Rigged - Book One of the Falling Empires Series by James Rosone & Miranda Watson

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Rigged, Book One of the Falling Empire Series is a fast-moving thriller that takes a look at a future where several world powers and the UN form a secret alliance to rig a presidential election in the United States. Their goal is to have a candidate of their own choosing elected, perhaps even to control. Authors James Rosone and Miranda Watson spin a frightening plot that is likely something about which several nations might actually wish they could do.  While the security services of the U.S. do a good job at catching and stopping several terrorist activities, they fail to see the big picture, and the nefarious larger goal seems unstoppable. The authors have given us a lot to think about and have done so in a book that I believe many will find enjoyable.

Review by Bob Doerr (April 2020)

Author's Synopsis

Who has real power?

The people in the shadows…
…behind the presidents of the world.
Cloaked in secrecy and loyal to their leaders, the masters of manipulation play at an entirely different level. They pull the strings and sow the seeds of division. What is their plan?
An election approaches.

The new US president will change the direction of the country. The world watches as the contenders for the White House state their cases.

Will this point in history alter the course of mankind?

The hidden plot must be discovered. The upheaval of a divided nation could bring it down. Will our heroes put the pieces together in time? Or have too many dominoes already fallen to stop this devious trap?

You’ll love this “torn from the headlines” modern day thriller because it rings true.

Get it now.

ISBN/ASIN: B07NSHGYWT
Book Format(s): Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 553

Battle of the Bulge: Brothers Behind Enemy Lines by Suzanne Agnes

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Suzanne Agnes’s The Battle of the Bulge: Brothers Behind Enemy Lines is one of the most unique tales of World War II that I have ever read. In a war involving millions of combatants and almost the entirety of Europe, how do two brothers in two different units meet up on a road in the middle of Germany?

The story is told through the words of George Zak, who was only nineteen years old when he was captured at the beginning of the famous Battle of the Bulge. He recounts his upbringing and some family history to put his Bohemian heritage into focus. He was proud of his father’s service in World War I, and was willing to do his part in World War II, which found him in Europe near the end of the war. His capture began a harrowing journey back to freedom. His brother was also a soldier in Europe, in a different unit. How these two ended up meeting on the side of the road in Germany is one of the great coincidences of the war.

I particularly enjoyed how the author used her father’s (George’s) original words to tell most of the story. This made the story more personal. This isn’t a combat memoir, but instead one person’s small view of a huge part of the end of the war, and his struggles to stay positive amid capture. The reunion with his brother is the icing on the cake of a very human story.

Those who enjoy reading unique stories about coincidences of warfare will love this story, as will those who enjoy studying the Battle of the Bulge.

Review by Rob Ballister (March 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

In 1944, George Zak, a 19-year-old U.S. Army private first class, was captured on the front line during the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and one of the deadliest battles of World War II in Europe. Forced to work as a slave laborer, George subsequently escaped from two prisoner-of-war camps.

Meanwhile, inside American-held territory, George's brother, Robert, a U.S. Army radioman, was determined to find where George might be held prisoner. Robert took his jeep and led his own personal rescue mission into enemy territory.

From the streets of a Bohemian enclave of Chicago to the forests of central Europe, these two brothers ventured to find each other. This is their story--and the story of a fast-fading generation of brave Americans who became accidental heroes in terror and under fire.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN-10: 0938075993, ISBN-13: 978-0938075998
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 156

Imminent Threat by Steve Doherty

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Steve Doherty’s Imminent Threat is an exciting military thriller, with action and technology reminiscent of Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler. It is the fourth Jonathan Preston novel in the series, which follows the exploits of a US intelligence team during and after World War II.

As the war ends, Jonathan Preston and his team of intelligence operatives learn of a rogue submarine mission launched by Japan right before the nation surrendered. Two advanced submarines are crossing the ocean to launch biological warfare on the United States, potentially killing millions after the war is already over. Preston and his team of professionals must use all their skills and call in many favors to try and stop the devastation, but will they be in time?

I was impressed with the existing World War II technology the author built upon to make this story. The two rogue submarines on the mission are explained in detail and are certainly believable. The author also does an excellent job of explaining the intelligence and counterintelligence networks necessary to make this story work.  The result is an entertaining spy/military adventure that fans of the genre will enjoy.

Fans of techno-thrillers, spy novels, and World War II should find this enjoyable.

Review by Rob Ballister (April 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

Steve Doherty is a retired United States Air Force officer and business owner. He grew up in the small community of Muldoon, Texas. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Texas State University, a master’s degree from Chapman University and completed post-graduate work at The Ohio State University. While in the Air Force Steve flew the T-29C, KC-135A, and T-43A aircraft. He currently lives in New Albany, Ohio.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-64085-560-1; 978-1-64085-561-8; 978-1-64085-562-5
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 311

The Big Buddha Bicycle Race by Terence Harkin

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

It's 1970, years before the Vietnam War would actually end, and Brendan Leary has a problem. He wants to live in California and go to film grad school, but he's snagged by the draft. Because he has a film background, the Air Force puts him in a combat film unit not in Vietnam, but in Thailand. That location and the comparatively benign Air Force assignment seem like they'd be an easy gig. But things quickly go downhill from there in Vietnam veteran Terence A. Harkin's The Big Buddha Bicycle Race.

