The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Enter the Shadow

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MWSA Review

The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Enter the Shadow by Angel Giacomo is a mystery/thriller that takes place after 9 / 11, utilizing worldwide terrorism of that period as its plot line. Jackson MacKenzie is a “super warrior” – a medal of honor winner who has served in the Army and the Marine Corps. He is now a retired Lieutenant General (Marines) living on a ranch in Montana. He and his wife become victims of terrorists taking over a cruise ship. MacKenzie almost single handedly and heroically foils the plans of the bad guys and saves the ship’s passengers and crew.

Later, the terrorists try to even the score with Jackson by poisoning his cattle and kidnapping his wife and friend. Once again Jackson comes to the rescue. The terrorists in both scenes—on the cruise ship and at the ranch—turn out to be humorously incompetent villains.

Other scenes take place at the United States Military Academy at West Point as Jackson is honored for his cruise ship heroism and then returns as his twin sons begin their plebe year as members of The Long Gray Line. The author recounts the traditions, the rituals, and legacies of the academy and cadet life.

Review by James Elsener (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

Jackson MacKenzie’s life is about to change. After retiring a second time, the Marine Corps general takes his wife on an ocean adventure as a homecoming to renew their marriage vows. But he never expected what would happen next. He finds himself hip-deep in international intrigue. Who is after him? The Russian GRU, the FSB, maybe even someone closer to home. Will he be able to save his family, his friends, and himself? Or will the villains defeat him in the end? And he joins the fallen at Arlington.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 149

The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Broken Valor by Angel Giacomo

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MWSA Review

This installment of the Jackson MacKenzie series focuses on the ordeals of one of its principal characters, Army Major Harry Russell after he suffers a debilitating combat injury in Vietnam. While struggling to recover from the loss of his left foot, Harry also takes on the challenge of helping his best friend – Lieutenant Colonel Jackson MacKenzie, falsely charged with treason.

The book is a flashback that fills in the backstory for one of the MacKenzie series supporting characters, Major Harry Russell. The period setting is the waning days of US engagement in the Vietnam War. Russell's opening challenge is the aftermath of a crippling combat injury. He is initially overwhelmed by the physical and mental trials of the loss of his left foot. The pain and setbacks of his long recovery are complicated by bouts of self-doubt and the abrupt end of his promising Army career.

Russell's personal trials are soon eclipsed when he finds out that LTC Jackson MacKenzie has been imprisoned with the members of his Special Ops team on trumped-up charges of treason. His efforts to contact MacKenzie are met with covert deterrents by government officials trying to sustain their cover-up.

A happy ending for all of the characters—except, of course, the bad actors—sets the stage for follow-on books in the series.

The Kindle version is well laid out and readable, but lack of a Table of Contents makes it difficult to navigate the text. Chapters are identified by dates and locations, assisting the reader in keeping track of the setting in time and space. Listings of previous works by this author would also help the reader know where this book fits into the series.

Review by Peter Young (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

Duty. Honor. Country. The motto by which Major Harry Russell lived as a United States Army Special Forces officer. How does he move forward when his entire life has been turned on its head? Everything Harry worked toward all his life is gone. Gone like his foot in a nighttime mortar attack. Gone like his career since the Army kicked him out as worthless dead weight. Gone like his friends, missing on a secret mission. All he has now is himself. And as a Vietnam veteran, that may not be enough.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 153

