The China Factor by Timothy Trainer

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

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

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 324

Word Count: 112,000

Sparks in the Ether; A True Story About a Pioneer Radioman by

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Navigate the rough seas of the 20th century with George Street, one of a handful of men who spread across the globe, connecting communities to the worldwide wireless telegraphy network. He encountered the Lindberghs and FDR, witnessed an assassination attempt on the Emperor of Japan, scooped the Manchurian Incident, and became ravaged by polio. Faced with financial ruin, foreign doctors, and immobility, he married his Russian mistress. Then, his family betrayed him.

Sparks in the Ether is the prequel to the award-winning book Pearl Harbor's Final Warning; A Man, A Message, and Paradise Lost.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Creative Nonfiction

Number of Pages: 283

Word Count: 62,254

When Tough Cookies Crumble: A True Story of Friendship, Murder, and Healing by Eva Nevarez St. John

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Janice Starr and Eva Booker were young Army soldiers in Korea in the late 1970s. As women in the military, they found themselves on the front lines of the women’s liberation movement, pushing the boundaries of what women could do in their professional and personal lives. After leaving active duty, they relocated to the Washington, D.C. area together, where the challenges they faced included continuing their military careers in the Army Reserves, navigating jobs, school, interracial dating, and a playgirl lifestyle. Their bond was often tested but never broken.

Three months after Janice moved to southern Virginia on her own in the summer of 1981, she disappeared without a trace. Eva knew Janice had been murdered by a fellow soldier who was a psychopath. The only one who believed her was Detective Kay Lewis, who had her own challenges as a pioneering woman in law enforcement. Together these tough cookies would not stop until they found Janice. After Janice’s murder, Eva also fell into a trap set by a sociopath.

The final chapters tell the story of how Eva came to write this book forty years after Janice’s murder. The process proved to be a healing journey for Eva, Kay, and Janice’s family.

Each chapter begins with one or more relevant photographs.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 284

Word Count: 74,960

Brothers Bound by Bruce K. Berger

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

How much can the human spirit endure? Buck, a Caucasian teacher, and Hues, a multiracial street preacher, form an unlikely friendship after meeting in a bar fight near their Army training base in 1969. When their helicopter crashes later in Vietnam, they’re captured by Viet Cong soldiers, and marched to a brutal prison camp.

Each day begins with the ominous question: how can they survive another day? They discover the gift of good memories and find great hope in Hues’s incredible life spirit which lights their darkest days.

Fourteen months after their capture, Hues damages his ankle so severely he can’t walk. With death closer than ever, they escape and begin a harrowing journey through dense jungle filled with predators. Buck vows to carry Hues every step until they reach safety, but can they possibly make it? Their brotherly love drives them onward.

Format(s) for review: Paper & Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 256

Word Count: 83,000

Helicopter Training at Fort Wolters: Mineral Wells and the Vietnam War by Wes J. Sheffield

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Originally a World War II infantry training center, followed by a brief stint as a US Air Force base, Camp Wolters was redesignated a US Army installation in July 1956, and its primary mission was to train helicopter pilots.

Mineral Wells offered an ideal climate and terrain for flight training with predominately clear skies, rolling open ranch land, high bluffs, and the Brazos River valley. An integral part of Mineral Wells’ economy, the flight school expanded in the 1960s due to escalation of the Vietnam War. During the war, with the exception of the US Navy, all helicopter pilots receiving primary flight training passed through Fort Wolters. During its 17 years of operation, over 40,000 pilots were trained, which included international students from 33 countries. The last Fort Wolters pilots graduated in 1973, and it was formally closed in 1975 and was converted into an industrial center.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Artistic—Pictorial/Coffee Table

Number of Pages: 128

Word Count: 16,914

Desert Tough by Katie Bonecutter

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MWSA Review
 Diego Martinez is an eleven-year-old military child. Every few years he moves with his family to a new base somewhere in the world because of his Marine father’s assignments. In Desert Tough, author Katie Bonecutter gives the reader a peek into Diego’s life at Twentynine Palms Marine base in Southern California. It is a desert location, quite different from other places where the family has lived.

