When the Violin Weeps by Glenn Starkey

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MWSA Review

In When the Violin Weeps, author Glenn Starkey relates the story of symphony violinist Jacob Liebermann, a Jewish resident of the Warsaw ghetto. In their early thirties, he and his wife Hannah are shipped to the Treblinka concentration/death camp. On arrival at the camp, Hannah is sent to the gas chamber, and Jacob survives as a slave laborer. A sadistic SS Officer, Klaus Hermann, confiscates Jacob’s violin and requires him to play it from time to time, especially when a prisoner is being tortured to death.

Grieving the loss of his wife, his freedom, and the life he once enjoyed, Jacob questions his faith in God and grows more hateful day-by-day. With a band of other slave laborers, he escapes the camp and spends many months in the deep woods with other resistance fighters. Through the remainder of the war and into the 1960s, Jacob finds his way across Eastern Europe to Palestine, and lives through the birth of Israel. But his hatred for Klaus Hermann never abates. His desire for vengeance and, to some extent, justice only grows, yet his belief in God has been destroyed.

At the birth of Israel and during its early years, Jacob becomes a fighter, though he never thought he would be one. He joins Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, and is instrumental in capturing Nazi war criminals wherever they are in the world. Klaus Hermann, living in South America after World War II, remains free, and Jacob wrestles with what he will do when he finds him.

Glenn Starkey’s well-researched historical novel rings true with every word, and sadly, Jacob’s story is one of millions – Jews, gypsies, Slavic peoples, and others targeted for outright extermination or death via forced labor.

The book reads easily in the way it is crafted, although there is much violence in it. It is a story no one who reads it will forget. Mr. Starkey deftly weaves in the history of the newly-minted state of Israel, and hints at the role of the Catholic Church in helping former Nazis flee to South America.

For those unfamiliar with Nazi (and Stalinist) depravities of World War II, this book is an eye-opener. For those familiar with the war, it is a reminder of what blind adherence to ideology and control of the media can do to an otherwise reasonable populace. As such, it resonates well with our time, when a noisy, dictatorial media is making ordinary people fearful of not following the “party line.” The Nazis did this. Could it be happening again? Mr. Starkey’s is a book not only to read, but to study, lest we repeat history.

Review by Pat Walkow (March 2023)

Author's Synopsis

Forcing Warsaw's massive Jewish population into an overcrowded ghetto to starve was Nazi Germany's first undertaking after invading Poland. Next came the merciless transports to the Treblinka extermination center. When Jacob Lieberman's wife Hanna is murdered in a gas chamber, the former Warsaw Philharmonic violinist fell into an abyss of insanity. But he keeps his promise to her to survive the Nazi atrocities at all costs.

Through months as a slave laborer, escaping from the death camp, and fighting for the underground, Jacob lives for the day of reckoning with Klaus Hermann, the SS officer that killed his wife. After a harrowing trek to freedom in Palestine and joining Jewish resistance groups to combat a new enemy, Jacob makes the country home. He becomes one of Israel's first Mossad agents. Then fate brings him face to face with the devil incarnate.

"When the Violin Weeps" is based upon real lives, the disturbing true events of the Holocaust in World War II, and on through the struggles to create the State of Israel. It is the story of appalling crimes against humanity, mankind at its best and worst, and the courageous strength to live and fight against overwhelming odds.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 269

Word Count: 81,000

Twelve O'Clock Haiku: Leadership Lessons from Old War Movies & New Poems by Randy Brown

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MWSA Review

​In this short work, the author gives readers a ​53-page analysis of the movie, Twelve O’Clock High, and includes 12 haiku poems. His discussion ranges from “lessons learned” and “maximum effort” to comparing day and night bombing in the first years of World War II. ​A good presentation, but little poetry. The poems themselves are thought provoking and in places disturbing, which is what you would expect given the subject matter.

The author is a talented writer and his self-described obsession with the movie, Twelve O’Clock High, comes through in the musings and essays about military lessons learned in the first half of this work. His passion for the subject is evident. However, readers thinking this is a book of poetry may be disappointed. Readers with little familiarity with Twelve O’Clock High can be at a loss, unable to fully grasp much of what the author is attempting to convey. 

Review by George ​J. ​Bryjak (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

In a cheeky critique of the classic American airpower narrative “Twelve O’Clock High,” award-winning soldier-poet, essayist, and humorist Randy Brown explores what it means to be a leader or follower at war—morally, physically, and psychologically. The book is packed full of insights into military life, as viewed through the lenses of war movies, history, and the author’s personal experiences as a one-time U.S. Army-trained “lessons-learned analyst.”

“I started out to write 12 haiku poems about a favorite old war movie,” says the author, “but my ‘whimsical experiment in minimalist war poetry’ mutated into a ‘maximum effort’ mix of memory, media, and military culture!” TWELVE O’CLOCK HAIKU: Leadership Lessons from Old War Movies & New Poems now comprises a salvo of provocative poetry, a companion essay about the film, and resources for enthusiasts of World War II aircraft, history, and movies.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Poetry book

Number of Pages: 114

Word Count: 17,500

Writ Reveal by Ethan Burroughs

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MWSA Review

Writ Reveal by Ethan Burroughs is the second in a series featuring protagonist Clayton Haley. It seems Haley, a U.S. State Department employee, attracts trouble wherever he goes. This time he is sent to Kuwait, where an enemy from a previous book targets him for death. Mild-mannered Haley is drawn into a maelstrom of Middle East intrigue as he seeks to repatriate Iraqi soldiers who died in Kuwait during the first Gulf War in 1990 and discovers artifacts buried with the soldiers. Mayhem ensues but not before the reader is thoroughly acquainted with the cuisine of the region. The action is slow to start as the author seeks to educate the reading public about the region, its religion, its players, its language, and its culture. Military terms and various languages (translated in brackets) slow the read somewhat. Those who enjoy learning about other cultures and customs will find a wealth of information about little known aspects of the history, beliefs, and politics of the Middle East. 