LUPTON: Last Man Standing by William A Lupton

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Author's Synopsis

To outfox his draft board, Lupton enlists to get his duty station in Hawaii. He joins 2nd platoon A/1/27 Wolfhounds where fatigue of jungle in Kahuku Mountains sucks life-blood out of you. The 25th Division sails from Hawaii; a month hence arrives at Cu Chi, Vietnam. Endless patrols, ambushes, always tired. Red ants and lifers. Ho Bo Woods, Boi Loi Woods, the Iron Tri-angle, tunnels galore! VC lizards mock green troops, “ruck roo, ruck roo, ruck roo…” steps in the night; a mad-minute at dawn. Calamity strikes 3rd squad ambush, all wiped, 12 hootch mates gone. No victory this day, A-Company finds Viet Cong in a big way, survival a fluke. General Weyand’s contrition, “you are men of steel.” Eagle Flights, air assaults, bivouacs, FNGs. An Early Out! Survival! Déjà vu, Schofield Barracks again, B/20/11th Brigade, same room, different day. Garrison life, Kahukus, red mud, thirst, fatigue. Kitchen Police, guard duty, much boredom. Go on the wagon. Big Island, live fire, rainy, windy, cold. Amphibious landing on Molokai, descending ropes, assaulting island, reboarding ship, return to Pearl. D-Company, clerking, vain XO, insolent, “That is MUTINY, LUPTON!” USS Gordon, same ship, different cruise, better chow, same-same to Vietnam. Duc Pho, Bronco, LZ Charlie Brown. The TET Offensive. Transfer to Chu Lai, Aero Scout Infantry, Warlords, Scorpions, Skeeters, Animals. 300-kills, 300-captures, and jaunts to Chu Lai, “you, GI, boom boom me?” Lieutenant Calley, Captain Medina, Mr. Thompson, Colburn, My Lai Hill 85, been there, saw that. Commander crashes, almost burns, we have a real hero when needed. Easy war LZ Dottie, horseshoe games, ennui, beers on the beach, grab-ass hootch maids, and toking Marjee Wanna. Special Forces camps, Minh Long, Hà Thanh, Tiên Phước. O6-LOACH, Slicks, Cobras, miniguns, rockets, friendly fire. Spooky ops in mountains, anxiety big time, capture three 4-duce mortars, maverick pilots fly our asses out, the thrill of night flight. Warlord’s worst day, NVA kill two Animals, a Skeeter gunner, five gunships down, plus a Marine jet. At last, out of infantry into the rear, with the beer! REMF-dom! I have arrived! R&R Bangkok, getting short, mortars walk bunker line. I am out! I survived! Finally, a cure for the nightmare of Vietnam.

Format(s) for review: Paper

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 531

Into the Stars by James Rosone

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MWSA Review

Into the Stars is an excellent combination of the trajectory of humankind on Earth with familiar players, their conflicts, and resolution—forecast into futurism and the surprising unknown.

Written with a believable plot that has relatability to the current world, the book takes us to a future geopolitical landscape here on Earth. It places the reader in a world with exciting and challenging but very plausible events. What happens to mere earthlings when introduced to a broader universe that includes a technically advanced race that is not open to peaceful coexistence? This page-turner introduces the characters, threads, and settings that make the reader want to turn the page straight into the next volume.

Review by August Uhl (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

The stars are within mankind’s reach…but what awaits in the void may end humanity…

Mars and the Moon have been colonized, piracy runs rampant in the asteroid belts, and a thriving society grows in the depths of space. Humanity prepares to embark upon its greatest journey—the colonization of Alpha Centauri.

Then everything changes…

A deep space reconnaissance probe discovers a new Earth-like planet twelve light-years from Earth’s sun. The probe also finds something unusual, something…unnerving. A new mission is created, a space fleet is formed, and humanity embarks on unraveling the greatest mystery of all—the origins of life itself.

Can the factions of Earth remain united, or will old rivalries and animosities destroy the fragile peace in the face of this terrifying existential threat?

Will exploration prove to be a fatal mistake?

If you love new technologies, fast-paced action and gut-wrenching turns of fate, you’ll love this first book in James Rosone’s military sci-fi series, The Rise of the Republic.

Author Note -- This is not a standalone book. This is book one of what will become a 12-book series once it's completed.

Format(s) for review: Kindle and paper

Review Genre: Science Fiction

Number of Pages:  528

Cardinal Virtues by R.G. Roberts

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MWSA Review
R.G. Roberts is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. She served on three ships, taught at the Surface Warfare Officers School, and graduated from the U.S. Naval War College with a master’s degree in Strategic Studies & National Security, with a concentration in leadership.

In her book, Cardinal Virtues, Roberts writes about the U.S. Navy in 2037. The main character, Alex Coleman, has had the unfortunate assignment to work as XO under the command of power-seeking Admiral Kennedy. After becoming embroiled in controversy, Alex is assigned to an underwater mega-station to carry out concierge tasks while marking time until his retirement.

