time decorated A-4 Skyhawk pilot, Captain Robert “Gene” Lathrop described war as hell. Flying the scooter as a part of VMA-311, he completed over 275 missions. His squadron completed 54,625 sorties dropping over 9 million tons of bombs. That record will never be broken. But the bomb damage assessment was steep for Captain Lathrop. The nightmares and emotional rage he experienced threatened to tear apart his family. To keep from unraveling, he sought a voice in the written word. This memoir serves as part of his mission to honor the men and women of the military. He believed veterans who return to peacetime should never feel eternally at war.

ISBN/ASIN: 0989207870
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): History, Memoir
Number of Pages: 332

The Last Road Home; by Danny Johnson

MWSA Review
Danny Johnson may have done himself a disservice in writing The Last Road Home, as he has set the bar exceedingly high for himself in all future work. Masterfully crafted and beautifully executed, this book draws readers right in and holds them close for the entire journey. Johnson tackles sensitive issues like interracial relationships, family tragedies, and the brutality of combat and its aftermath with an unapologetic yet tactful tone. Those prone to displaying their emotions may want to read this book in private, as the author leaves no emotion untapped. You will laugh, and tear up, and become enraged, and worry right along with these characters.

It takes supreme skill and a hefty dose of talent to break out of the gate in full stride and never miss a step. Johnson makes it look easy as he sets one scene after another, following Junebug from childhood to the jungles of Vietnam with just the right blend of detail to bring it all to life. Each leg of Junebug’s journey adds another layer of richness to the tale, right up until the last page. There is something here for readers of all genres. 
Review by Barbara Allen, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Summary:
From Pushcart Prize nominee Danny Johnson comes a powerful novel that explores race relations, first love, and coming-of-age in North Carolina in the 1950s and ‘60s. At eight years old, Raeford “Junebug” Hurley has known more than his share of hard lessons. After the sudden death of his parents, he goes to live with his grandparents on a farm surrounded by tobacco fields and lonesome woods. There he meets Fancy Stroud and her twin brother, Lightning, the children of black sharecroppers on a neighboring farm. As years pass, the friendship be- tween Junebug and bright, compassionate Fancy takes on a deeper intensity. Junebug, aware of all the ways in which he and Fancy are more alike than different, habitually bucks against the casual bigotry that surrounds them—dangerous in a community ruled by the Klan. On the brink of adulthood, Junebug is drawn into a moneymaking scheme that goes awry—and leaves him with a dark secret he must keep from those he loves. And as Fancy, tired of saying yes’um and living scared, tries to find her place in the world, Junebug embarks on a journey that will take him through loss and war toward a hard-won understanding. At once tender and unflinching, The Last Road Home delves deep into the gritty, violent realities of the South’s turbulent past, yet evokes the universal hunger for belonging.

ISBN/ASIN: 13L 978-1-4967-0249-4
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 312

Clear To Lift; by Anne A. Wilson

MWSA Review
Clear to Lift by Anne Wilson can best be described as an action novel with a side of romance. From the first page to the last we are swept into the world of search and rescue in the mountains of Nevada. Alison Malone, recently stationed at Naval Air Station Fallon, feels that her career in the Navy has stagnated. Desperate to get her career back on track, she resolutely pushes for a transfer away from a duty station she considers to be a step in the wrong direction. But as she learns new skills and builds relationships within both the military and civilian communities, her resolve wavers. And her desire to be stationed near her corporate-investor fiancé in San Diego begins to crumble.

Clear to Lift follows in the footsteps of Wilson’s first novel, Hover, in that both feature a strong female protagonist making her way in the military. It’s clear that Wilson writes what she knows. Her time as a Navy helicopter pilot shines through in the action sequences and the plot details. Her writing is engaging and complex. The characters, especially those in the military, have a ring of truth.

Wilson’s bio will tell you that she graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served for nine years as a helicopter pilot. After that she worked in the semiconductor industry before owning a triathlon coaching company with her husband. Although her career to date has focused on outdoor ventures and high-altitude rescue specialties, I believe that Wilson is first and foremost a writer. Rather than thinking of her as an adventurous pilot who enjoys writing, I think of her as a writer who happens to have amassed an amazing skill set, one that allows her to share with her readers a world that most people only dream of. 
Review by Betsy Beard, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
Navy helicopter pilot Lt. Alison Malone has been assigned to a search and rescue team based at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, near the rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and far from her former elite H-60 squadron. A rule follower by nature, Alison is exasperated and outraged every time she flies with her mission commander, "Boomer" Marks, for whom military procedures are merely a suggestion. Alison is desperate to be transferred out of the boonies, where careers stagnate, and back to her life and fiancé in San Diego.

Alison's defenses start to slip when she meets mountain guide Will Cavanaugh during a particularly dicey mission. Will introduces her to a wild, beautiful world of adventure that she has never known before. Stranded on a mountain during a sudden dangerous blizzard, Alison questions every truth she thought she knew about herself. When Will braves the storm to save her life, she must confront the fact that she has been living a lie. But is it too late to change course?