Review by Betsy Beard (April 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

The thrilling sequel to Messianic Reveal, Writ Reveal takes protagonist Clayton Haley deeper into Middle Eastern conspiracy and intrigue, ferrying him up the Tigris into modern and ancient Baghdad, and stirring a combustible mix of politics and religion with deadly consequences.

Clayton Haley’s journey as a U.S. foreign service officer continues into the disconnected destinies of modern Kuwait and ancient Baghdad in search of a truth—one that is scripted on ancient sacred palimpsests, providing rare scrutiny into the exploitation of one of the world’s largest religions.

Haley’s exhumation efforts of those who died in war lead to the discovery of a map that was stolen in the 1990 Iraqi looting of the Kuwaiti national archives. This map points to the long-forgotten Round City of Baghdad, which is said to contain treasures lost to humanity in the 1258 destruction of the city by Mongols. Haley’s efforts, bolstered by an unruly team of Green Berets and intelligence friends, don’t go without opposition—a spectral Bin Laden empire scion counters his every move in a desire to foment tribal uprisings against nouveau colonialism while carrying out an avowed revenge against Haley for thwarting his Messianic Reveal.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Mystery/thriller

Number of Pages: 300

Word Count: 74,000

Lexie's Gift by John R. Stoeffler

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MWSA Review

First-grader Lexie, saddened by her classmate and best friend's tears caused by Susan's father, an army soldier being deployed, discovers a plan and executes it. Susan's father will miss her next birthday and the family's Christmas celebration. More importantly, Susan's father won't be at her bedside to hug, kiss, and tuck her in at night. Lexie, inspired by her younger cousin Kanon's "Comfy-Dumfy" pillow and memories of her own "Lambie" pillow, gets an idea. Lexie's Gift author John Stoeffler, with illustrations by Jeanine-Jonee, leads the young readers along with Lexie as she plans to ease Susan's sadness. Lexie executes the idea by bringing the gift to Susan. The story is inspirational, reflecting a project the author started in 2008, where he, with his wife's and volunteers' assistance, created and shipped "Sweet Dream Pillows” to more than 13,000 children of deployed U.S. armed forces parents.

Review by Tom Beard (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

This is the story of a little girl, Lexie, whose best friend's father is in the Army and is called to active duty. Susan, the friend, is so sad that her dad will miss her birthday and Christmas and won't be there to hug, kiss and tuck her in at bedtime. Lexie wishes she could do something to comfort Susan while her father is away. With a little help, Lexie makes the perfect gift for Susan: a pillow with her father's picture printed on it. Susan is thrilled, and the girls decide to make more picture pillows for others like her and in doing so discover it is more fun to give than to receive.

 This story is based on a project started in 2008 by the author and his wife. In all, they and their volunteers made and shipped free what they called "Sweet Dreams Pillows" to over 13,000 children of deployed members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Number of Pages:  29

Word Count: 2600

Dispatches From The Cowgirl: Through The Looking Glass With A Navy Diplomat's Wife by Julie Tully

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MWSA Review

Dispatches from the Cowgirl: Through the Looking Glass with a Navy Diplomat’s Wife by Julie Tully is an engaging read from beginning to end. In letters written to family and friends, Tully showed them, in vivid detail, places they would most likely never see. Entries from her diary and those letters she wrote grew into this memoir.

Julie Tully was born into a cattle ranching family in northern California. For more than a third of her life she worked the cattle or marketed the beef. Tully explains, “I am a girl of the land who married a man of the sea.” From her perspective, she writes of extraordinary events and everyday life during her time as a military spouse in Africa.

To Julie, the diplomatic post is more than a job. She and husband John actively immerse themselves in the customs of the country. In short, they bloom where they are planted. Following the example his parents set for him, their young son Quinn spends his early school years learning to speak French and making friends with other expat children and locals who staff the embassy in which they live. A supposed two-year assignment for her family in Sub-Saharan Africa soon turns into an eight-year adventure in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Djibouti. In a world where diplomacy is key, Julie Tully, in her cowboy boots, charms the embassy staff and foreign diplomats in every assignment with her genuine demeanor.

Looking back over the words she wrote, Julie Tully sees a big picture of how she found purpose as the spouse of a diplomat in Africa after leaving her career to become a full-time mom and a traveling Navy spouse. She quotes Lewis Carroll, who writes in Alice in Wonderland: “Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventure.”

Review by Nancy Panko (February 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Would you move to Africa? For Julie Tully, a cowgirl who married a United States naval officer, the answer was a no-brainer: Yes!

Leaving her career and everything she knew behind to follow her husband, Julie was rapidly approaching forty and wondering, “What is my place in the world?” Enter Africa, the continent she had dreamed of since childhood, a chance to reinvigorate her life. A supposed two-year assignment for her family in Sub-Saharan Africa soon turns into an eight-year adventure in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Djibouti and sees Julie become an unofficial diplomat as wife to a military attaché. In a world where diplomacy is key, Julie becomes the person she was meant to be.

Julie’s memoir is a real-life Alice in Wonderland tale. A cowgirl falls into Africa like Alice fell into Wonderland, taking you on a voyage of discovery and into the little-known world of an American military spouse serving amongst the world’s diplomatic corps. One moment, you’ll laugh out loud as Julie takes her first step onto the African continent and begins setting up their home in Cameroon. The next, you’ll gasp in shock as a terrorist bomb shakes their house in Nigeria.