Leary quickly gets used to the laid-back Thai vibe, in large measure because film pals from his former stateside unit have also been assigned to the Thailand photo unit due to their vindictive first sergeant. They face terror when riding out in AC-130 Spectre gunships to film attacks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and face social challenges decompressing in the Thai bars. Growing recreational drug use doesn't deflect the eventual horrors of the shooting war that are visited upon them in their combat backwater.

The titular Big Buddha Bicycle Race was devised as an inter-squadron competition to raise bags of cash for Leary and his co-conspirators, but by the end of the novel the bike race has devolved into a bloody ambush that kills friends and foes, American airmen, and Thai civilians alike. It's how Leary and his friends live their lives along the way that brings home much of the tragedy that bleeds at the end.

This work is a brilliant companion to the most iconic depictions of life in a war zone, including Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Robert Altman's film M*A*S*H, and Barry Levinson's Good Morning, Vietnam. It depicts the sharply drawn characters, daily work drudgery, combat tragedies, political posturing, and the social upheaval of Americans in Southeast Asia in the heady days before the fall.

The Big Buddha Bicycle Race is smart, detailed, compelling, and occasionally heart-rending, and would make a completely legitimate entry in the canon as a movie.

Review by Daniel Charles Ross (April 2020) 

---

Author's Synopsis

It’s all working according to plan.  The draft might be keeping me, Brendan  Leary, from going to film school, but I’m getting to ride out the Vietnam War making training films in sunny California with pals like Tom Wheeler, a laid-back pothead, and hipster production officers like Lieutenant Moonbeam Liscomb, a charismatic Air Force Academy boxing champ turned vegetarian Zen Buddhist.  When Wheeler and I impulsively join local coeds protesting Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia, First Sergeant Link summarily ships us off to the Rat Pack, a photo outfit stuck at obscure Ubon Air Base on the Thai-Laotian frontier. Danielle, an artist I met at a candlelight peace march, promises to wait for me even though she’s already lost a husband in Vietnam.   

Too quickly, I adapt to an air-conditioned editorial trailer and nights off base filled with drugs, rock ‘n’ roll and a growing interest in an exotic masseuse named Tukadah.  Playing drums in a blues band with a Spectre door gunner named Harley Baker, I fiddle while Laos burns and my commitment to Danielle begins to dim. Ubon might be in the middle of an air war that rages all over Southeast Asia, but my motley mates are determined to keep our heads down—until Liscomb, now a radical black nationalist, shows up and talks us into one more peace march.  

Moonbeam is arrested and I am reassigned—thanks again to Sergeant Link.  The Rat Pack needs cameramen: Liscomb and I are soon flying nightmarish nighttime combat over the Ho Chi Minh Trail with hard-nosed Baker flying along as my guardian angel.  When it’s rumored that Nixon and Kissinger are headed for China to meet Chairman Mao, we figure the war must be winding down. I dream up a bicycle race to the Big Buddha monastery as a wholesome distraction for Ubon’s airmen—and a way for me and my buddies to make a quick buck.  We get the brass on board by promising ambitious officers a last chance to put some feathers in their caps before a screwed-up war grinds to a halt. At Big Buddha I’m surprised to learn that two Americans—a former Peace Corps volunteer and an ex-USAF forward air control pilot—now live as monks at a wat on the other side of Ubon.

The band breaks up and I begin teaching night school to a class that includes the demure Miss Pawnsiri and Tukadah’s half-brother, Sergeant Prasert.  Discovering Tukadah is engaged to one airman, married to another stationed in Korea, and nursing a heroin habit doesn’t deter me from figuring I’m the guy who can straighten her out.  When Tukadah’s husband flees with her young daughter, however, she’s devastated and disappears. I try to commiserate with her brother, buying him a drink at a club filled with GIs and Thai bar girls.  Prasert disappears, and my old friend Wheeler insists the sergeant is part of the terrorist group that tried to assassinate the governor of Ubon province.  

I blame Wheeler’s paranoia on too much ganja.  With the race snowballing, Liscomb and I are made lead cameramen on the official documentary, an assignment that reminds us why we love making movies.  The start of the Big Buddha Bicycle Race is glorious—a thousand entrants from every unit on the base mean tens of thousands of dollars for the Syndicate.  Across the river, Tukadah has nearly OD’d while spending the night at Papa-sahn’s opium den. She survives, dragging herself away to find me and stop her brother, but she‘s too late.  The race ends in a bloody ambush led by Prasert, catching me and Tukadah in a crossfire. Liscomb, who has been filming from a Jolly Green, braves a hail of bullets to rescue us, only to have Tukadah die in my arms.  Lying in my hospital bed, I can hear Baker’s unit taking off, plane after plane. One of their gunners has been killed and he will be avenged.

ISBN/ASIN: Paperback 978-0-8040-1200-3, Hardcover 978-0-8040-1199-0, Electronic 978-0-8040-4090-7
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 400

render by W. Joseph O'Connell

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

The story of war is not new. The story of PTSD is not new. In this story, it is the treatment that is new.

The first three quarters of the story enfolds around Iraq and the tanker unit whose mission it is to sniff out IEDs. The language is crisp, full of military detail about the dry, dusty life in a foreign land full of insurgents trying to destroy American forces. The primary setting involves the blasting heat of the desert and cramped tent camps, with forays into enemy territory where some of the locals are friendlies. In the fourth quarter of the story, we see what happens to those who survived and went back home. The language shifts into a beautiful prose that allows us to see more of the internal workings of the characters. The setting moves into a lush scenario of rivers, trees, farms, and stimulating cityscapes. Here, we begin to experience PTSD with bits of hope strewn in.