Full of action and adventure, dangerous and heart-stopping rescues, blizzards and floods, family secrets and second chances, Clear to Lift by Anne A. Wilson is a thrilling woman's journey as she finds confidence, truth, love, and herself against the majestic backdrop of the Sierra Nevada.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0765378514
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): Fiction, Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 320

The Oath; by Dennis Koller

MWSA Review
An intriguing plot and artful writing make Dennis Koller’s The Oath an entertaining read. Readers will appreciate the author’s ability to bring a scene and its characters to life with just enough detail to make it all pop, without becoming bogged down in over-descriptive narratives. Adventure and thriller fans’ appetite for a rush will be well satiated with the twists and turns throughout this book.

Koller displays an innate understanding of the plight of Vietnam POWS as well as the intricacies of police work. He weaves these experiences together to create a plausible and compelling picture of the immense struggles attached to both. That the homicide investigator who survived the same prison camp as the killer he now seeks creates a clear conflict as he must choose between his allegiance to the law and the oath he and the killer once took. The tension builds as readers are drawn into both Tom McGuire’s character and the man he reluctantly hunts.

The Oath’s suspense pulls its readers through each page with a force of its own.
Review by Barbara Allen, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." A lifetime ago, a young naval aviator took the Oath. Tom McGuire, now a San Francisco PD Homicide Inspector, hadn’t thought about the Oath in years. That was all about to change. A famous San Francisco newspaper columnist has been murdered. Some would say “executed”. Shot through the head, her arms tied behind her, knotted together from shoulder to wrist. McGuire feels an eerie chill of recognition. After being shot down over North Vietnam, he suffered seven years as a Prisoner of War in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, enduring rope torture many times – his arms tied in exactly the same way. A lifetime ago, another young naval aviator took that Oath. He also was shot down over North Vietnam, and joined McGuire as a POW in Hanoi. Almost forty years later, their lives were about to intersect once again. This time with explosive consequences. “A dying former POW, four dead women, a world-weary homicide cop and the Vietnam War are expertly woven together in a masterful piece of storytelling that will leave you guessing right until the last few pages of 'The Oath.' This is an excellent book with just the right amount of social commentary woven into its pages to make it not just another murder mystery. Mike Billington Author and Army veteran who spent two tours in Vietnam (awarded Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman's Badge).

ISBN/ASIN: 9780692656730
Book Format(s): Soft cover, ePub, Kindle
Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 325

The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood; by Terrence McCauley

MWSA Review
Award-winning author Terrence McCauley scores again with his short but memorable THE DEVIL DOGS OF BELLEAU WOOD.  This quick read centers around a group of Marines, all from different units, who stumble upon each other after a major German barrage has caused chaos and confusion.  From different backgrounds and with vastly different levels of experience, they bond together with a common goal of surviving just a bit longer in Belleau Wood, the famous World War I battle that made the letters “USMC” feared around the world. 

This story is a prequel, told in first person by Corporal Charlie Doherty, who later becomes the cop hero of two of McCauley’s 1930’s NYC novels, PROHIBITION and SLOW BURN.  A first-person story can be hard to pull off because many authors will slip up and let some form of omniscience slip in, but McCauley pulls it off very well.

I was especially impressed by how McCauley develops his characters in so short a space (entire book was 130 pages) and also with his gripping combat sequences.  He obviously researched WWI combat, and did well with the technological specifics of that conflict.  

Fans of WWI, the Marines, and infantry combat stories will find this enjoyable, memorable, and entertaining.

By Rob Ballister, MWSA Awards Director and Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
***PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SEMPER FI FUND***

A WORLD AT WAR. A LONE MARINE FIGHTING TO SURVIVE.

Charlie Doherty, the hero of PROHIBITION and SLOW BURN returns in a novella of World War I.

1918 –As a corrupt patrolman in New York City, Charlie Doherty had the ward bosses of Tammany Hall and other political cronies to watch his back. But in the hell-storm that became known as the Battle of Belleau Wood, only his rifle and his training keep him alive.

After taking cover behind a fallen tree during the worst of the German shelling, Doherty links up with a brave Marine captain and a ragtag crew of survivors who realize the only way out of danger lies not in retreat, but in marching toward the sound of the gunfire. They fight the enemy wherever they find them, hoping to hold back the advancing German tide long enough for the shaken American forces to regroup and re-enforce them. They lean forward. They dig in. They fight back.

Doherty and the others began the day as Marines. But by the time it is over, they will be part of a battle that helped secure the reputation of the United States Marine Corps as one of the most feared fighting forces in the world.

They will become known as THE DEVIL DOGS OF BELLEAU WOOD.

ISBN/ASIN: 1943402159
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 144

The Lone Wolf Agenda; by Joseph Badal

MWSA Review
This 4th novel in the Danforth spy family is again inspired by timely concerns of the ways in which enemies of the United States might operate.  Antagonists who are smart and devious make these stories even more suspenseful.  As current law enforcement personnel have learned, the hardest enemies to combat are those who work alone – the Lone Wolfs.  When intelligence agencies work together, they are able to proceed more quickly.  However, as in real life, you are not always sure of who might be working against you.  A wonderful political and intelligence community thriller.
By Nancy Kauffman, MWSA Reviewer

Synopsis:
The Lone Wolf Agenda, a 91,000-word thriller, is the 4th book in the Danforth Saga, which includes Evil Deeds (#1), Terror Cell (#@),The Nostradamus Secret (#3), and Death Ship (#5). This novel was awarded the 1st place prize for fiction in the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. It is based on current events, and melds the dynamics of oil and gas markets, the threat to OPEC of increased United States oil and gas production, lone wolf terrorists, and the introduction of a new CIA/DELTA Force initiative called Operation Lone Wolf.