Diego has grown adept at being the new boy in class. Many of the kids in his middle school are also military children, and they know how it feels to be the new student. On the first day of school, one of these boys, Dante, befriends Diego; they become fast friends. They run together, explore the desert after school and on weekends, and play endless games with Diego’s best non-human friend—his Belgian Malinois dog, Radar. Radar flunked out of the canine police training academy, yet he is a loyal, loving, protective, and intelligent pet.

Nathan, a neighborhood toddler, exercises a penchant for taking unauthorized walkabouts around the neighborhood, much to the chagrin of his mother, whose husband is deployed overseas. Nathan has fallen in love with Radar, Dante, and Diego, as well as with Diego’s younger sister, Lily. Despite the age difference, the children include Nathan in many activities.

Diego loves science and nature. He hung on every word a ranger said at a school assembly about the beauty of the desert and its dangers. Diego takes the ranger’s word as gospel and learns how to equip himself for desert adventures. When something unthinkable happens, Diego, his friends, and Radar must apply all their skills to save a life.

Desert Tough highlights how adaptive a military child can be, and how close a military family is to its members and other military families. This novel provides middle-grade adventure, solid friendships, and a remarkable dog.

Children around the same age as Diego will find this story engaging and informative, as will their parents.

Review by Pat Walkow (January 2025)

Author's Synopsis

 Imagine starting over as the new kid every one-to-three years. Eleven-year-old Diego Martinez, son of a US Marine, doesn’t have to imagine this reality; he lives it. His dad has recently been transferred to a remote Marine base near the small city of Twentynine Palms, California and the Joshua Tree National Park. In Desert Tough, Diego endeavors to find his new sense of normal—sorting out a new base and a new school—all while trying to make friends and to navigate the unforgiving natural environment of the high desert. Diego faces the hardships of this transition as he always does, with courage and grit. The friendships he makes are forged from the shared experience of life as a military kid and highlight the toughness gleaned from their lives of transitions and unique challenges. Understandably, then, when a local boy goes missing in the desert, Diego and his friends step forward to help search for him. Aided by Diego’s dog, Radar, they come together to successfully rescue the missing boy.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Middle Grade Chapter Book

Number of Pages: 144

Word Count: 27,900

Home is Where the Murder Is by Rosalie Spielman

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MWSA Review

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

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

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

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

Review by Sandi Cathcart (January 2025)

Author's Synopsis

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

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

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

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

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 257

Word Count: 73,500

Running Towards Gunfire: Courage and Brotherhood in Ramadi by Jason Angell

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

In August 2005, a four-man team from the United States Marine Corps’ 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) found themselves smack in the middle of the deadliest city on earth, Ramadi, Iraq. For the next seven months, they fought street by street against an insurgency that only grew more deadly.

They would eventually join up with snipers from the US Army’s famed 1-506th to form Task Force Dark Eagle. Casting aside interservice rivalries, road bound gun trucks, and conventional operations, these marines and soldiers became the ones hiding in the shadows, hunting insurgents from their own homes.

Running Towards Gunfire is a gritty, no-holds-barred first-person account of the realities of modern urban combat, bringing the reader onto the streets of Ramadi and into the minds of combat marines as they fight for each other and their brothers-in-arms during some of the most savage fighting of the Iraq War.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 260

Word Count: 80,000

Playing Army by Nancy Stroer

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Can you really fake it till you make it? Lieutenant Minerva Mills is about to find out. 

It’s 1995 and the Army units of Fort Stewart, Georgia, are gearing up to deploy to Bosnia. But Min has no intention of going to war-torn Eastern Europe. Her father disappeared in Vietnam and—longing for some connection to him—she’s determined to go on a long-promised tour to Asia. The colonel will only release her on two conditions: she ensures the rag-tag Headquarters Company is ready for the peacekeeping mission and she gets her weight within Army regs. 