The title of the story is render. The definition of render is to provide or give a service or to cause to be or become. This becomes meaningful when the story is finished. When finished with the book, it might seem to be another PTSD story. But the story lingers and haunts us. Questions come up. Why is the story titled render? Why were our soldiers in Iraq? What kind of person becomes a soldier? Who are the bad guys? How does one get PTSD? Slowly we see how the story is about how the military, or a country, can ask a person to give a service and then, render that person into something different. Then, we aren’t sure any more what is right and wrong. The story does not feature the happy ending we want, but an ending we come to understand.
The characters are described more than developed. We don’t get to deeply know the characters while they are in Iraq. We only get to know them as their character relates to the military. We learn a little more when the characters return home. We can never truly say we know the characters, but in accordance with the theme of render, we understand how they came to be. It’s an enduring and universal story that I will remember for a long time.

Review by Gail Summers (June 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

 The Surge ramped up as summer crawled along, one grueling day at a time. Criminal activity remained high in Baghdad despite efforts by American commanders to provide steadfast coverage over their assigned areas. IED attacks had become the enemy’s standard procedure in the aftermath of the catastrophic hit against Baja Company. Day by day, junior officers received their orders, briefed their soldiers, and embarked on mounted and dismounted patrols in search of the enemy. Daytime temperatures soared, and the Americans became entrenched in a battle of wills against their adversaries as well as the unrelenting heat. With an IED seemingly on every street in Baghdad, it's a battle of attrition between the Army and an invisible enemy as they both vie for control of Iraq's capital city.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1657295674, 1657295672
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 208

Going Home by Carole Brungar

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

It was 1967, and the war in Vietnam was heating up. Joe was an American Army lieutenant, trained to fly the helicopters known as Hueys. This was his second tour of duty in Vietnam, and he was enjoying the experience. Some flights were simply supply runs, but others brought an adrenalin rush as the chopper entered a war zone, ducked through the tracers to land at the site of a crash, and lifted the wounded to safety. Flying was what Joe did best, and he knew that what he did was often a matter of life and death.

Ronnie was a nurse from New Zealand, somewhat disillusioned by the mundane chores of emptying bedpans and spooning soup that marked her hours on duty at her local hospital. She was disappointed and embarrassed after discovering her rather ordinary boyfriend was also a cheater. She needed a change of scenery, and the chance to work in a Vietnamese hospital treating the civilian casualties of war seemed a more worthy use of her time. Ronnie volunteered for a year’s tour and headed off to Vietnam, determined to throw herself into work that would allow her to use all her medical training.

Neither Joe nor Ronnie had any interest in finding love in Vietnam. Their lives were full enough as they made new friends and adapted to the intense heat and culture shock of a strange country. They both enjoyed the regular “Hail and Farewell” parties that celebrated their colleagues who were moving into or out of their assignments. Evenings in a club-like atmosphere might lead to a heartfelt conversation, a slow dance, or a gentle kiss, but no one expected more than that. A war zone was no place for a romance. No one wanted it. No one expected it. They lived a day at a time, dealing with traumatic experiences at every turn. They knew that tomorrow was never promised, and they were content with that.

The story of Joe and Ronnie unfolds gradually, like the slow upward crawl at the beginning of a rollercoaster ride. The view from the top is lovely; their friendship blossoms. And then they plunge into a headlong crisis, a twisting, terror-filled series of events that change their lives forever. The conclusion will leave many readers in tears but wanting more.

Review by Carolyn Schriber (May 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

You don’t choose a time and place to fall in love. Fate always chooses for you.

When Ronnie McIlroy volunteers to spend twelve months nursing in a South Vietnamese hospital, she’s ill-prepared for a poverty-stricken country at war. Neither weak nor faint-hearted, she’s way out of her comfort zone.

American pilot, Joseph Hunter Jr, is on his second tour of duty. With an outstanding flying record and a cool head, he’ll take an Iroquois anywhere he’s needed. When he meets an attractive young New Zealand nurse at the officer’s club, he knows the odds are stacked against a relationship.

With the war between the North and South escalating, hundreds of lives are being lost every day. As Ronnie and Joe navigate the constant dangers of living and working in a war zone, it’s clear fate has decided their time and place to fall in love is now. 

But will one naïve act of compassion destroy any chance of a life together? Will either of them leave Vietnam alive?

From the author of The Nam Legacy and The Nam Shadow, Going Home takes us back to the sixties, to a propaganda fuelled war, a determined enemy and a fragile hope for survival. 

Going Home is Ronnie's story.

ISBN: 9780473503932
ASIN: B082WVYHST
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 370

Angie's War by Gary DeRigne

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Even as our world changes, so many things stay the same. Today’s soldiers from the Iraq and Afghan wars are dealing with the same struggles as those who made it back from Vietnam. Post-traumatic stress, nightmares, and relationship troubles plague both generations. And the effects reach beyond the foreign battlefields.

Angie is unfortunate to have to wait on her son’s return from Afghanistan as she did so many years ago on her husband’s return from Vietnam. The endless waiting—desperate for, but also fearful of, information about loved ones serving their country.

Told from various points of view, the descriptions are vivid enough to make those who have not seen combat grateful to those who have fought for our freedom. For those who have struggled with these same situations, Gary DeRigne lets you know you aren’t alone. Writing as a combat veteran, DeRigne tells the story so many try to avoid—war has a price. Through power imagery and poignant characterization, Angie’s War paints the all-too-familiar picture of a nation locked in violent combat, and how it affects the individual at home and abroad.