The Lone Wolf Agenda offers another roller coaster ride of action and suspense as Bob Danforth returns to the CIA to manage a new program titled Operation Lone Wolf, created to combat single terrorists who infiltrate the United States. The story reintroduces Bob’s son, Michael, who is a senior officer with DELTA. It also introduces Carlos Garcia, a State Police Officer from New Mexico, who is recruited to play an integral role in the investigation of a terrorist attack that destroys the Santa Fe Airport and a private jet carrying a group of influential U.S. oil and gas executives.
Part I deals with the terrorist attacks and the initial investigation into those attacks. It follows the actions of a lone wolf terrorist who moves from Philadelphia, to Santa Fe, to Flagstaff, to Fresno, and, finally, to Bismarck. His ultimate assignment is to murder hundreds of energy company executives and politicians attending a dinner in Bismarck. 

Bob Danforth is recruited out of retirement to head up Operation Lone Wolf, which is managed by the CIA and supported by DELTA Force. 

Bob’s son, Michael, is a brigadier general with DELTA and is assigned the mission of tracking down the terrorist that perpetrated the attacks in Santa Fe. This assignment takes Michael and a DELTA team to Bismarck, where intelligence has tracked the terrorist. 

The terrorist is captured by Michael’s team and sent to a secret CIA location in Panama for interrogation.

Part II of The Lone Wolf Agenda brings in intelligence-generated information that the terrorist captured in Bismarck is only one of eight such terrorists will be infiltrated into the United States through Mexico, with the assistance of the head of the Guadalajara drug cartel. This drug lord, Jacobo Alvarez, is a vicious, powerful criminal, who is also the estranged uncle of Carlos Garcia, the New Mexico State Police Officer working with the anti-terrorism unit in Santa Fe.

Carlos works with Michael’s DELTA unit, which enters Mexico  to find the terrorists on his uncle’s estate outside Guadalajara. Backed by sophisticated communications systems and drones, the team has expectations of success. But when the President of the United States learns of the CIA/DELTA operation, he pulls the team’s support out of fear of political fallout, abandoning the team and leaving it exposed to Alvarez’s huge, well-armed personal security force. Jack Cole, the Director of Central Intelligence, and Harry Nicolo, the President’s National Security Advisor, disregard the President’s order to abandon the DELTA team and do what they can to prevent the team from being slaughtered. The team suffers casualties while discovering that the drug lord has already transported the terrorists across the U.S. border. But the team captures the drug lord and an Arab who is the liaison with The Black Gold Brotherhood terrorist group.

In Part III, political intrigue threatens to undermine Operation Lone Wolf, Jack Cole, and Harry Nicolo, as they continue to support the CIA/DELTA effort to track down the terrorists who are now in the U.S. The initial assumption is that The Black Gold Brotherhood is supported by Saudi Arabia and is targeting U.S. refineries. But CIA analysts question this as they make the case that non-operating refineries would do damage to Saudi Arabia. Without refineries, the U.S. would have no need to import Saudi oil, since it would have no place to refine that oil. 

Spencer Andrews, a deputy director at the Department of Homeland Security, is a political hack resentful of the “cowboy” tactics employed by the CIA. He begins a campaign to undermine Operation Lone Wolf for personal political gain. He leaks information about the program and DELTA’s incursion into Mexico to a friendly U.S. Senator and to one of his contacts in the media. 

The Black Gold Brotherhood, with the assistance of Hezbollah sleeper cells in Texas, finalizes preparations to attack seven major targets in the United States. Despite reservations, the CIA is still operating on the assumption the targets are the seven largest oil refineries in Texas. DELTA units have been stationed in the vicinity of all seven refineries. But the Company continues to question its assumptions and, just in time, comes to the conclusion the terrorists are targeting oil pipelines, not refineries. By destroying some of the largest pipelines in the U.S., the country will be denied crude oil for its refineries, necessitating increased oil imports from OPEC.

When Jack Cole and Harry Nicolo discover Spencer Andrews is behind the leaks about Operation Lone Wolf, they implement a “false flag” operation in which a video is created showing the Guadalajara drug lord holding captive the DELTA team, threatening to murder all the team members and releasing information about their capture in Mexico. Andrews takes this false information to the President and to a newspaper reporter. As a result, Andrews is discredited and fired.

Part IV deals with the political fallout from the President’s actions, the intended recruitment of Carlos Garcia by the CIA, Harry Nicolo’s retirement, and the re-establishment of normal life for the Danforth family.
 

ISBN/ASIN: B00LXG9QMI
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 385

The Nostradamus Secret; by Joseph Badal

MWSA Review
A "lost" section of Nostradamus' quatrains in the hands of a narcissist steer current events and the United States into a spiral of destruction, deception, and terror in Joseph Badal's The Nostradamus Secret.

Badal pulls his audience in, and holds them captive until the last page is turned.  The author builds on layers of interactions, decisions, and deceptions to reveal a tapestry of suspense in The Nostradamus Secret.  His plausible course of events gives credibility to the plot; his characters are real and engaging, which adds integrity to the events as they unfold.  The reader becomes entangled, unable turn away as the seemingly imminent conclusion unfolds.