Alex Coleman’s wife Nancy is the commander of a naval destroyer tasked with leading a strike group through the Strait of Malacca. When a lapse of judgment causes a trigger-happy admiral to fire upon an Indian submarine, all hell breaks loose and World War III seems to be underway.
Forces of evil nations conspire to trap the Americans and destroy every one of the ships in the area.

In this technical mystery/thriller, a reader experiences vicariously what it’s like to be under relentless attack. The main characters struggle to outwit a cunning collaboration of enemies both on and under the sea. The ending will leave you wanting to pick up the next book in the series.

Review by Nancy Panko (April 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Every nation wants territory without war. Until the shooting starts...   

Alex Coleman is on the way out.   

The year is 2037, and Commander Alex Coleman’s career is on the rocks. He’s been exiled to Armistice Station, an underwater megastation where you can buy everything... except success in the U.S. Navy. Here, he awaits retirement, doling out supplies and keeping an eye on unruly sailors. All his career aspirations have sunk lower than the ocean floor that surrounds him.  

Nancy Coleman is on the way up.   

Commander Nancy Coleman, on the other hand, is in command of a brand-new destroyer and leading a strike group through the Strait of Malacca. China’s getting frisky, and the U.S. Navy has long-standing ties with Taiwan. China might start the war, but Nancy knows her navy will finish it.   

Neither Nancy nor Alex know of the dark forces at work around them. French marines allied with the Indian Navy in a plot to remove US influence in the Indian Ocean. A trigger-happy admiral lands Nancy’s strike group in the middle of a shootout with the wrong enemy. World War III threatens with every misstep.  

Nancy battles to keep her ship in one piece and her sailors alive. Alex fights to get his band of misfits off the station before they end up prisoners of war. Neither Coleman set out to be a hero. Yet, the bullets are flying... and they both have a job to do.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 386

Monroe Doctrine Volume I by James Rosone

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MWSA Review

Monroe Doctrine: Volume One is such a scary thrill-ride that the readers will wonder how much of it is really fiction.

Four years after COVID-19, China builds a supercomputer like nothing ever seen. Programmed to collect and find patterns among billions of individual data points, it draws up a path to lead China to world domination. At the same time, the world economy and the US economy are both failing, creating the perfect time for a new leader of the world to emerge. The Chinese government initiates a scenario scripted by the computer that uses deception, deepfake technology, and China’s extensive resources to start a war with the United States, and all is going to plan. But has the computer really thought of everything?

This book is an incredibly interesting read that mixes machine learning technology, espionage, and modern-day military action to create an eerily plausible tale that doesn’t seem too far in the future at all. I particularly liked how the authors used pop-culture references to the “Terminator” franchise to further heighten the tension surrounding so much power being given to an artificial intelligence.

Plenty of action and well-written, this book will be a big hit for fans of Larry Bond, Tom Clancy, or Dale Brown.

Review by Rob Ballister (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

It was called Jade Dragon…

…and it threatened to destroy the West.

Was an attack on the U.S. imminent?

In a lab deep in the heart of China, a brilliant engineer had a breakthrough. It was the most powerful AI ever created. Ma Young believed the Jade Dragon could solve the world’s most dire challenges. There was just one problem…

The president of China had other ideas.

Was this their chance to conquer?

The war began at the speed of light. The entire NATO alliance stood on the brink of destruction. Cyber-attacks, deepfakes, and a wave of social media disinformation wrought fear and desperation across the globe.

The sleeping giant was awake.

Could Ma stop his creation?

You’ll love this fast-paced techno-military-thriller because we live in a world where this fiction could be truer than we suspect. It will keep you turning the pages.

Get it now.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 360

Point Option: A Time-Travel Military Thriller by Ian A. O'Connor

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MWSA Review
For those of you who enjoy a good science fiction thriller, Ian A. O'Connor's book Point Option: A Time-Travel Military Thriller may fit the bill. The story begins with our protagonist, Air Force Major David Fleming being assigned duty with the Navy on board the aircraft carrier Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ), operating in the Mediterranean Sea. What is supposed to be an opportunity of a lifetime turns into somewhat of a nightmare when an unexplained anomaly starts sending a variety of ships at sea and planes in the sky back in time.