Veterans find solace in reconnecting and talking with others who have been through what they have experienced. A different war but similar experiences draw these soldiers together to find community and, eventually, healing.

Review by Dawn Brotherton (March 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

Angie's War is the story of Mick Delaney, a young American soldier fighting in Vietnam, his best friend Tony Giles, who fights alongside him, and Tony's wife Angie, who waits and worries at home through his year-long deployment. One day Tony receives a letter from Angie that distracts him from the razor-sharp concentration he needs to do his job as an infantry point man...  and the world is changed for the three of them, and everyone they touch, forever.

In Angie's War, author Gary DeRigne tells a gripping tale of love and loss, fear and courage, desperation and hope, that begins in the jungles of Vietnam and extends through the battlefields of Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.  All the while, through generation after generation, loved ones at home wait, and worry, and pray, in an America that has become callous to the human cost of war.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-947309-78-4, B07SYBSV81
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 383

The Road to Publishing by Dawn Brotherton

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

A spare little tome, A Guide to Publishing is nonetheless a reliable and useful tool for authors first striking out down the road of trying to get a book published. It doesn't supply a step-by-step format or specific worksheets to either self-publishing or traditional publishing, but it is a helpful book to scour to understand the overall process and how one might decide on a path to follow. There are some valuable individual hints (such as how to search out agents that might be appropriate for you to pitch), and the book is written in a friendly, breezy style that is easy to digest. It is certainly packed with more than enough really good material to get an author started with the "What do I do next?" quandary once a book manuscript is completed. The author also points to some excellent specific resources and organizations that can be valuable to a novice author. If I were looking for this sort of guidance it is definitely a book I would want to read first.

Review by Phil Keith (March 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

It’s a long, twisting road to publishing—don’t let anyone tell you differently. There’s no one path, and the results are as varied as the methods to get there. Before you make a decision affecting your life, you owe it to yourself to do some homework. The Road to Publishing describes options available to you from self- to traditional publishing, providing helpful hints along the way. Through exercises and thought-provoking questions, the path will become clearer. Grab your notebook and let’s get started.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-939696-44-1 (paperback), 978-1-939696-45-8 (eBook)
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business
Number of Pages: 150

The Obsession by Dawn Brotherton

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Someone is making calls in the dead of night to Jackie’s phone, but not speaking. Someone is writing her poems, with no signature. Someone is opening doors and moving objects around in the house while she is gone, but nothing stolen, and there’s no sign of a break-in. Dawn Brotherton’s The Obsession will keep you guessing the stalker’s identity, and your supposition will probably be wrong.

Jackie Austin’s life was going reasonably well. She finished up her missile training and was assigned her first duty station at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Her only regret was that her boyfriend was assigned elsewhere, and the long-distance romance was not working out. Against her domineering father’s wishes, she purchased her first house—one hundred years old, with repairs to match its age. Between the renovation projects and her job as a missile officer, she does not need this additional stress. Against this backdrop, there have been several violent murders across the state, and the local police departments have no clues in these cases.

Out of the blue, Jackie is given a one-year assignment to Osan Air Base in Korea as an A-10 squadron section commander. Considering all that had happened in Missouri, she welcomes the break. Life with fighter pilots proved to be an adventure with some rewarding outcomes.  

A follow-on assignment to Langley Air Force Base has her bumping into old acquaintances from Whiteman and making new friends.  Then the calls begin again.  Jackie knows she must confront the tormentor once and for all—if she can figure out who it is.

The Obsession is a fast-moving read with some rather interesting twists and turns.

Review by Sandi Cathcart (March 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

When the phone calls began in the dead of the night, Jackie chalked them up to a prank caller. She'd had her share of harassment during Air Force missile training, but she had rolled with it. Now when she noticed changes around her house she hadn’t made and unsigned love letters began arriving, she knew she needed to worry. Was she paranoid, going crazy, or were the guys at work not getting the message that she wasn’t interested?

In the neighboring town of Sedalia, a more ominous situation was stirring. The unexplained death of yet another young, single woman had the police on alert. Same MO, different small town. It was only a matter of time before the killer found his next victim.

ISBN/ASIN: B004J8HTH6
ISBN: 978-1-939696-93-9 , 978-1-939696-33-5, 978-1-939696-15-1
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook, Audiobook
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 284

Force No One by Daniel Ross

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Daniel Charles Ross kicks off a brand new techno-thriller series with Force No One, Book 1 in the Storm Cell series, and he does it in style.

A Muslim agent from the Department of Homeland Security is mysteriously murdered, and FBI Agent Amber “Corvette” Watson and her Detroit Homicide task force partner, Detective Sgt. Tracey Lexcellent (love that name) are on the case.

At the same time, a disgraced Special Forces operator offers his services to rescue a Chinese general’s daughter, in exchange for help in retrieving 100 million dollars that the ex-Ranger may or may not have stashed in the desert. And just in case that wasn’t enough excitement, someone is planning upon blowing up the opening game of the World Series where the Detroit Tigers finally have home-field advantage.

Yeah, there’s a lot going on.

Ross does a masterful job of building likable heroes who blend patriotism with humor and are generally just badass. Those characters operate inside a story filled with plenty of military hardware and other cool toys. Start to finish, it was a great read that comes to a thrilling finish.

Fans of Jeff Edwards, Tom Clancy, or Dale Brown will gravitate towards Ross’s work, and will find it thoroughly enjoyable.