The Nostradamus Secret takes us on a horrifying rollercoaster of greed and trickery. Full of action and adventure, the reader is drawn through myriad emotions.  I found myself at the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to see what happened next.  I look forward to reading Joseph Badal's other works.
Reviewed by Sandra Miller Linhart, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
The Nostradamus Secret, the 3rd book in Joseph Badal’s Danforth Saga, is an 118,000-word “secret history” thriller based on the lost quatrains of Michele Nostradamus. These quatrains from Nostradamus’s 7th of 10 centuries (writings of 100 quatrains) have never been found. The author weaves their discovery into the novel and creates the missing quatrains.

The Nostradamus Secret brings Bob Danforth back to the CIA from retirement after his successor there is murdered. That murder is apparently perpetrated by the same group behind the assassinations of hundreds of American celebrities, politicians, and business people, as well as hundreds of ordinary American citizens. These killings occur at the same time that Iran becomes ever more threatening to the United States. What Danforth does not know is that a world-class-wealthy Iranian is behind both the assassinations and Iran’s war plans — all because he believes his rise to power was preordained in the writings of Michele Nostradamus’s “lost quatrains,” which he secretly possesses. 

In the midst of an assassination campaign that targets American icons of industry, banking, sports, politics, and entertainment, the CIA Special Operations boss is murdered. The Agency brings Bob Danforth, the former Special Ops boss, out of retirement to identify the mastermind behind the assassinations. But Danforth’s assignment proves more complicated when Iran becomes intransigent about backing away from its nuclear weapons program, and when an Iranian missile site fires nuclear missiles at Israel and at American troops in the Middle East. The Iranian government claims it did not authorize the attacks.

A shadowy group named The Sons of Ali takes credit for the assassinations. But neither the CIA nor the FBI can identify the organization’s leader. In the meantime, the U.S. President responds to the Iranian missile attacks by first ordering the destruction of the missile site that launched the missiles, and then declaring war on Iran. The President orders an invasion of the country to  overthrow the Islamic government and install in its place a democratic government headed by an Iranian sponsored by the U.S. Vice President and senior officers in the CIA and the State Department. What the President of the United States doesn’t realize is the man he is about to put in power in Iran, Ali Reza Naimzadeh, is the leader of The Sons of Ali, is responsible for the missile attacks, and is the owner of Nostradamus’s lost quatrains.

Naimzadeh is a world-class- wealthy individual who believes his destiny is to rule Iran, to take over the Middle East oil fields, and then to dominate world events. He has arrived at this belief because of the writings of Michele Nostradamus, the 16th Century visionary who prophesied in quatrains from his Seventh Centurie that a leader would rise from Persia and aspire to world domination. (The historical footnote here is that, in actuality, the 43rd-100th quatrains of Nostradamus’s 7th Centurie have never been found. Scholars believe these verses were either lost or destroyed. The author finds them and uses them in the story). These “lost” quatrains have been in the hands of the Naimzadeh family since the late 1500s.

Danforth comes to the conclusion that whoever is behind the assassinations wants to destabilize the U.S. economy and the U.S. government. Then he realizes there may be a traitor in the CIA working with The Sons of Ali, and this traitor has a highly-placed State Department ally who is promoting Naimzadeh as the next President of Iran.

Naimzadeh’s spies make him aware of Danforth’s role. He attempts to neutralize Danforth by sending an assassin to threaten the lives of Danforth’s son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. 

The U.S. launches an invasion of Iran, including sending Delta Force teams into the country. Among these units is Danforth’s son, Michael, who has been ordered to protect Naimzadeh until his installation as President of Iran. The invasion is successful and Naimzadeh is about to be installed as the country’s leader when Danforth realizes the web of deceit orchestrated by Naimzadeh and his allies could result in the deaths of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and in Naimzadeh’s control of Middle East oil and gas reserves. 

Danforth uncovers the participants in Naimzadeh’s plot – including the U.S. Vice President – and foils it. He discovers Naimzadeh has interpreted some of Nostradamus’s writings as prophesying his success, but only if the U.S. President is eliminated.  Assassins target the President, but are defeated.

The United States assists the new Iranian government, which confiscates Naimzadeh’s fortune. Naimzadeh is arrested by Iran and put on trial.

The U.S. President directs Bob Danforth to deliver to Naimzadeh, who is in an Iranian jail cell awaiting trial, a copy of several of Nostradamus’s quatrains and verses from the Book of Jeremiah of the Bible that appear to predict the downfall of a Persian tyrant. 

The President asks Danforth to take a high level position at the CIA, but Danforth realizes sitting behind a desk would be a fate worse than death, and that his wife can no longer handle his performing field assignments. He decides to retire again and spend more time with the family he has ignored for too long.