Min only has one summer to kick everyone’s butts into shape, but the harder she plays Army, the more the soldiers—and her body—rebel. If she can’t even get the other women on her side, much less lose those eight lousy pounds, she’ll never have another chance to stand where her father once stood in Vietnam. The colonel may sweep her along to Bosnia or throw her out of the Army altogether. Or Min may be forced to conclude that no amount of faking it will ever be enough to make it, and as was true for her father, that the Army is an impossible space for her to occupy.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction

Number of Pages: 292

Word Count: 92,000

An Absence of Faith: A Tale of Afghanistan by Craig Trebilcock

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

An Absence of Faith: A Tale of Afghanistan is the story of Daniyal, a Kabul University student kidnapped into the Afghan army where he is caught up in a vast criminal conspiracy to steal Western military aid. The story takes the reader into the heart of the Afghanistan war, where Afghan soldiers are daily brutalized and their food and medicine are sold by their generals for their personal profit.. While Daniyal struggles to survive, Colonel William Trevanathan, U.S. Army, is given the mission to stop Afghan corruption to convince NATO allies not to abandon an increasingly unpopular war. Both Daniyal and Trevanathan struggle to maintain their humanity and principles amidst a conflict where your ally is your enemy and the strong prey upon the weak. An insightful view into how Afghan corruption, Western bureaucratic infighting, and a lack of accountability over billions in Western aid money paved the way for the return of the Taliban.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 392

Word Count: 112374

Sea of Red by James Bultema

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MWSA Review

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

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

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

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

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

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

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 423

Word Count: 114,381

Luke Under Fire: Caught Behind Enemy Lines by D. C. Reep and E. A. Allen

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MWSA Review

Luke Under Fire: Caught Behind Enemy Lines by D.C. Reep and E. A. Allen is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of World War I. In Michigan, seventeen-year-old Luke becomes embroiled in a fight that could lead to repercussions, but his father sends him to stay with his cousin in England until the uproar dies down. The two cousins decide to enlist shortly after war is declared and deploy to the trenches in Belgium. While the battle is raging, Luke’s company is told to hold their position. Battlefield communications being what they were, they never receive the orders to fall back. What follows is a harrowing story of Luke’s attempts to keep what’s left of his unit together, while trying to reconnect with the British army.

World War 1 seems to be a forgotten war, so this story for a young adult audience gives a good glimpse into what it was like for the combatants. The setting is well drawn, there is good emotional content for the characters, and a great use of present tense throughout to put the reader in the main character's shoes. Of note, the author deftly handles the use of swearing by the soldiers so that the reader is not inundated with F-bombs. ("He takes out his water bottle, drinks, and swears an oath that would shock even my dad.")

Review by Betsy Beard (March 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Michigan teen Luke Sawyer and his English cousin enlist in the British army to see the world. But it's 1914, and they are caught in WW1. Ordered to resist to the end and outnumbered, the teens face the advancing Germans. On the roaring battlefield, in a German prison, with a desperate escape and a race to freedom, Luke fights to save his friends and survive The Great War.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Young Adult (fiction or non-fiction)

Number of Pages: 200

Word Count: 66,422

Army Spouses: Military Families during the Global War on Terror by Morten G. Ender

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MWSA Review

Author Morten G. Ender relates the findings of a study he conducted regarding the effects service members’ deployments have on their spouses. The period for which data was collected began in 2003, continued for fifteen years, and focused specifically on Army deployments.

He explains the stages of deployment from pre-deployment, through official notification, the deployment period, and finally, the soldiers’ returning home.

The interviews with 199 spouses reveal how well (or not) spouses dealt with the absences of their soldier spouse. It touches on the Army services – formal and not-so-formal – available to spouses and families. The author makes sensible recommendations that, if embraced, could make the deployment experience easier for Army spouses and their families, especially in this age of multiple deployments.

The inclusion of a glossary of Army acronyms, ranks, and demographics of interviewees is quite helpful to the reader.

If you are interested in how Army spouses fare during deployments, this study will help you understand how the military affects them, which ones thrive or wither, and what can be done to support them. Some of the recommendations are common sense, and others are more intriguing – like spouses being more emancipated from military life, rather than being enmeshed in it.

If an Army spouse (or for that matter, a spouse of any other service person in any branch of service), is looking for an enlightening read, they should pick up this book.