Review by Rob Ballister (April 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

A homicide in Detroit usually doesn't raise many eyebrows, but a victim is found with a business card from a Department of Homeland Security enforcement cell no one's ever heard of. FBI Special Agent Amber "Corvette" Watson and Detroit Police homicide detective Sgt. Tracey Lexcellent catch the case.

With a disgraced U.S. Army Ranger who can forget nothing and a black-budget CIA team in tow, they must solve the murder before terrorists can parachute into open-air Comerica Park during the opening ceremonies of the World Series and kill thousands on live television.

People are going to die. Everyone hopes they are the bad guys.

ISBN/ASIN: B07HMGYY6Q
ISBN-10: 1521737959, ISBN-13: 978-1521737958
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 400

A Blessed Life - One World War II Seabee's Story by Tamra McAnally Bolton

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

A Blessed Life begins as a memoir of a fighting Seabee. It changes course almost imperceptibly, and not merely into a story about fighting to survive on Iwo Jima. Stuart McAnally's journey, as told to his daughter, zeroes in on the claustrophobic vulnerability of war. Except for the patch of ground one fights for and clears, the Seabee has no idea how life is going outside his foxhole. Not that it would matter, as Tamra McAnally Bolton's biography of her father makes abundantly clear. Seabees, Marines, and Navy frogmen converged on the Japanese island in the South Pacific Theater. Before playing their parts in World War II, the buildup to the final act is interlaced with adventures of danger, fear and, quite often, questionable decision-making.

A memoir resulting from 34 recorded interviews and six years of work by the author, it is head and shoulders above being a love letter for a war veteran's service to his country. It shares with the reader so many of the moments that illuminate our own mortality, such as boarding a ship in California and watching the coastline fade away as transport across the ocean gets under way. There are more than a few memories that are downright hilarious, such as a buddy with a reputation for helping himself to boats and cars that didn't belong to him, during a time when people were more likely to leave their vehicles unattended with the keys in them than they are today.

Like the war memoir itself, there's no quest for forgiveness or attempt to make sense of the madness. It's a straightforward telling of what happened and who did what. A Blessed Life is crafted in a way that left the impression the author has a great respect for its subject and the reader. In addition to describing the war experience, it chronicles many of the interview sessions that went into creating the book. When Stuart McAnally comes home and one begins to wonder what became of his life, the reader comes to realize the author has been telling that story all the while.

 Review by W. Joseph O'Connell (February 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

A Blessed Life - One World War II Seabee's story is the true account of Stuart McAnally, a 96 year-old veteran. McAnally tells the little known history of his C Company, 31st Construction Battalion, and their heroic acts during the early days of the Battle of Iwo Jima. It also describes his journey from a peaceful farming community through combat training, the battle, and ultimately serving with the Occupational Forces in Japan. Told by his daughter, the veteran's stories are woven into conversations between the generations along with the sharing of his childhood days during the Great Depression. This first-hand account gives you an up-close look at the day-to-day experiences of the Greatest Generation, both in war-time and peace.

ISBN/ASIN: 9781734344547, BO82DLR4WR
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 210

A Look Back in Time: Memoir of a Military Kid in The 50s, Vol. II by Bernard N Lee Jr; Michele Barard (Editor); TeMika Groom (Illustrator)

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

A Look Back in Time is a profoundly personal glimpse into the adolescence of Bernard N. Lee, Jr. The memoir relates events as a military brat in the 1950s, specifically on the family’s first overseas tour in Ansbach, Germany. The author records his fears of being the “new kid” again, the wonder of the German landscape and people, the challenge of learning a new language, and the ups and downs of beginning high school. The friends he makes there have become lifelong ones—their shared experiences embedded in his mind.

 Lee touches on the racial unrest within the military during this time and weaves it into the book very successfully. He confides to the reader his teenage insecurities. He reveals his family to us—a father, a no-nonsense career soldier; a sweet mother who encourages her children to excel; and three younger siblings who look up to him. The author brings this family to life while also acknowledging the stresses that all military families endure.

 Lee’s memoir is a treasure for generations of his family and an entertaining read for those with similar experiences. Many of the emotions of the young man portrayed in the book are timeless and still felt by military brats even today. Although a few editing errors detract slightly, A Look Back in Time is indeed a heartwarming portrayal of military life.

Review by Sandi Cathcart (April 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

A Look Back in Time: Memoir of a Military Kid in the 50s, Vol. II is a fascinating, insightful, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious, chronicle of life while growing up in a military family. Readers will enjoy the stories of life in the fifties, told from a child’s perspective. Through the stories, readers learn the virtues of tolerance, fairness, perseverance, resilience, and other life serving qualities needed for survival in today’s world. These qualities are timeless. Readers, young and old, will recognize these virtues, and themselves, inside the stories.

A Look Back in Time… finds our military kid living in Deutschland, while attending an American middle school and high school. His adventures, with the German and American young adults, are rich in history, suspense, and surprises. You will enjoy the stories of this well-traveled, military kid as he navigates his early teen years in Germany during the fifties.

ISBN: 0-9995576-0-2, ISBN-13: 978-0-9995576-0-0, ISBN: 0-9995576-1-0, ISBN-13: 978-0-9995576-1-7
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 280

Navajo Strong by Joyce Phillips

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Navajo Strong is a short book, a quick read with a long-lasting emotional impact. Its single plot line details the coming together of three women related by blood ties but separated by time and distance, by misunderstandings and clashing cultures. We know their names, but the author follows Navaho traditions by referring to them primarily as they see themselves—Grandmother, Mother, Daughter.