ISBN/ASIN: B00R3GTLVI
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 468

The View from the Rigging: Memoirs of a Coast Guard Career; by Richard Marcott

MWSA Review
The View from the Rigging is a fascinating and fun memoir of Captain Richard Marcott’s twenty-eight-year career in the Coast Guard. Born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania far from the ocean, Marcott is accepted into the Coast Guard Academy and shortly after arriving, off he goes to see the world! And, boy, does he! His decision ultimately takes him around the world and back and forth across the country. His encounters and experiences with people ranging from Okinawan peasants to Ernest Hemingway—as well as numerous personal ups and downs—are richly told. Marcott’s experience as an instructor is a great “teaching moment” (pun intended) for those unfamiliar with the depth of thought and work needed to successfully train individuals from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. At every level, The View from the Rigging is a success.
Review by Dwight Jon Zimmerman, MWSA President & Reviewer

Synopsis:

Captain Marcott, a dyed-in-the-wool story teller, reflects on twenty-eight years of intriguing Coast Guard stories that span the cold war, the turbulent sixties, and the period of détente with Russia. More than a book of seagoing adventures; you will warm to his tales of family and friends.
    His scenic descriptions are crisp and real. You will feel you are with him in an Atlantic hurricane, and when he boards a Russian Factory vessel in the Bering Sea. 
    Share his encounters with Ernest Hemingway, Perry Como, Jacques Cousteau, Ambassador Eliot Richardson, and discover how Nikita Khrushchev interrupted his life.    
    Laugh as he outfoxes a Navy blockade and when he stumbles to explain to a Japanese artist why his wedding portrait is wrong.
    Feel his family angst when their infant daughter requires delicate surgery.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-5356-0395-9
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Creative Nonfiction, Memoir
Number of Pages: 343

    “I never cease to be amazed as to how much I learn from Captain Marcott’s memoirs of a fascinating world I never knew existed. The stories are a tribute to his service that he sells with beautiful detail, humor, and pathos.” 
    Dr. Dani Weber, Writing professor.

“If you’ve ever been to sea, you’ll enjoy my friend Dick Marcott’s tales of Coast Guard duty. If you haven’t, this book might count as your first deployment!”
                  David Poyer, author of TIPPING POINT and ONSLAUGHT 

“In my experience, the very best way to learn something is to find a teacher who blends historical facts with the art of story-telling. Dick Marcott proves he’s the master of this approach in The View from the Rigging.  Those of us who paralleled his Coast Guard professional life can smile often remembering our own experiences as Dick reviews his career.  Those who have not, are introduced to the extraordinary professional and personal commitments, made by both service members and their families, to public service in the uniform of their country.  It’s a story told well and highlighted with very real moments of serious accomplishment. We should all be so fortunate to have such stories to tell our grandchildren.”
        Admiral James M. Loy, US Coast Guard (Retired) Commandant 1998-2002

    Captain Marcott graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1957 with a BS in Engineering. He received an MA in Personnel Management from George Washington University. He held commands afloat and ashore, and he was the chief of the Training and Education Division in CG headquarters. Four chapters of his memoir have been published in the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s award winning literary journal, Baily’s Beads.

Passages: A Corrales Writing Group Anthology; by Jim Tritten

MWSA Review
An anthology, by definition, offers readers a collection of unique and differing points of view and writing techniques. The Corrales Writing Group members take it a notch higher by presenting different genres as well. Whether you like humor, fiction or nonfiction, you’re sure to find something to enjoy from these writers. With a well-thought out design, the stories mesh well and the reader easily transitions from one story to the next.

The writers titled the book, Passages, to connote the constant change in their lives, the New Mexican culture and the times. Their connection to their local heritage shines throughout the book. In addition to their writings, they worked with Corrales artists to enrich the book with their creative works.

I especially liked the Entr’actes used as transition pieces. They focus on New Mexico’s culture and as the introduction states, are “highlighting New Mexico quirks, or showing local distinctions in attitude.”

From Jim Tritten’s 21st Century Illustrated Man to Patricia and Walter Walkow’s Our 9/11 Story, the reader is exposed to laughter, thought and a myriad of emotions.

The book left me with a desire to visit New Mexico in the near future.
Review by Pat Avery, MWSA Reviewer

Synopsis:
This anthology is created by members of the Corrales Writing Group, located in central New Mexico. From humor to tragedy, from a remembrance of 9/11 to the ways people perceive New Mexico, from a scathingly funny rant on Christmas letters to a magical experience in healing, these writings engage emotions.

Jim Tritten (Navy veteran and MWSA member) wrote four chapters: The Perfect Woman challenges the reader about what constitutes perfection in the fair sex. Sauna Gus describes a Danish sauna and Jim says if you don’t laugh out loud, you don’t have a sense of humor. 21st Century Illustrated Man is creative non-fiction/memoir and documents the author’s anxiety attack while traveling by air in a commercial jetliner. Finally Round Engines is a tongue-in-cheek look at flying aircraft with reciprocating engines with propellers and flying jets.

Thomas Neiman (Army veteran) wrote four chapters: A Clown’s Story is heart-warming memoir of Tom’s volunteer work as a Shriner clown. Overture is the introduction to a hardboiled detective work still in progress. Grasshopper Rant and Hooked contain humorous interchanges between husband and wife.

Patricia Walkow (MWSA member and military spouse) wrote five pieces. A Christmas Letter is a rollicking commentary of how our friends and family communicate with us once a year. Three chapters provide commentary on her experiences in the professional work world as a woman. Pat also includes an extract from a novel, The Far Moist End of the Earth, still in progress. A sixth chapter outlining their experiences after 9/11 was co-written with her husband (Army veteran): 

Chris Allen wrote four pieces: Two humorous short stories detail the trial of introducing a new puppy, Ember, into her home. One wonders why the dog is still in their house after what it did. Booked! Is a humorous account of her difficulty in getting to work as a film extra. The final piece, Horse Wreck, deals with an equine accident and her on-going recovery.