Part travelogue, and part midlife coming-of-age story, Dispatches from the Cowgirl takes you to the Africa that Julie experienced. Complete with all its beauty and flaws, it’s the Africa that continues to capture the attention of the world’s military powers and the Africa she struggled to say goodbye to.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 335

Word Count: 86,610

Rucksack Grunt by Robert Kuhn

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MWSA Review

Rucksack Grunt is the story of one man's Viet Nam experience as a soldier with the US Army. Robert Kuhn, the author, was that young man, and he tells a tale not unlike what many young teenagers in that era had to endure. Eighteen years old and unsettled with not much direction for his life, Author Kuhn enlisted in the army. Right away he questions his decision, but there is no turning back. The only thing he is sure of is his love for his girlfriend. His decision, however, is taking him away from her.  Like most enlistees at the time, he soon finds himself in the infantry and heading to Viet Nam. While there, he is exposed to artillery fire landing nearby, sniper fire zinging by too close, and more than one contact with the enemy. His biggest threat, though, turned out to be from a mosquito. The author contracted malaria and had to be sent to a hospital for treatment.  His dream was to survive and return home to marry his sweetheart, but would she wait for him? Author Kuhn's story is a quick read and well worth reading.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

RUCKSACK GRUNT - A VIETNAM VETERAN'S MEMOIR

A Vietnam War Memoir with an Underlying Love Story.

A narrative about a naïve teenage boy’s evolutionary journey from his safe suburban neighborhood in Pennsylvania to the dangerous Central Highlands in Vietnam to becoming a Vietnam War Veteran as he remembers it and still struggles today to understand it all.

The events of this narrative take place from 1969-1972, beginning with a young teenage boy’s love for and his marriage proposal to his high school sweetheart. Robert then decided that the best path to obtaining an education and a “real” job needed to support their future marriage was through an easy short stint in the US Army. Little did the naïve teenager know that the path to accomplishing his goals would take him through the dangerous jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam during the latter years of the war. Although not a blood and guts war story, this first-hand emotional account details the many traumatic and sometimes distressing encounters of Robert Kuhn, the “rucksack carrying grunt” who served with the 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry unit during his Vietnam tour of duty.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 186

Word Count: 34005

Letters from Vietnam by Dennis Hoy

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MWSA Review

Although titled Letters from Vietnam, Dennis Hoy’s book is much more than a cut-and-pasted scrapbook of wartime correspondence. In fact, there are almost no direct quotes from any of the letters Hoy wrote during his combat tour in Vietnam in 1967-1968. Instead, Hoy uses the letters to jog his memory about events now 50-plus years in the past. As a result, his descriptions of his experiences in Vietnam are vivid and credible. 

Hoy’s unassuming, almost folksy prose adds to this memoir’s authenticity and readability. After covering his wartime experiences as a “grunt” in Vietnam, Hoy wraps things up by sharing his thoughts about the war and describing the highlights of his life after his return to “the world” after completing his tour. In addition to being an honest look at his wartime experiences in Vietnam, what sets this book apart from many other Vietnam memoirs is the evident love and affection Hoy displays for his wife, Beth, throughout its pages. 

Review by John Cathcart (April 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Letters from Vietnam is the memoir of a Vietnam War army infantryman, based on letters he wrote home to his new wife and his parents that give an on-the-ground view of combat, and a soldier's life beyond combat, through the eyes of a Silver Star recipient.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 150

Word Count: Not submitted

Stories from the Front: Pain, Betrayal, and Resilience on the MST Battlefield by Colonel Lisa Carrington Firmin, USAF (Ret.)

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MWSA Review

Stories from the Front: Pain, Betrayal, and Resilience on the MST Battlefield by Colonel Lisa Carrington Firmin, USAF (Ret.) is a difficult read for anyone with a beating heart. Colonel Firmin tells the stories of herself and thirteen others, all survivors of military sexual trauma. (MST). The diverse group—representing all branches of the military, all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientation, from Vietnam to the present—suffered at the hands of their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen, and marines.

Feelings of shame, anger, helplessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts are common to the abused, especially when they realize there is no one to stand up for them. Years of hazing, bullying, misogyny, sexual harassment, assault and rape with little or no recourse takes its toll on the body, mind, and spirit. Healing begins when victims can open up to speak of the atrocities they endured while serving in a job they loved, and to see their abuser punished. Survivors are to be lauded for the courage they mustered to speak out.

Colonel Firmin’s book should be read by every newly commissioned officer and the most senior officers in any branch of service. Unfortunately, each testimony exposed a weakness in the chain of command to understand the ramifications of MST. Our military leaders need to stand up to abusers and to mete out punishment no matter how senior the abuser.

Review by Nancy Panko (April 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

Bronze Star-decorated combat commander Colonel Lisa Carrington Firmin outlines her own experiences with military sexual trauma (MST) and recounts the stories of 13 others: veterans as well as active duty women and men who are bravely sharing their stories of sexual assault and sexual harassment while serving in the United States military. Stories from the Front authentically captures experiences and carefully tells their stories of trauma and the resilience and empowerment they display in their lives.

By including the lived experiences of a diverse group representing all military branches, ranks, eras of service, wars, races, and ethnicities, from Vietnam to the present day, Stories from the Front documents how men and women suffered at the hands of their fellow sailors, coasties, airmen, soldiers, and Marines. Eerily similar in the retelling, their experiences with MST range from hazing, bullying, misogyny, and sexual harassment to sexual assault and rape. Stories from the Front also includes incidents of race, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation disparities. Many of the book’s participants have never previously shared the full details of these experiences or spoken publicly before.