Review by Patricia Walkow (February 2024)

 

Author's Synopsis

Army Spouses is distilled from nearly two hundred interviews, conducted from the 2003 invasion of Iraq on, and marshals an incredible breadth of individual experiences, range of voices, insider access, and theoretical expertise to tell the story of US Army husbands and wives and their families during wartime in this century. Army Spouses offers a contemporary study of the emotional cycle of deployment and its impact on military families in the post-9/11 world. Military spouses, as Ender shows, operate both near and far from the front lines, serving on the home front to support combat service in the so-called Global War on Terror that has intimately bound together soldiers, families, the military institution, the state, and society. Ender paints a vivid picture of army spouses’ range of responses to deployment separations that illuminates the deep sacrifices that soldiers, veterans, and their families have made over the past twenty years.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 240

Word Count: 80,000

Stories, Legends, and Truths from the Blighted Earth by R.M. Tembreull

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MWSA Review

R. M. Tembreull's Stories, Legends, and Truths is one of the most unique books you will ever read.

Our Mother Earth is protected by a hierarchy of ever more powerful beings, ranging from the "low sentients" to the Guardian Spirits and Elementals. Each stand-alone story is told from the point of view of a different tier, and through the stories the reader comes to understand that our Mother Earth is herself sentient, and that what we call good and evil is actually a constant struggle between the Natural Order and Chaos.

At times told against the backdrop of significant world events, the reader sees how our Earth Mother uses her soldiers to help defend herself when mankind begins to desecrate nature. I particularly enjoyed the story dealing with Nature's forces employed during the Second Battle of the Marne, and also the one which attempts to explain the relationship between canines and man.

Tembreull describes Mother Earth's minions at both their best and their worst. Fans of fantasy would enjoy this interpretation of a living Earth and the war between Order and Chaos.

Review by Rob Ballister (April 2024)

 

Author's Synopsis

Stories, Legends, and Truths from the Blighted Earth is a book of fictional narratives and artifacts which progressively knit together a hidden world existing outside what humans perceive as our reality. Earth Mother is sentient, and all manner of life on our planet are Her children to whom She gifts sentience of their own. The “spirit essence” or soul is immortal, and all beings progress through many lives. Within this context, sentient life occupies a hierarchy, where the highest tiers are occupied by elementals and Guardian Spirits who are responsible for preserving and maintaining the Natural Order; while those affiliated, coopted, and corrupted by Chaos are continuously trying to disrupt, and ultimately destroy, the balance. There is no such thing as good and evil, just the continual struggle between order and chaos.

The Blighted Earth’s sentient existence, where all life on the planet is connected, reveals a hidden realm and provides a new understanding of our world through the provided stories and artifacts. These tales are described within the context of real-world events and historical conflicts as told from the perspective of various characters occupying the numerous tiers in the Hierarchy of Sentience. Many commonly understood theories of existence and spirituality are reimagined within a new model of the universe where humankind’s place, and our importance within “the All” is very different from what most of us interpret it to be, including the definition of life and lifeforms.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Number of Pages: 339

Word Count: 116,931

Monroe Doctrine Volume VIII by James Rosone & Miranda Watson

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MWSA Review

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

Review by Betsy Beard (February 2024)

 

Author's Synopsis

To destroy Jade Dragon’s lair…

…an unthinkable weapon is unveiled.

Had the Allies gone too far?

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

The robots were coming…

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

Were these wonder weapons being unveiled too late?

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

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

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

President Delgado was about to order the unthinkable.

Format(s) for review: Kindle or paper

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 669

Word Count: 128,354

Christ's Purple Heart by Chuck Habermehl

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MWSA Review

Christ’s Purple Heart by Chuck Habermehl is the account of the Passion of Christ from a military perspective. The author explains various political factions, and how they play a significant role in what happened to Jesus. The author, a Vietnam veteran, compares Jesus to an operator on a mission. Bible verses at the end of each chapter help the reader correlate fulfilling Bible prophecy with what Jesus experienced physiologically and psychologically as he was tortured.

Habermehl describes Christ’s Purple Heart: “(It) is distinguished by the cross on which He died. Above the heart is a shield, which symbolizes Jesus as the protector. It is red for the sizable amount of blood He shed and is flanked with thorns representing the crown and various devices used to inflict His injuries. The Gold V that lies atop the shied stands for the incredible valor Christ exhibited while being tortured as a prisoner of war. The red ribbon trimmed in purple is for additional blood He shed, more than any man could ever endure."