Each of these women has a lesson to teach us. Grandmother has faced the greatest challenges but found a way to surmount them. Her openness to learning about new cultures and exploring far-off lands makes her a delight. Mother struggles with long-held assumptions, contradicted by new revelations. And Daughter, a sparkling 13-year-old, stands in the doorway to the future, encouraging the reader to look ahead to the benefits of the modern world while giving full recognition to the treasures of the past.

I enjoyed this work, seeing it as almost a parable. I read it quickly, taking some delight in the author’s ability to catch the linguistic phrasings of characters whose first language was Navajo or Chinese. The differences between cultures revealed their underlying similarities and gave me hope for the future.  

Review by Carolyn Schriber (March 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

I have always loved reading, and now I say I learned to write from the greats. I began my writing career three years ago at age 77 with a memoir for my family. An interest in my backpacking trip to China resulted in my first fiction story, China Strong. A story of a retired school teacher traveling in China. A year later, my volunteer time in New Mexico, brought about Navajo Strong.

Navajo Strong is a fiction story of three women, and the connection between a grandmother and her Navajo granddaughter. The story of a daughter discovering her mother, and the Navajo man who brought them together.

ISBN/ASIN: soft cover: 9781095190371. B07RY5QFGL
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction
Number of Pages: 210

Frozen Tears: The Fort Leonard Wood MP Murders by J. B. King and Sandra Miller Linhart

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review
A book that captures one of the most terrible crimes ever at Fort Leonard Wood. A true story that is horrid in its very nature. The author uses plenty of court legal documents and records to show the evidence and share the details of the trial. The authors leave little doubt as to what happened and as to the guilt of the killer. A historic piece of military police working to solve a crime.

The fact that the author  J.B. King was there and was a part of this investigation gives the book a hard-hitting edge to this true story. A well done book and a great read. Gripping and spellbinding account of murder and rape—and justice! 

Review by Bill McDonald (April 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

A compelling true account of the January 13, 1977, triple murder committed by an on-duty Military Police Officer on the United State Army Base of Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. Also covers the known details on two other missing teens who are suspected to be victims of this MP serial killer. The book was written by the first law enforcement officer to enter the case and contains extensive details of the cases.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-943267-70-5
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 303

Deliberate Discomfort - How U.S. Special Operations Forces Overcome Fear and Dare to Win by Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable by Jason Van Camp with Andy Symonds

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Deliberate Discomfort: How U.S. Special Operations Forces Overcome Fear and Dare to Win by Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable by Jason B.A. Van Camp with Andy Symonds is a great book for future and present leaders in business or the military world to read and absorb. Taking lessons learned from combat and training—and linking them to what is needed to make successful moves in real everyday life and in business—makes this book unique. The authors take examples from actual experiences of twelve combat veterans, which works as a wonderful teaching tool. Inspiring and also entertaining! It is well written with wit, emotion, and great storytelling, getting the fullest attention of the reader. I am giving copies of the book to my grandchildren for the life lessons it shares. This book will certainly sit in my private collection of resource books.  

Review by Bill McDonald (April 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

Deliberate Discomfort follows the journey of Jason Van Camp as a new Green Beret commander taking over a team of combat-hardened Special Forces veterans. This true story tells firsthand the intense, traumatic battles these warriors fought and won, sharing lessons learned from their incredible backgrounds. A cadre of scientists further break down each experience, translating them into digestible and relatable action items, allowing the reader to apply these lessons forged under fire to their own lives.

Deliberate Discomfort is the ultimate book on leadership and self-improvement, depicting how these warriors found a way to win under incredible odds with never-quit attitudes. The authors don't just tell you how to thrive under pressure; they show you how, in heart-racing, first-person narratives.

Read Medal of Honor recipient Leroy Petry's true account of grabbing an enemy grenade in Afghanistan, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers but losing his hand in the process. Hear what fellow Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg was thinking as he tackled a suicide bomber. Feel what Marine Joey Jones felt as he was flying through the air, weightless, after stepping on the IED that would take both his legs. And most importantly, experience what Jason learned about leadership and embracing discomfort from adversity.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1733428019
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Review Genre: How-To/Business
Number of Pages: 288

Mayhem 337: Memoir of a Combat Advisor in Afghanistan by Chad Rickard

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Mayhem 337 is the autobiography of a U.S. Army staff sergeant (retiring as a sergeant major) who presents a near diary of his nine-month experience on a deployment to Afghanistan. To say the narrative rings true is to damn it with faint praise.

“I’d like to say every mission is flawless and dumb shit never happens, but that would be a lie.” That’s the kind of raw admission that makes this work sing. There are many others.

The work isn’t so crammed with jargon or acronyms that a non-military audience would be left gasping for understanding, but it includes enough realistic description and dialogue to keep a military veteran turning the pages. But even in this hot war zone, there was downtime and reflection. “We sat by the fire, sharing the camaraderie of life in a combat zone. We sat there in various levels of camouflage pants and T-shirts with rifles and pistols draped over our bodies. I could not think of a place on Earth I would rather have been."

This story is uncompromising, full of authenticity and detail and the smell of mortar fire and even death. I recommend it strongly to military and civilian readers alike, and for the same basic reason: This is how we war.