After serving 30 years in the Air Force, and as its most senior-ranking Latina officer upon retirement, Colonel Carrington Firmin was horrified by the appalling murder of a fellow Latina, Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, in April 2020. Vanessa’s horrific death became the catalyst for repressed memories of the colonel’s own sexual assault during initial training and the repeated sexual harassment she endured early in her career and catapulted her on a soul-searching journey to document her own and others’ experiences and to advocate for change within the armed services.

The colonel is proud of her service and the strong bonds she had with so many military professionals but acknowledges that now was the time to share the full reality of all that she experienced and endured in hopes of educating others, letting many know they are not alone and to advocate for change for all members of the military, not just some.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 264

Word Count: 76,949

Defenders of the Rock: Sacrifice, courage, and honor, in the defense of the Philippines during World War II by Tim Deal, Spencer Huyck, Ashley Deal

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MWSA Review

Defenders of the Rock is sobering compilation of twenty-four individual stories of American heroes who defended the Philippines at the very beginning of World War Two. From these stories emerges a comprehensive narrative of the service and sacrifice of soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, one coastguardsman, military nurses, and civilians who withstood the Imperial Japanese attack on the Philippine archipelago. The stories include the aftermath of the horrendous Bataan Death March for most, escape and resistance for some, and the deprivation during internment for military women and American civilians.

Because the book is written in a precise biographical style, you can read one section at a time. Given the grim fates of most of the people depicted, being able to only read a few sections at a time is benefit to the reader. Despite the somber nature of the book’s subject, it is inspirational and uplifting to learn from and recall the stories of the defenders of the Philippines.

Review by Terry Lloyd (April 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Defenders of the Rock preserves the stories of twenty-four individuals who were in the Philippines on December 8, 1941, when war came to the island nation. Their island way of life was shattered in an instant, when the first Japanese bombs exploded. Each story provides a unique perspective on what was occurring to those who were defending the Philippines as they fought back the invaders. They prayed that help would come, but it never arrived. The surrender of the Philippines occurred at noon on Wednesday, May 6, 1942. Of the twenty-four, some would escape capture only to die later during the war, others would become prisoners of war and survive, and others would die in captivity. Some would be tortured and live, while one of them was executed. These twenty-four serve as ambassadors whose courage, honor, and sacrifice represent the thousands of other similar stories we could not include.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 385

Word Count: 66,855

FNG: a Black Spear novel by Benjamin Spada

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MWSA Review

Benjamin Spada hits it out of the park with his debut novel FNG: A Black Spear Novel. The American government has run its share of off-the-books “black ops,” but none blacker than “Black Spear.” Even among the military, no one seems to be sure if they exist. But exist they do, and when the really bad guys come calling, Black Spear is our best defense. Made up of only the absolute best operators, this small unit operates in five-man squads whose only rules of engagement are “accomplish the mission,” and they do so by all means necessary. When conventional forces and sworn lawmakers can’t get their hands dirty, it’s time to send in Black Spear.

A disgruntled veteran has a vision for revenge against the government, and has gained a following of other former servicemen along with access to one very dangerous bioweapon. Black Spear’s Cerebrus Team is down a man and pulls in a recruit for one tremendously action-packed first day. Black Spear has no rules to follow but their own, but will it be enough to stop a madman with a deadly bioweapon and an intense thirst for vengeance?

This story is a non-stop thrill ride from the first page. The heroes are likable, the villains deplorable, and the action fast-moving, graphic, and exciting. It’s very much like the “A-team” of the 80s TV show on steroids. Fans of spec-ops stories or techno-thrillers should enjoy this very much. Personally, I can’t wait for the next one!

Review by Rob Ballister (March2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

FNG: NOUN. INFORMAL. MILITARY TERM, "F****** NEW GUY":

A PERSON JUST OUT OF TRAINING OR NEWLY TRANSFERRED INTO THE UNIT, WHO EITHER HASN'T PROVED THEIR WORTH OR DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO OPERATE PROPERLY DUE TO LACK OF EXPERIENCE. 

"Welcome to Black Spear." With these four words Cole West is immediately thrust into the shadowy world of the military's most deadly black-ops program. No warning. No training. No choice but to buckle up as Black Spear conscripts him to fight against a paramilitary group of renegade veterans known only as "Terminal." Terminal is no ragtag militia but a veritable private army of disgruntled soldiers with one mission: Stop at nothing to topple the government they think failed them. 

Armed with a highly volatile bioweapon capable of absorbing the properties of other contagions, they plan to wash the country clean through an ocean of blood. It's up to Cole West and Black Spear to prevent Terminal's terrorist attacks and stop the insurrection before it can happen. To survive in Black Spear, West will have to prove himself. But even on day one, there are no second chances...

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 328

Word Count: 86700

Ninety Day Wonder by Lynn Ellen Doxon

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MWSA Review

Ninety Day Wonder by Lynn Ellen Doxon is a look at the trajectory of one man’s life changed by an outbreak of war. High school chemistry teacher Gene Sinclair’s carefully laid out plans to get into medical school are thwarted the day he receives his draft notice from the U.S. Army. He reconciles that serving his country is a temporary diversion and that he’ll serve his year and re-apply to medical school.

After basic training, Sinclair is sent to train on coastal artillery but he yearns to get into sone area of the medical corps. Eventually, he’s assigned to the pharmacy training program. but the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor necessitates him returning to artillery. From there, Gene is chosen to attend the ninety-day Officer’s Training School.