Sandi Hoover wrote one essay: Small Discoveries-Small Delights is a reflection on the seasonal changes noticed in local birds, animals, and plants in our village of Corrales.

Maureen Cooke wrote one chapter: Together Apart: Lily and Her Mother is an extract from a novel still in works. Interpersonal relationships are the subject matter.

Five of the authors wrote very short observations about life in New Mexico that separate the different sections of the anthology. In addition, the group partnered with nineteen local artists and included photographs of paintings, sculpture, etc. used as spacers to separate chapters. These show up in gorgeous color in the Kindle version.

ISBN/ASIN: 1539502279
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, How to/Business, Anthology
Number of Pages: 316

A Shau Valor: American Combat Operations in the Valley of Death, 1963-1971; by Thomas Yarborough

MWSA Review
A Shau Valor, by Thomas R Yarborough—a veteran of 600 combat missions during the Vietnam War—focuses on a relatively small but significant part of Vietnam War: the A Shau Valley.  The valley is located in the northern section of what used to be South Vietnam and lies along the border with Laos.   For most of the war, it was a major entry point for North Vietnamese military personnel, equipment and supplies into the south.  Because of its location and proximity to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, it was an area of consistent, large and bloody battles. Perhaps the best known was the battle for Hill 937 or “Hamburger Hill.”

The book concentrates on the nine years the US fought in this valley, providing a detailed and unflinching look at the US operations in an area often referred to as the "Valley of Death." In doing so, Yarborough provides us with a well-researched and valuable contribution to the historical record.

Yarborough's work is replete with repeated references to the valor of those who served in this hotly-contested section of Vietnam.  In many cases, the details of combat heroism seem to be taken almost directly from the medal citations themselves.  However, given the almost unbelievable bravery these citations document, it’s very appropriate to do so.  It's not Yarborough’s writing that is repetitious; it is the consistent and conspicuous valor of those who fought… and died there.

Highly recommended for those interested in this important part of the War in Vietnam.
Reviewed by John Cathcart, MWSA Awards Director & Reviewer

Synopsis:
Military historian Tom Yarborough has written a thoroughly researched and documented study that chronicles the battles and the associated courage, sacrifice, and valor in and around the remote and lethal A Shau Valley, one of the most deadly battlegrounds of the Vietnam War.  Other works have focused on individual battles or units, but A Shau Valor is the first to study the nine year campaign chronologically and within the context of other historical, political, and cultural events.  In addition to covering the strictly military aspects of various campaigns in the A Shau, the author shows how events in both Vietnam and the United States became inexorably linked as domestic dissent and a lack of realistic, viable military strategy ultimately led to America’s first lost war.

      To flesh out the story the author combed numerous military archives for individual cases of conspicuous gallantry in action, to include Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, and Air Force Cross citations.  In effect, those heroic deeds, those incredible acts of valor, provided the framework for the story he wanted to tell.  That methodology ultimately suggested the title for the book: A Shau Valor. 
 
     For Yarborough, author of the critically acclaimed book, Da Nang Diary, the challenge was to communicate not only the essential elements of the battles but also to supply a sense of the sights, sounds, and even the smells of the battlefield so that the reader feels engaged and, at least figuratively, experiences the mosquitoes, the mud, the oppressive heat, the leeches, the agony, the frustration, the fear.   

      As a compulsory underpinning for understanding the individual unit operational summaries and after action reports, perhaps the most indispensable documentary sources in A Shau Valor are the inspiring gallantry citations themselves, riveting accounts of the heroes who defined the battles.  Consequently, the author included recollections and interviews with many of the warriors---the grunts, marines, and airmen who did the fighting and the dying in the A Shau.  They consecrated the ground known as the Valley of Death with their blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices.  This book is their story.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-61200-354-2
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History
Number of Pages: 336
 

Soldier for Life: Leader Lessons From The 12th Sergeant Major Of The Army Jack L. Tilley, by Jack Tilley

MWSA Review
A proven formula for leadership

"Soldier for Life" is more than a memoir of an American soldier who advanced through the ranks to become to most senior enlisted man in the U.S. Army. It also contains real life lessons that benefit managers who lead teams of people in any military and civilian workplace.

Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Jack Tilley, now retired from the military, began his story as a 17-year-old high school student who joined the Army as something do after graduating from high school. At the time, he had no goal in life. His lessons began with basic training, Airborne School and on into Viet Nam as tank crew member during the intense fighting of the 1968 Tet Offensive. He left the war zone as an escort for the body of his best friend.

Tilley candidly described the emotional highs and lows of his career — from duties as a basic training drill sergeant, tank commander, platoon sergeant, first sergeant, chief instructor, and sergeant major at the battalion, brigade, division, Central Command and Department of the Army levels. Through each of these assignments, SMA Tilley learned and applied critical lessons in working with others; some lessons from his own mistakes, others via sage advice from peers and higher ranking mentors. Essential to earning respect and superior performances from subordinates is through one's personal actions, he wrote, rather than just with authoritarian orders.