Review by Daniel Charles Ross (February 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

By 2008 Chad Rickard was a multi-tour Iraq War veteran with hundreds of combat missions under his belt.  He was a seasoned infantryman and senior U.S. Army non-commissioned officer with a burning desire to deploy to Afghanistan and join the fight against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces bent on keeping American influence out of the Middle East.  Like many Americans, Chad felt personally stricken by the attacks on 9/11 and he yearned to take part in his Nation's retaliation for the atrocities planned within the sanctity of Afghanistan's borders. When the opportunity arose to deploy as an embedded Combat Advisor, Rickard headed to Fort Riley, Kansas to attend U.S. Army Combat Advisor School.  After months of intensive training in Afghan customs, culture, and language in addition to tactical training on the direction of close air support and artillery Rickard was dropped into a hotbed of enemy activity in Afghanistan's Khost Province. In Khost, former home to one of Osama Bin Laden's largest terror training camps, Rickard's team went toe to toe with Haqqani Taliban on numerous occasions, often leaving a staggering body count in their wake.

In Mayhem 337, author Chad Rickard powerfully recounts his experiences during nine months of intense combat deep in the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan.  Rickard's graphic account guides you through violent combat on the streets of Khost City to deadly mountain warfare, experienced from an austere combat outpost on the Pakistan border.  He vividly describes the sights and sounds of battle as well as the heartbreaking aftermath of fallen comrades. From IED laden roads to air assault missions and hostage stand-offs, Rickard's story leaves nothing to the imagination.  His riveting and deftly written memoir brings honor and recognition to the U.S. Army Combat Advisor mission that is but a footnote in modern military history.

ISBN/ASIN: B07YZRPQXH, 1543985832
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 236

One Small Spark by Jackie Minniti

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

One Small Spark invites readers into the life of a young boy living in New England during the turbulent times of the American Revolution. Author Jackie Minniti crafts a tale of interest to readers of all ages. Her historical descriptions demonstrate meticulous research and truly place readers into the scenes. She also shows her understanding of combining humor and fun into a serious story to keep young readers engaged.

The book is packed with mystery and intrigue, with interesting and well-developed characters. Readers watch the transformation of the protagonist, Benjamin Pembrooke, as he grows from sheltered boy to young man. The story shares the impacts British rule had on law-abiding colonial citizens, and in many cases, the colonists’ struggles between loyalty and independence. A helpful Afterword includes true facts about characters Minniti portrayed in the fictional book, and a glossary explains historical terms used within the text.

One Small Spark is highly recommended for young readers to provide a brief and realistic snapshot into life early in the tough and hard-earned fight for American independence. 

Review by Valerie Ormond (March 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

 It is 1769, and Boston in turmoil, but Benjamin Pembroke, the sheltered 11-year-old son of a wealthy merchant, is unaware of the growing unrest. His biggest concern is how to achieve his dream of one day joining the British army when his father expects him to become part of the family business.  

An unexpected visit from one of his father’s business associates piques the curiosity of Benjamin and his twin sister Abigail after they eavesdrop on a cryptic conversation. Benjamin becomes even more intrigued after finding a mysterious scrap of paper referring to a shadowy group calling themselves the Sons of Liberty. He becomes determined to learn more about them, and, with the help of his more adventurous sister, sets out to learn who they are and what they’re up to.

During a visit to the home of Grizzell Apthorp, a wealthy widow, Benjamin spies a strange boy he finds surprisingly compelling. When the boy arrives at Benjamin’s home the next day, Benjamin learns that he is Christopher Seider, one of Mrs. Apthorp’s servants who shares Benjamin’s dream of becoming a military hero. This begins an unlikely friendship that will change Benjamin’s future, as well as the future of the country.

A series of escalating incidents involving raids by British soldiers, led by an unscrupulous Customs agent, makes Benjamin realize why so many Bostonians are yearning to be free from the jackboot of King George. Even Benjamin’s father, a former Loyalist, begins to waver in his support for England. When Benjamin discovers Christopher’s connection to the Sons of Liberty, he decides to join forces with the patriots in their fight for freedom. This decision changes Benjamin's life - and the course of our country's history - forever.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 9781947327269, ASIN: B07J4T4Z6K
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Chapter Book
Number of Pages: 196

Hal Moore: A Life in Pictures by Mike Guardia

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

Author's Synopsis

 The definitive photographic biography of Harold G. Moore – illustrated with more than 300 Color and B&W photographs.

From his baptism by fire in the Korean War to his iconic leadership at the Battle of Ia Drang, Hal Moore remains one of the greatest battlefield commanders of the 20th Century. Famously portrayed by Mel Gibson in the film We Were Soldiers, Hal Moore’s innovative leadership – and the bravery of his troopers – have become the stuff of legend. Step into the world of Hal Moore with this pictorial keepsake, illustrated throughout with more than 300 photographs, many of them never-before-published. This informative, photographic narrative will take the reader through Moore’s childhood in rural Kentucky, his tenure at West Point during World War II, his service in Occupied Japan, his life-and-death struggles during the Korean War, his decisive leadership in the jungles of Southeast Asia, and the loving family he built with his wife, Julie.