During his officer training, Sinclair meets southern belle Sarah Gale, eventually falling head over heels in love before he’s commissioned as an antiaircraft artillery officer. Gene struggles with conflicting feelings as an officer when it comes to leading his men. When Sarah joins the WAACs they are unable to see each other because she is an enlisted servicewoman and he is an officer. Somehow, they manage to overcome that obstacle. Separated by continents, Sarah and Gene stay in touch by letters. After a Japanese air raid in Darwin, Australia, Gene is assigned to deploy to parts unknown, leaving us to wait until the next book comes out to resolve my unanswered questions.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

On the eve of World War II Gene Sinclair is drafted, ruining his plans to become a doctor. Gene adapts to army life, but still dreams of being a doctor, until the attack on Pearl Harbor. He is sent to Officer's Training School to become a "Ninety Day Wonder" junior officer for coastal artillery. Gene struggles to understand his place in the army, which becomes more complicated when he falls in love with Sarah Gale while at OTS.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 368

Word Count: 120244

Payback by Joseph Badal

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MWSA Review

Joseph Badal’s Payback is an action-packed thriller of revenge—often gory murders—and deep friendship. Badal’s characters come to life. Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t wait to find out what happens. Then, just when you think the story is over there’s another twist in the road, and a whole new adventure.

Bruno Pedace’s investment banking bosses attempt to frame him, but he gets out by the skin of his teeth, taking “insurance” with him. For the next eight years he sits on millions of dollars’ worth of documents, bonds, and cash, living on the fringes of society, afraid of his own shadow. Enter Janet Jenkins, an advocate at a women’s shelter, who saves him during a mugging. From that day their friendship begins and Pedace embarks on a metamorphosis, from victim to avenger.

Bruno contrives a very dangerous, intricate, technologically ambitious plan to destroy his former employers. As brave as he is, however, his timidity precludes him from telling Janet that he loves her. Janet is dragged into Bruno’s life of conspiracies, corruption, blackmail, kidnapping, and assassinations. Bruno ingratiates himself into Janet’s life at the shelter, ultimately helping countless women, with his grandiose philanthropic plan.

Payback is a story about revenge and dignity, and the courage we amass from each other.

Review by Sue Rushford (February 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

When Bruno Pedace learns that his investment banking partners are setting him up to take the fall for their own corrupt practices, he does what he has always done—run away. But the documents he takes with him put a target on his back. He changes his name and, for nine years, goes underground, until an assassin tracks him down in California and badly injures him.

Befriended by Janet Jenkins, a courageous woman who works in a battered women’s shelter, Bruno, for the first time in his life, with Janet’s help, fights back. He constructs an ingenious financial scheme to get payback for the crimes perpetrated by his former partners.

In PAYBACK, award-winning, Amazon #1 best-selling author Joseph Badal weaves a story about a sympathetic protagonist who, when pushed too far, finally pushes back. This is a story about revenge that includes assassins, corrupt Wall Street investment bankers, a Mafia capo, Asian gangs, and heroic cops. And, to top it all off, it is a story about friendship and love.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 310

Word Count: 79,337

Justice by Joseph Badal

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MWSA Review

Justice by Joseph Badal is a well written story although the subject matter is horrific. All good mystery thrillers have twists, but Badal has created a new one during the attack in Nicaragua. Players from three continents act and interact in crime, corruption, and revenge seeking.
In this third book of the Curtis Chronicles, Matt’s wife and her friend are kidnapped by Matt’s fierce enemy, Lonnie Jackson. Matt and his former special ops friends join to attempt a rescue in the jungles of Costa Rica. A thrilling read.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (March 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

Amazon #1 Best-selling author, Joseph Badal, delivers Justice, the third in his Curtis Chronicles series, with the same relentless tension that is a trademark of his award-winning suspense novels.

In Justice, Matt and Renee Curtis return, along with their maniacal tormentor, Lonnie Jackson. On a trip to Costa Rica with their friends Esteban and Alani Maldonado, Matt and Renee believe they are beyond Jackson’s reach. They soon find out how wrong they are, however, when Jackson orchestrates the kidnapping of Renee and Alani and transports them to his human trafficking headquarters located in Nicaragua.

Matt and Esteban recruit former special operations soldiers living in Costa Rica to help them rescue their wives, sending readers on an action-packed journey.

As with all of Badal’s novels, Justice is a bold and complex thriller. It weaves an intricate plot involving multiple international locations, a human trafficking organization, the CIA, Special Operations, corrupt politicians, Bulgarian organized crime figures, Swiss bankers, and a compelling cast of engaging, inspiring, and diabolical characters.

The Curtis Chronicles is an epic series that delves into the age-old conflict between good and pure evil, where each book leaves you begging for more.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 356

Word Count: 100,045

Operation White Out: A Mac McDowell Mission by Robert G. Williscroft

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MWSA Review

Operation Whiteout (fourth in the Mac McDowell series) is another page-turner by author Robert G. Williscroft.

Commander J.R. “Mac” McDowell already has a reputation for heroics in the face of danger, so he wasn’t looking for trouble when his secret submarine USS Teuthis was tasked with a secret cable-laying mission in the southern hemisphere.  After a routine start, it turned into anything but as a beautiful Russian spy, two Chinese submarines, and an unexpected underwater drilling operation all intertwine to put Mac center stage in a showdown that could bring China and the United States into war. Under the watchful eye of their Orca guardian, can the USS Teuthis and her crew stay hidden and complete the mission?  Will Mac survive another brush with fate?