During his 35 year tenure as a soldier, Tilley experienced an Army in constant change, the most significant included becoming an all-volunteer force, significantly enhancing educational standards for NCOS, and the controversial adoption of black berets as the standard headwear. As a division command sergeant major, he later served along the Iron Curtain in Germany during the Cold War, with the peacekeeping force in Bosnia during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and in the early years of the Global War on Terror. He was the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army when a commercial airliner deliberately crashed into the Pentagon where he was serving.
Tilley and his co-author, retired Command Sergeant Major Dan Elder, tell Tilley's story in a well-written narrative of an Army and a soldier in transition. Through this book, they share many lessons learned in getting the best results from others working in your organization.
"Soldier For Life" is must reading for every soldier —enlisted, NCO and officer—and every civilian who want to develop leadership abilities that are essential for success.
By Joe Epley, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
This book is more than just an autobiography of Jack L. Tilley, the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, it is a series of leadership lessons based on selected stories from his more than 35-year career. The last Vietnam veteran to serve in that position from 2000-2004, SMA Tilley was at the Pentagon when terrorists crashed a plane into the nation’s largest "office building" on September 11, 2001. He and his co-author, Dan Elder weave a story beginning with Tilley's enlistment into the United States Army in the summer of 1966, his deployment to Vietnam, his ascension to positions of great responsibility, and describe influential events leading up to his eventual selection and assignment as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army. Unique to his story are the "Understanding Tilley" segments that close each chapter where Tilley reflects on the chapter events, describes how those events influenced him, as well as explore lessons that the reader can use in their own journey.

ISBN/ASIN: 0996318100
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): Memoir
Number of Pages: 242

The Twilight of the Day, by Ian A. O'Connor

MWSA Review
"In The Twilight of the Day, author Ian A. O'Connor tells an exciting tale that could be more fact than fiction. Based on actual events and a recurring theory, the author sets the stage for the secret transfer of American prisoners of war from North Vietnam to Libya at the end of the Viet Nam war. This story is totally believable and is told in a way that keeps the reader's attention from the first chapter until the end. 

The fact that all of the transferred POW's have degrees in a field related to nuclear physics or nuclear engineering gave me an idea right away what Gaddafi's regime was up to.  Their Libyan kidnappers demand that the American military personnel build a nuclear weapon.  They American's try to resist until it is made clear that they are not the only ones at risk.  Their families back in the US are too.

I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in historical fiction, the Vietnam war, and the fate of our still missing POWs.
Reviewed by Bob Doerr, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
The Twilight of the Day is a powerful story of human triumph in the face of impossible odds. It is a story of hope; a story of one man's resolute faith in God and country when lesser men would have succumbed.

Navy Captain James Vincent Trader endured years of relentless torment as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese. His true descent into hell began when he and nine others were sold in 1973 to a rogue country for 70 million dollars. Who was the buyer, and what was expected of these men? The answer is found in a closely guarded secret held by this extraordinary fraternity of pilots. 

The Twilight of the Day is a work of fiction steeped in fact and is guaranteed to keep the reader on the edge of his seat until the last page.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781511890137
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 218

Invasion: Ice Hammer Book 1, by Basil Sands

MWSA Review
Basil Sands lead novel in the ICE HAMMER series is a non-stop thought-provoking thriller that I could just not put down!

Set in Alaska in the present day, the world is turned upside down when the new Russian confederation, along with China and several Muslim factions, invade the United States and Canada.  The larger US cities are nuked at the outset, and smaller civilian populations around other major ports are conquered and ruthlessly controlled.  Veterans and rugged citizens in and around Anchorage, Alaska are left to band together to survive, and eventually take the fight back to the enemy.

Brad Stone, a Marine "no longer on active duty," finds himself leading fugitives through the woods away from the conquering Chinese.  Along the way, he meets up with others who bring unique skills to his small group, and together they plan to survive.  Through propaganda and just dumb luck, Brad finds himself being called "the Ice Hammer," by both the resistance movement and the Chinese.  Struggling with his own demons of faith and haunted by the wife he feels he couldn't protect, is he up to the challenge of being the focus of the fight to reclaim the lifestyle that was taken from his country?

The action is fast, the characters are amazing, and there is plenty to keep the reader engaged.  This is every bit as good as Jeff Edwards, Tom Clancy, or Dale Brown; fans of those authors will gobble this up and wait for the sequel.  No sex to speak of, but with some gory war scenes, this is probably a "PG-13" read, but definitely worth it for fans of the military techno-thriller.  Highly recommended!

By Rob Ballister, MWSA Awards Director and Reviewer

Synopsis:
It only took an instant for the world to come crashing down. 

The bombs came first, and the troops were close behind. Life in the dream that was America ceased when a deadly new alliance of Communist states from Russia, China, and their allies invaded from the North. 

The invasion splits Brad Stone's family apart. His wife, Youngmi, is captured and exploited by Alaska's new Communist warlord. Brad and his sons narrowly avoid massacre and retreat into the icy wilderness albeit in separate directions. Brad, a former Marine, finds himself thrust to the front as the warrior they call “Ice Hammer” – a leader, a legend, and the most wanted man in occupied Alaska. 

Brad, Youngmi, and their sons Ben and Ian must find their way through the horrors of war. They may not live to see victory, but they will not live as slaves. They have already learned a brutal truth: 

The age of peace has ended. The age of the Ice Hammer has begun.