As the story unfolds, the main characters don't understand what is happening, and they struggle to come up with an explanation to a number of seemingly inexplicable events. As you might imagine, time-travel would not be on top of the list of rational explanations. When the entire carrier is sent back in time, the answer becomes apparent; however, the solution to their predicament is not. I found this book to be a fun, easy read.

Review by Bob Doerr (April 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

United States Air Force Major Dave Fleming lands a dream job most men would kill for. As one of three exchange fighter pilots chosen to fly with a premier US Navy attack squadron aboard America’s newest aircraft carrier, the Lyndon Baines Johnson, (LBJ) little does he know that his life is about to be changed forever!

While flying a mission in the Mediterranean Sea, Fleming finds himself inexplicably transported through a time portal back to Italy in the year 1463. Soon joined by the LBJ and its entire crew, the prospect of being trapped forever in the Middle Ages becomes a terrifying reality, but three days later the ship uncovers the wherewithal to execute its return to the present day. Joined by the carrier’s senior officers, and armed with irrefutable scientific evidence, Fleming convinces a disbelieving US Navy Board of Inquiry that the historical journey indeed took place.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 246

The Carnevale Conspiracy by Joseph Badal

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MWSA Review
The Carnevale Conspiracy by Joseph Badal is a tension-filled thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Badal skillfully traverses a tangled web of international intrigue, history, murder, and mayhem set in Venice, Italy.

Robert Danforth, retired intelligence agency head, and his wife Liz are on a vacation of which Liz has always dreamed. Though Liz is excited about a once-in-a-lifetime Carnevale costume ball in Venice, Bob complains bitterly about being targeted to wear tights. However, the couple never expects to be targeted for terror. Unwittingly caught up in a plot devised by a secret organization that plans to eliminate heads of state and top military personnel from countries around the world, Bob and Liz eventually realize that their entire family is in danger from a madman seeking retribution.

After an attempt on his life, Bob Danforth contacts his friend, the DCI in Washington who starts to put random global puzzle pieces together. Bringing together international intelligence agencies to track a thousand sleeper assassins led by the Old Man of the Mountain is a herculean task in a race against time.

The Carnevale Conspiracy is the seventh book in a series but easily stands alone. This story is a riveting, fast-paced thriller you won’t want to miss.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Bob and Liz Danforth are on the vacation of a lifetime—Venice, Italy during Carnevale. But, when they are caught up in the diabolical actions of a secret organization, patterned after the 11th Century’s Hashashiyan, or Order of Assassins, their trip becomes a nightmare of herculean proportion.

The Carnevale Conspiracy is an epic tale that brings together international intelligence agencies; a cadre of assassins inspired by a 900-year-old sect and their leader, the Old Man of the Mountain; a global assassination campaign that targets Western leaders; an intrepid MOSSAD agent; and a cast of heroic characters and evil traitors.

Fans of Joseph Badal’s Danforth Saga will find this 7th in the series full of the tension, action, and authenticity they have come to expect and enjoy.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 352

Betrayal in the Casbah by Ted Kissel

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MWSA Review

Ted Kissel has taken us on a wild ride in his first novel, Betrayal in the Casbah. His prose makes for easy reading—bold and descriptive. There is a bit of everything for the reader to enjoy—romance, foreign intrigue, terrorist attacks, dangerous old Algiers, diplomatic insight, and betrayal. His characters are likable—the decorated fighter pilot turned defense attaché; the beautiful, sexy, and resourceful nurse; the good ol’ boy from Kentucky who can handle any situation and loves his bourbon; the charming French diplomat; the administrative assistant with a secret; some unexpected allies; and a cast of evil terrorists.

It all begins with our hero, Mitch Ross, barely surviving a knife attack at a diplomatic function. He is nursed back to health by the lovely Abella, who has a mysterious story of her own. Then, upon returning to duty at the U. S. Embassy, he is approached by the CIA chief of station and the ambassador with a special request: a covert mission to rescue a downed pilot from the Gulf War allegedly held prisoner these many years. Mitch begins to assemble his plan and his team with little information.