The author is knowledgeable about submarines and deep-sea diving, and uses that knowledge to add technological credibility to the story.  Also particularly enjoyable was the presence of the Orca mascot, named Borysko (fighter/warrior in Ukrainian), who appears from time to time to help out when able.  This character added an element not often found in techno-thrillers.

Fans of cold war thrillers, submarine fiction, or military techno-thrillers in general will enjoy this book, whether they have read previous Mac McDowell stories or not.

Review by Rob Ballister (May 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Recovering from his Operation Arctic Sting injuries, USS Teuthis Executive Officer Mac McDowell is tasked with laying SOSUS arrays in the southern Atlantic and off Thurston Island, Western Antarctica. Teuthis tangles with Argentine subs in the south Atlantic, then confronts a ChiCom sub off Thurston Island. Mac and his team experience serious setbacks at the hands of the ChiComs while installing a relay transmitter on a nearby mountain peak. Teuthis discovers an underwater oil operation off Thurston Island and is tasked with escorting a Taiwanese sub and underwater tanker under the cover of the largest military marine exercise since World War II: PacEx89. Teuthis is attacked by a Chinese Han-class sub and a previously unknown North Korean AIP sub despite the protection provided by three U.S. fast-attack subs. Will Mac and Teuthis complete their mission, or will they finally meet their watery graves on the Pacific Ocean abyssal plain?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 414

Word Count: 97,900

Conduct in War, A Guide for the Ethical Warrior by David B. Land

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MWSA Review

In Conduct in War, author David B. Land, has given us a critical review of current published war fighting policies and the law of armed conflict. A combat veteran himself, the author witnessed the practical realities of warfare. He applauds and understands the high standards set by national leaders and legal experts, but also acknowledges the serious discrepancies between the ideal and the real. Author Land does not advocate any radical revisions. Rather, he points out several examples where the "rules" of war, if followed, could result in the death of many of our soldiers and the failure to achieve critical objectives. Furthermore, these rules usually turn good young soldiers into "war criminals" for taking steps to save their troops and accomplish the mission. Not all readers will agree with his positions, but they are most worthy of consideration by military and government leaders at all levels. Although like any manual, Conduct in War is a long and sometimes tedious read, I recommend it be considered as required reading at our services Command and Staff level schools.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2023)

 Author's Synopsis

Conduct in War, A Guide for the Ethical Warrior (the “Manual”) is a redrafting of the law of war and U.S. military manuals as an unofficial, unauthorized guide for combatants as to responsible, ethical conduct in war. Active-duty military, veterans, lawyers, and those with no legal or military background contributed to that found in its pages.

Unlike official manuals which tend to require full compliance with the formal law of war, this Manual recognizes that an action which violates the law as written may be morally and operationally permissible if it might better achieve the purposes for which the law was established.

The Manual is not intended to be an all-encompassing scholarly or legal reference work or textbook. It should not be considered legal advice or opinion provided by an attorney. It simply reflects the beliefs of one combat soldier based on his experiences, readings, training, education, conversations, and reflections.

Nonetheless, that outlined in the Manual is conduct a combatant has a moral and operational right to at least consider—and then possibly follow. Hopefully, it will provide combatants a basic understanding of the law and how, when making decisions, they might at times deviate from it and be aware of the possible legal risks of doing so.

While the Manual often differs materially from FM 27-10 (The Law of Land Warfare), FM 6-27 (The Commander’s Handbook on the Law of Land Warfare), the DOD Law of War Manual, and the Operational Law Handbook, generally this is not due to their professional or legal shortcomings. Rather this Manual’s purpose is different. Official manuals delineate that required under the formal law of war based on U.S. interpretations and policy. This Manual presents that which may better reflect how ethical combatants might believe the law, policy, and regulations should be written.

The Manual is not ideal as a quick reference for combat commanders and NCOs given its length; blend of international law, U.S. policy, and positions of the Manual; and commentary as to differences. Yet, its positions are believed to be more relevant for combatants than other manuals and texts now available.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Reference

Number of Pages: 427

Word Count: 218,000

The Return by Carole Brungar

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MWSA Review

The Return, an incredible story of one woman’s search for love, by Carole Brungar is book five in her Nam book series. Author Brungar draws the reader into the life of dynamic business woman Jackie Coles, an orphan saved during the fall of Saigon. Jackie is adopted by veterans Terry and Evelyn even though she was told that fellow veteran Jack Coles was her birthfather.

When Jackie’s stepfather Terry falls ill, she fears losing the only father she has known. During his illness, the two talk and reminisce. Terry encourages Jackie to return to Vietnam and seek out her mother’s family. “It will help you discover who you are,” Terry insists. Jackie promises she will go to Vietnam and meet the family who abandoned her as a baby. Will she discover a truth she never knew she was searching for? As Jackie approaches age 40, she is overwhelmed by the feeling that something is missing from her life. Will leaving a new and budding relationship with rescue pilot Jeff Hunter be compromised by her traveling to Vietnam?

After Terry’s death, Jackie convinces Frankie to accompany her to the country of her birth. While in Vietnam, Frankie divulges that Jack Coles is not Jackie’s birth father, but the man who saved her, raised her, and loved her, Terry, is her birth father. He loved her, she loved him, and they spoke of their love for each other. If only she had known the truth.

Jackie's trip to Vietnam brings changes to her life in unanticipated ways. She makes a major decision that may affect both her future, and her future with Jeff.

Well-developed characters and a great story line draw the reader into the life of Jackie Coles.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

They say love will set you free, but do the orphans of war ever really experience that freedom?

Ambitious and dedicated, Jackie Coles is the shining success story of a once abandoned child.