ISBN/ASIN: B01NAJRXFE
Book Format(s): Audiobook, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 340

Free Fire Zone, by Dennis Maulsby

MWSA Review
Sometimes we are compelled to fight evil. To do so we must become evil at times. This novel is about the risk of becoming that which you confront.

Free Fire Zone by Dennis Maulsby is a complex novel. It is a combination thriller, literary fiction and science fiction.  The novel speaks to the pain of war and the horror observed therein and the inner battle the warrior fights to resist becoming what he has to be on the battlefield.  Maulsby addresses the demons created by PTSD, but he brings his demon to life, imbuing it with personality and power beyond any description I've read before.  One does what one must in war in order to survive and support his warrior brothers.  There is heart-rending, heart-changing danger in doing that.  Maulsby tackles the topic head on, breathes life into it, even if it makes a reader uncomfortable.  This mature audience reading for sure.
Review by Mike Mullins, MWSA Reviewer
 

Author's Synopsis:
In his ecstasy of power, he is mad for battle …
Pure frenzy fills him. — Achilles in the Illiad.

Welcome to the Free Fire Zone, also known as a free kill zone. In Vietnam, it was enemy territory, all the friendlies and neutrals moved out. Anyone found in such an area was considered hostile, a legitimate target that could be killed on sight, no questions asked. Each of the sixteen stories in this book originate from this zone, any subject, any genre fair game.

Free Fire Zone is a book of linked short stories, each introduced by a poem. Arranged in chronological order, seventeen stories follow the life of Lieutenant Rod Teigler, from his combat experience in Vietnam through a civilian life plagued with a re-wired brain. A mind now shared with an alternate berserker personality struggling to become dominant.

ISBN/ASIN: 987-1-63275-082-2
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy/Sci Fi
Number of Pages: 252
 

Snowden's Story, One Marine's Indebtedness to the Corps; by Lawrence F. Snowden

MWSA Review
“Snowden’s Story” is a fascinating look at the life of a member of the "greatest generation:" Lt. General Lawrence F Snowden, USMC (retired).  The memoir begins by covering Snowden’s early years, college, and his entry into the Marine Corps.  

Explaining that he has already covered the subject “in another volume [of] an Oral History Interview,” Snowden skips over his combat experiences on the beaches of Iwo Jima, and instead covers a few memories associated with time spent recovering from his wounds from that battle.  He then moves on to a rather detailed recounting of his movement up the ranks of the USMC.  At the time of his retirement, Snowden had reached near the pinnacle to which any Marine officer can aspire: a 3-star general in contention for the top job, Commandant.

After retirement from the Marine Corps in 1975, Snowden worked several years with the Hughes Aircraft Company—where the close ties he had nurtured with Japanese military and civilian officials paid great dividends.  Snowden's connection with Japan is a recurrent theme that runs throughout the book.  At the outset, the Japanese were the enemy. Then, as the scars of that war began to heal, he started to appreciate the human side of his former adversary.  Eventually, he considered the Japanese valued friends; and he theirs.

Although Snowden explains that he wrote the book because he wanted to tell "my great, great grandchildren (strictly family) something about my life because they didn't get to see me or know me," the book has wider appeal.  Snowden's detailed accounting of his assignments during his long Marine Corps career—including almost every person with whom he worked throughout his career—makes an important contribution to USMC history.

The last several chapters are much more personal and moving.  This is especially true in the chapter entitled "The Declining Decade," which is a sometimes brutally honest look at the realities of reaching the twilight of life.  Sadly, the prediction Snowden makes at the beginning of this chapter—“God will call me home to the Big Marine Corps Base in the Sky sometime in the 2016-2020 timeframe”—proved accurate.   General Snowden passed away on February 18, 2017.

"Snowden's Story" certainly accomplishes the mission Snowden himself set out for this book: providing a record for his great, great grandchildren and beyond.  More than a personal story for his family's history, the book will also appeal to those interested in the details of a life dedicated to service.

By John Cathcart, MWSA Awards Director and Reviewer
 

Synopsis:
Lt. General Lawrence F. Snowden has experienced much over the course of his lifetime. A true Southern gentleman, General Snowden presents a humble account of his many accomplishments. At the age of 95, his mind is as sharp as a tack, his wit dry, and his demeanor humble and thankful for all he has achieved in an extraordinary life. This volume, which can serve as a companion to the oral history of General Snowden’s military career (History Division, U.S. Marine Corps, 2011), is a gift to his children, grandchildren, and future generations. It is also a tribute to his beloved Marine Corps and to all the citizens of the United States. General Snowden is the oldest surviving member of the Marines' assault on Iwo Jima during WWII. He served his country in three wars, then founded the Reunion of Honor, which continues to this day as a symbol of friendship between the American and Japanese people, honoring those who served on both sides with annual reunions at Mount Siribachi on Iwo Jima. In 2015, General Snowden was inducted into Florida's Veterans Hall of Fame in recognition of his service to his country and his advocacy for elder Floridians. In 2016, the Commandant Marine Corps presented General Snowden two awards for lifetime public service, one from the Secretary of Defense and one from the Secretary of the Navy. After retiring from his military career and a second career in international business, General Snowden moved to Tallahassee, where he continues to inspire young and old with his philosophy of honor, service, and gratitude.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0985943844
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Audiobook
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History, Memoir
Number of Pages: 262