Habermehl presents Christ's Purple Heart posthumously to Jesus Christ. "For wounds received in action against hostile enemy forces resulting in His death, while engaged in a world-changing mission April 30 AD, Jerusalem, Judea..."

This Lenten season, give yourself a gift. Read Christ’s Purple Heart.

Review by Nancy Panko (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Christ's Purple Heart: Killed In Action Body Resurrected is a special narrative on the final days of Christ's life from the perspective of a hand-to-hand, close quarters combative tactician, Chuck Habermehl, who elaborates on descriptive injuries typically missing from most accounts of Christ’s death. Support of this historical event was found in his study of The Bible, in numerous books on the life of Jesus and in period books on warfare in the region, listed in the book’s references.

“Jesus had His marching orders in AD30, with His operation planning and methods being similar to classic small-unit tactics. There was the occupier and the occupied, the ally and the axis, good and evil.”

Christ endured horrific physical tortures at the hand of violent hostile soldiers in a barbaric time. Four chapters of Christ's Purple Heart are dedicated to the mechanisms of His dying: interrogating, scourging, beatings and the crucifixion. During all of this, Jesus possessed all the attributes of a disciplined warrior, brave and willing to sacrifice Himself for His unit, the mission and mankind. While He is deserving of so many honors, including a Medal of Honor, it is because of His physical injuries Habermehl focuses on Christ's Purple Heart.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Other—Religious/Spiritual

Number of Pages: 128

Word Count: 20,000

Against All Enemies by Thomas M. Wing

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MWSA Review

In his book Against All Enemies, author Thomas Wing has provided us with a fascinating tale of what may happen if the Chinese committed a limited, surprise attack against the United States. The Chinese believed that a non-nuclear attack that significantly destroyed our ability to respond would force a wounded US to accept an immediate cease fire agreement. They were wrong, and elements of the Pacific fleet took the fight right back to them. Outnumbered, and for the most part fighting without communications and satellite assistance, Commander Bill Wilkins and the crew of the USS Nicholas wreak havoc on the Chinese navy. The author's portrayal of the naval combat kept my attention throughout the book. Anyone who enjoys reading military fiction should enjoy this book.

Review by Bob Doerr ( February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

When the People’s Republic of China unleashes a devastating attack on the United States, newly appointed Navy Commander Bill Wilkins and his crew are suddenly alone, deep in the enemy’s backyard, and unable to communicate with naval or national leadership.

At home in Washington, the president is detached from reality. Survivors of his cabinet contend with military leadership for control, some to save the nation they serve, others in pursuit of personal power.As America becomes alienated from her allies, Russia begins a campaign that creates heightened fears of nuclear annihilation.

Bill must navigate a political minefield to find friends among China’s neighbors while undertaking a role that demands he take unimaginable risks and wrestle with the question, What losses are acceptable in order to win?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 461

Word Count: About 112,000

Steal the Reaper by Todd Hosea

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MWSA Review

Steal the Reaper by Todd Hosea is an expansive sci-fi novel which tells the riveting story of Ava Tan’s daring mission to steal the most advanced starship on earth from North Korea. The author skillfully writes vivid scenes, introduces scores of compelling characters, all set in an authentic feeling near future. Readers who enjoy high-stakes, epic tales that span the globe and beyond should enjoy Todd Hosea’s ambitious novel.

Review by Brad Huestis (March 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

A mysterious spacecraft has crashed in a remote region of North Korea. The ship is now in the hands of a tyrannical dictator who will stop at nothing to unlock its secrets and bring the West to its knees. As tensions rise in the wake of this threat, North Korea’s Supreme Leader is unaware that a small, prototype vessel, known as the Reaper, lies hidden within the wreckage. Its ingenious purpose could either save humanity or lead to its extinction.