But as her 40th year approaches, the realization that something is missing in her life is overwhelming. How can someone who has everything lead such an empty life?

Rescue pilot, Jeff Hunter, fell in love with Jackie the first time they met. Years later, a chance meeting brings all those same feelings flooding back.

When Jackie’s stepfather falls ill, she makes him a promise that she will return to the country of her birth and meet the family who abandoned her as a baby. But what will she find in Vietnam? The answer to her loneliness? A truth she never knew she was searching for?

And what about Jeff? He’s more than perfect and falling in love with him is far too easy.

But what if Jackie’s trip back to Vietnam threatens to destroy every chance at happiness with Jeff? Will she have to choose who she can love and who she can’t? Or will Jeff make that choice for her?

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Romance

Number of Pages: 336

Word Count: 93279

Loving Summer by Carole Brungar

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MWSA Review

Loving Summer by Carole Brungar is book number four in her multi-award-winning Nam Legacy Series. Loving Summer can easily stand alone, a testament to the author’s writing skills.

In 1967, a Christmas card project organized by Summer Bryant’s school to send messages to the soldiers in Vietnam. Lovable Summer Bryant is a flower child born into the transient world of hippies, communes, and free love. And she’s against the war that’s killing thousands of innocent lives in Vietnam.

Scott Taylor is the consummate leader of warriors and becomes the recipient of Summer’s Christmas card. He decides to answer with a thank you. Thus, begins a pen-pal relationship lasting years until the correspondence abruptly stops.

Scott returns to New Zealand to find that his wife is distant. Their relationship deteriorates despite a pregnancy about which they are both excited. He continues to write to Summer. When Scott finds out earth-shaking news, the marriage disintegrates and he stops writing to Summer. He finds solace in alcohol. In 1978, with the help of Army pals, Scott starts to get his life on track. Set up on a blind date, Scott Taylor’s broken life changes its trajectory, sending him on an unforgettable, poignant journey.

Carole Brungar skillfully takes you deep into Scott and Summer’s unforgettable love story with her detailed descriptions. She weaves a tapestry of two unlikely soulmates and knits it all together for the reader to feel the warmth and passion. Loving Summer is hard to put down and requires a box of tissues.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

It’s Christmas in the killing fields of Vietnam, and Corporal Scott Taylor calls his men together and hands out mail from a school back home, unaware the card he opens will change his life forever.

Everyone loves Summer Bryant. She’s a wild child born into the transient world of hippies, communes, and free love. And she’s against the war that’s killing thousands of innocent people and the soldiers fighting there.

Yet, through the pages of Scott and Summer’s letters, an unforeseen friendship forms that becomes a bond so strong, that neither understands the grip it has over them.

Home from Vietnam, Scott finds the world has moved on without him. When his life spirals out of control, he’s convinced even the letters from Summer can’t save him this time.

After years of silence, fate throws them together. Shocked to finally come face to face with Summer, Scott realises the attraction between them is stronger than ever. But the past is rapidly catching up to this beautiful free-spirited woman. Will Scott’s unconditional love be enough to save Summer? Or will this be another war that Scott has no chance of winning?

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 390

Word Count: 112800

Where The Light Enters: A Soldier's Journey by Leland Austin Gagnebin

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MWSA Review
“Part of me needs you to know how we suffered, how I ached for years, needing to be appreciated, acknowledged, and simply recognized. I needed your sympathy and understanding.” Leland Austin Gagnebin’s Where the Light Enters: A Soldier’s Journey is by no means a typical Vietnam story. It is an inspiring memoir of his long, hard battle with the consequences of a war (still haunting a generation), long after the uniform gets hung up. Gagnebin describes Where the Light Enters as a collection of short pieces, but I beg to differ. The book is a cohesive, superbly written, smoothly flowing story of his Vietnam experience while assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Air Cavalry Platoon in 1969.

The book is not made up of blood and guts, but of guts of courage—and not just in the jungle, but also at home. “You’re never more alive than when you’re almost not.” Gagnebin shares the significance of the unique, powerful, combat-soldier bond: lifesaving in the field and severely underrated at home.

After struggling with PTSD for years (even though in the beginning there was not yet a name for it), he eventually opens up and asks for help. Through a now more compassionate VA, he works his way out of despair, anxiety, and depression. He bares his soul in this book, shedding light on epiphany after epiphany, with hopes that he can help others who also need to overcome any insidious, corrosive inner conflict.

On his journey to mental health, Gagnebin takes us on a cathartic pilgrimage to Vietnam—to the same locations—thirty-eight years later. He makes fresh healing memories, painstakingly, and successfully appreciates the beauty of the country.

If anyone in your life served in Vietnam, or suffers from PTSD from any cause, you must read this enlightening book.

Review by Sue Rushford (April 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

So, who fits the soldier with the emotional and spiritual prosthesis? Where The Light Enters is a memoir about the impact the Vietnam war had on one soldier's life. It is a healing story, a spiritual journey, the path taken in search of redemption, reconciliation and reconnection. It is not a war story but rather a story of war. Through a collection of short pieces the author conveys the transformation from a loss of innocence and purity of heart, through the struggles endured as an Infantry Rifleman with the 101st Airborne Division during the historic Battle for Firebase Ripcord, the disillusionment, the betrayal, the loss of self, to what the author endured after returning home. It is about the path followed in pursuit of as full a measure of peace in life as might be possible, and encourages others to pursue theirs. Moreover, this memoir shines a light into the noble and heroic story of what heart and strength of character it takes for men who struggle through years against themselves and the intense, inner wound of PTSD and succeed. This memoir transcends the Vietnam war giving voice to all those struggling to put words to their own mental narratives. It further suggests a social prescription to assist reintegration into community. This finely crafted work has many layers - emotional, physical, behavioral, ethical, political, spiritual, the importance of family and the bonds with fellow soldiers - all woven artfully into the tapestry of the author's life story. Conveyed in a raw, straightforward presentation without being crass or superfluously graphic, its descriptions are vibrant and visual, drawing emotion from the reader. This memoir shines a ray of hope upon both veteran and non-veteran, anyone seeking redemption and forgiveness.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 434