ISBN/ASIN: B07KPX3LKQ, 978-0999644317, 978-0999644324
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Artistic—Pictorial/Coffee Table
Number of Pages: 192

Crusader: General Donn Starry and the Army of His Times by Mike Guardia

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

Crusader: General Donn Starry and the Army of His Times by Mike Guardia captures the fighting spirit and evolving ideas which put Starry at the forefront of developing military doctrine post-Vietnam. Relying heavily on quotes taken directly from Starry's own writing as well as interviews with colleagues and family, his story unfolds from childhood through a successful military career and into retirement. Even as a young man, Starry showed the traits which brought him to the pinnacle of success in the U.S. Army. The author reveals traits such as persistence by showing Starry getting himself into West Point despite being appointed to the Naval Academy, and his many attempts to become a pilot. Other traits are handled in similar ways, making this both a good biography and a good manual of character. Starry faced many challenges personally and professionally, and Crusader effectively shows his development.

Crusader also allows the reader to see into both the military man and the circumstances which helped create him. The book shines when showing us how he was able to change the culture of the modern army for individual soldiers, such as his work in Germany overhauling failing units by insisting that all officers master soldiering skills, or insisting that living quarters be rehabbed to decent levels. He missed active battle during World War II and Korea, but extensive experience with maintaining readiness in tank units in Germany during the Cold War era and tank warfare in Vietnam helped form his ideas on modern warfare. 

Starry was one of the most respected participants in the Vietnam War, "leading from the front" as commander of 11th Armored Cavalry during the invasion of Cambodia. After Vietnam, his career continued, with appointments which added further breadth and depth to his ideas and leadership. Once Starry moved into the highest officer ranks, his intelligence and broad thinking were put to work. Inheriting leadership of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in 1977, Starry drove the evolution of the AirLand Battle doctrine to replace Active Defense. He saw the difficulties and limitations of doctrines however, and encouraged continuous improvement rather than rigid adherence. A controversial graduation speech at West Point included as an appendix, wherein he questioned West Point's relevance to the Army itself, further shows his relentless quest for better ways for both military organizations and soldiers to protect and serve our country. 

Crusader should be of interest both as military history and as biography. Starry's career as a student, soldier, and top leader is of interest to military readers. But the book also shows the character traits which allowed Starry to succeed in his various endeavors, and would be a fine biography for young people to read.

Review by Barb Evenson (May 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

 Although he missed combat in World War II and Korea, Donn Starry became one of the most influential commanders of the Vietnam War, and after Vietnam was one of the “intellectual giants” who reshaped the US Army and its doctrines. Throughout his career he worked to improve training, leadership and conditions for the men who served under him.

Starry was a leading advocate for tank warfare in Vietnam and his recommendations helped shape the contours for American armor in Southeast Asia—and paved the way for his success as commander of 11th Armored Cavalry during the invasion of Cambodia. When commander of Fort Knox and the Armor Center and School in the 1970s, Starry redeveloped armor tactics and doctrine and improved training. In his 16 months as commander of V Corps, he thoroughly tested the doctrine of “Active Defense,” then used his observations to create a new doctrine "AirLand Battle," which paved the way for overwhelming victory in the Gulf War. Like most battlefield commanders from the Vietnam era, Starry’s legacy is often overshadowed by the controversy of the war itself and the turmoil of the immediate postwar Army. However, with the invasion of Cambodia and the development of AirLand Battle, it is hard to imagine anyone who has had a greater impact on modern maneuver warfare. In this new biography of General Donn Starry, armor officer Mike Guardia examines the life and work of this pioneering, crusading officer using extracts from interviews with veterans and family, and from Starry’s personal papers.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1612005447, B07FNB16TP
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 224

The Pound: Devil Dogs War in Nicaragua by David Brown

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review

The Pound, Devil Dogs' War in Nicaragua, by LtCol David Brown is a highly researched book that tells an interesting story about the Marines in Nicaragua from 1928 to 1933. Based on actual events and with real people as characters, the book takes a close look at the life and combat experiences of the Marines. Their mission—that of nation-building: trying to quell rebel activity and allow Nicaragua to effectively evolve into a functioning democracy—faced difficulties caused by the terrain, the weather, and even an earthquake.

The Pound is the Marines' main restaurant/bar where most gathered when they weren't off in the field chasing the rebels. Brown includes dozens of photographs in his book taken from official Marines' historical records. These photographs depict the Marines who were there at the time, as well as relevant Nicaraguans, pictures of the country, and even original maps used by the Marines. I recommend this book to anyone interested in military history and especially someone who likes reading about the history of the Marines.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2020)

---

Author's Synopsis

I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps. During my 22-years of active duty, my two tours in Vietnam were remarkably memorable as I was both an advisor and rifle company commander during the 1967-1969 height of the war. Awarded Silver Star Medal. I also instructed economics at the U.S. Naval Academy and headed the Marine Corps Procurement Budget. Upon retirement, I consulted to the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy. Afterwards, I was the Executive Director of the Second Marine Division Association and Chairman of the Board for the Carolina Museum of the Marine. I enjoy writing and have published over 15 articles in the Marine Corps Gazette and Amphibious Warfare Review. I authored books on training, automated information systems, and logistics. My first novel, Battlelines, is an historical fiction written about the gallant men of Fox Company, 2d Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment during their five-year deployment to Vietnam. My second novel, Bandits Below, is about the birth of the Marine Corps’ Air-Ground Team in Nicaragua during the late 1920s. My third novel, The Pound: Devil Dogs War in Nicaragua, was published in 2019. The fourth novel will tell the story of the tragic Beirut bombing in 1983. It will be published in the fall of 2020. I hold an MBA from George Washington University and a BA from Denison University.

ISBN/ASIN: ISBN 978-1-68456-268-8, ISBN 978-1-68456-269-5
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 376