Meanwhile, Captain Ava Tan is recruited for the boldest mission in military history: Steal the Reaper. Her orders are to infiltrate North Korea—the most isolated country on the planet—avoid triggering World War III, and pilot an alien vessel that is light years beyond anything she has ever flown. It is a suicide mission that will test Ava’s courage and force her to decide where her loyalties truly lie. Earth’s fate hangs in the balance and the clock is ticking.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Number of Pages: 510

Word Count: 190,000

Berkshire Patriots: Stories of Sacrifice by Dennis G. Pregent

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MWSA Review

Berkshire Patriots: Stories of Sacrifice by Dennis G. Pregent includes short stories of twenty-seven men and one woman who had some connection with Adams, North Adams, and Williamstown in Berkshire County, Western Massachusetts. Rather than simply personal stories, each entry includes a great deal of historical context. The patriots who were written about served in the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korean War, Viet Nam, and Afghanistan. Some returned to the States to continue their leadership roles; some died in battle. Appropriate photos and illustrations are part of many stories. The author used various prime sources including a couple of unpublished memoirs. Each vignette begins with a brief explanation of why this story is included. The book concludes with six plus pages of a reading list organized by patriot. In addition to these books, the author often cites the local newspaper, The North Adams Transcript (which later became the Berkshire Eagle).

Review by Nancy Kauffman (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Western Massachusetts, in particular Berkshire County, has produced an astounding number of war heroes, all the way from the French and Indian Wars through the war in Afghanistan. Dennis Pregent brings to life twenty-eight of them in this inspiring collection of hometown heroes who responded to their country's call with selflessness and sacrifice. As a native of the Berkshires and a Marine veteran himself, Pregent was able to collect rare and never-before-published war documents and personal correspondence, enriched by intimate interviews with family members and descendants.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 388

Word Count: 90,000

Alchemy's Reach by Patricia Walkow and Chris Allen

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MWSA Review
Alchemy’s Reach is an easy-read mystery about a family that discovers its secret past when tragedy strikes. The story takes place in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Jen Murphy, a deputy sheriff, inherited the family ranch with her brother Ethan, whose wanderlust inspires him to investigate local lore about Alchemy, a nearby ghost town.

It’s there that a few plot turns and twists take place, resulting in a murder and a suicide. Co-authors, Chris Allen and Patricia Walkow waste few words in this short novel to set the stage, solve the crimes, and consummate a romance.

Despite the violence, this is a sweet story that ties up the loose ends of a family that had long struggled with understanding who they were. The plot is carried by ten characters, plus a comforting pet Labrador, Fi, who seemingly communicates with human-level intelligence. Readers who are looking for entertainment and a quick read that can be finished in one cold winter’s night, will find that Alchemy’s Reach fills that bill.

Review by James Elsener (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Jennifer Murphy closes her heart to love after a searing breakup with the man she thought she’d marry.

Instead, she puts her passion into her work as Deputy Sheriff of Lincoln County in southeastern New Mexico. Between her law enforcement job and owning the 4,000-acre ranch she and her younger brother, Ethan, inherited from their parents, her life is full. She has no time for romantic relationships and no desire to pursue any. Her companion in bed is her large dog, Dusty.

Living between the small towns of Carrizozo and Ruidoso, Jennifer (Jen) loves the rolling hills and distant mountains. She can’t envision living anywhere else. Of Irish descent and in her mid-thirties, she is competent, attractive, and strong-willed. But Ethan does not share her love for their land or livestock and often travels elsewhere for temporary work. Jen is sometimes annoyed with him and would appreciate his help with the endless chores. Fortunately, the old ranch manager, Pablo Baca, who was hired many years ago by her father, lives on the property. He keeps Montaño Vista Ranch running, manages seasonal hires, and is a surrogate father for both Ethan and Jen.

Ethan’s current job is as a novice logger in Oregon. There, he and Joe Stern, a Squamish Indian, become good friends. Joe is an experienced lumberjack and saves Ethan’s life at the job site. But, as with all his other jobs, Ethan quits after a few months and returns home.

In an attempt to keep Ethan closer to the ranch, Jen tells him about a hand-drawn map she found in the family bible. It shows the ghost town of Alchemy. Local lore indicates a cache of gold might be buried in the town, now visible since a multi-year drought has dried up the reservoir that covered it. Ethan decides to prospect for whatever treasure the ruin might reveal and invites Joe to join him.

Neither Jen nor Ethan knows they have a unique tie to the ghost town. But Alchemy has a reputation as an evil place, and the locals are wary of it.

Ethan’s brief time in Alchemy leads to events that shock the community, change his life, and bring Jennifer and Joe closer together.

But will she ever again open her heart to love?

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Romance

Number of Pages: 193

Word Count: 51,709