Word Count: 131,165

Porch Music by Kathy Maresca

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MWSA Review

With the same precision and care that Ma-Ki Ebbing took to create her sawtooth quilt, Kathy Maresca has weaved a story stitched with strength and resiliency. Sixteen-year-old and pregnant Rose, banished from her family home, finds acceptance with Ma who knows the stain of prejudice and hypocrisy only too well. Set in northern Florida during the early fifties in a place where “progress moves backwards instead of forwards,” reflections on Seminole spirituality, Christian faith, and a woman’s strength are the threads that hold the pieces together. Four more characters patch in their own intricate first-person voices to the tapestry. Sharing inner thoughts and experience, each one invites the reader to understand how events impact behavior. Vivid images bring place and time into clear view. And then there’s the music: folk songs, traditional hymns, and even “America the Beautiful” sung at just the right moment, like the appropriate tune that appears out of nowhere to match a mood. A riveting ending promises to unlock truths held captive in long-kept secrets. Ma’s Seminole wisdom adds touches of color that linger like gems in any great work of art: “We live in a white world, better to have them fit in than to teach them things that set them apart.” “Ain’t every Christian bad. But if somebody’s pure evil, you can count on one thing. He’ll call himself a Christian.”

Review by Janette Stone (February 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

All sixteen-year-old Rose has is what she carries: a pillowcase of clothes, her boyfriend’s unborn child, and a heart full of shame. In the face of 1952’s strict moral code, Seminole matriarch Ma-Ki Ebbing embraces Rose. Ma-Ki, on the fringe of society, clings to her Native American traditions and secrets surrounding her husband’s murder while her adult children unravel from social injustice.

When Ma-Ki’s children were young, Burl Ebbing approached a wealthy, powerful man who had sexually abused his children. The villain shot Burl’s heart right out of him. Twenty years later, Ma-Ki fears that her children will avenge their father’s death and refuses to disclose the criminal’s identity. The Ebbing women band together, marching through a chorus of grit and grind to unite a family once rendered powerless by a people who invaded their land. Will another tragic death cause Ma-Ki to identify the villain and embrace Rose’s newfound faith?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Literary Fiction

Number of Pages: 312

Word Count: 81,000

The Original Jeeps in Pictures by Paul R. Bruno

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MWSA Review

The Original Jeeps in Pictures is written by Paul R. Bruno and is a follow-up book to his earlier works, The First Jeep and The Original Jeeps. The book is a chronological review of the development of the first Jeeps during the period preceding the United States’ entry into World War II. Author Bruno uses photographs and original procurement documents to walk the reader through the complicated process of developing a military vehicle from inception to production. The use of historical photographs of events that were happening while the Jeep was being developed imparts a sense of the critical nature of this vehicle’s importance in preparing the USA for a war that was clearly on the horizon.

Author Bruno uses the photos and the original procurement documents to tell the story of how the Jeep evolved over the years leading to World War II. The author does not tell a story per se in this book; rather he uses comments and narratives about the photographs and documents to tie the story together and explain why the photograph or document on a particular page is significant to his story. Some of the procurement documents might be too bureaucratic in nature for readers who do not have experience with government procurement processes; however, the use of the documents offers the reader a view of the complexities involved in bringing any invention to life in the military-industrial complex that existed before World War II.

This book will be of interest to those who are interested in the history of World War II, especially the United States’ lead-up and preparation at a time when the primary political attitude in the country was isolationism. This book will also be of interest to modern day Jeep enthusiasts who want to know something about the early development of the modern-day Jeep 4x4 vehicle that so many outdoors people view as the ultimate macho vehicle. The Original Jeeps in Pictures is not so much a discussion of the development of the first Jeeps as it is a visual salute to those early vehicles.

Review by Larry Sharrar (February 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

The spring and summer of 1940 witnessed the resounding defeat of the French Army and British Expeditionary Force at the hands of a modernized German Army, designed to take advantage of the latest advances in technology. This included mobile vehicles, tanks used in formation to puncture enemy lines, as well as close air support of ground forces. The evacuation of the British from Dunkirk, and the final defeat of their French ally in June 1940, left only a thin line of English fighter planes between that island nation and total defeat.

While events unfolded rapidly in Europe, leaders of the United States Army, decimated by demobilization after World War I and budget cuts during the Great Depression, knew they were completely unprepared for this new type of mobile warfare, called Blitzkrieg or “lightning war.” Experts in the Army had worked from the end of World War I to develop a combined light weapons carrier and command/reconnaissance vehicle—but with limited success. In June 1940 the military compiled a list of requirements for a revolutionary new truck to replace the cart and mule as the Army’s primary method of moving troops and small payloads.

This book tells the story in images of the American Bantam Car Company, Willys-Overland Motors, Inc., and the Ford Motor Company, who all dared to meet the challenge to build pilot models, and eventually production models, of this vehicle. Their journey throughout 1940 and into 1941 comprises a story from which legends come. Overcoming incredible challenges and long odds these firms built the original ¼-ton truck 4x4 “lights”, later known as the iconic Jeep.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 206

Word Count: 8,500