The story takes us through twists and turns, as windy as the cobbled roads in Algiers’s ancient Casbah. There are unforeseen obstacles at every corner. Can he complete his mission? Read and find out.

Review by Sandi Cathcart (May 2022)

Author's Synopsis

It's the early 2000's in the U.S. Embassy, Algiers. U.S. military attaché and decorated fighter pilot Colonel Mitch Ross needs a dose of reality and relief from the constraints of the diplomatic life. He catches a break of sorts when he survives a brutal knife attack one evening after attending a diplomatic reception. 

Nursed to health by the beautiful and mysterious Abella, Mitch returns to duty and is approached by the CIA with a covert mission: to rescue and bring home a downed American pilot being held by terrorists in Algiers. As he plans and prepares for the mission, Mitch and Abella become confidants and lovers, as Mitch discovers she is more than just a nurse working in a military hospital. Together with longtime friend, French Colonel Yves Dureau and Mitch's assistant, Army Warrant Officer Dave McQueen, Mitch and Abella will risk life and limb to bring the American POW to safety.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 316

Fight for it Financial by Nate James

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MWSA Review
Author Nate James draws on his life experience as a United States Marine, police officer, Christian, father, and husband as he guides the reader through his philosophies of living, duty, and finances.

Fight for it Financial offers the reader practical tips, often scripture-based, for living a satisfying life and making sound financial decisions. Mr. James paves an experienced-based path for people who wish to get out of debt and enjoy the benefits of financial freedom, wealth-building, and positioning family first.

The author identifies nine steps to eliminating debt and becoming financially secure. Some of the money-related issues he addresses include: how to conquer spending, the importance of a budget, examples and strategies for living below your means, the importance of being grateful, owning a vehicle you can afford, and clarifying what one needs versus what one wants.  All the financial concerns mentioned by the author have solutions if a person is willing to embrace the required behavior changes that lead to eliminating, or greatly reducing, debt.

There are many books out there on this topic. What Nate James brings to the table is his personal experience, his values, and Christian faith. Regardless of a reader’s religious affiliation, Fight for It Financial offers sound advice with a sprinkling of humor and personal anecdotes.

Review by Patricia Walkow (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Utilizing a no-nonsense approach with intense real-life anecdotes told by Nate James, a Christian, family man, United States Marine and Police Officer, Fight for it Financial is an easy and entertaining way to learn personal finance.

The majority of people are tired of living the grind of everyday America, but, in reality, it doesn’t have to be boring or monotonous. Americans like to fight for what they believe in, however most haven’t been taught how to fight for a better financial way.

This scripture-based guidebook will unequivocally help readers of all ages and socioeconomic levels tackle essential skills like budget necessities, spending strategies, and passive investing.

The reader will have the knowledge and inspiration to get out of debt, stay out of debt, build wealth and achieve financial freedom. For too long debt has been a hinderance to financial and family prosperity. I offer the reader a chance to change their mindset and provide numerous examples of how I changed mine, through nine chronological steps to attack debt and prosper.

If you want it, let’s fight for it.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Other—Religious/Spiritual

Number of Pages: 187

Voices From The Civil War: North and South, Men and Women, Black and White by George J. Bryjak

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MWSA Review
Much of the legacy of the American Civil War period comes from letters, diaries, and memoirs written by its participants. Voices from the Civil War takes the unique approach of using fiction to examine the heartbreaking impacts of the American Civil War on its populace across several divisions of race, sex, and social roles.

George Bryjak has highlighted more than two dozen social aspects of the Civil War to establish a context for his narrators. He has then developed fictional characters for each of these scenarios and let them tell how those real-life situations could have affected their personal lives. The result is a collection of highly personal—and tragic—vignettes set against the backdrops of little-known aspects of the Civil War.

Voices from the Civil War makes effective use of the juxtaposition of narrative and personal dialog. Each vignette starts with the factual description of a situation, practice, social custom, or predicament and then allows fictional characters to tell their stories. The result is twofold. First, the reader is made aware of an aspect of the Civil War that had a significant impact on one or more segments of American society. Second, the human toll that resulted from that situation is depicted in very personal terms.

While the literary legacy of the American Civil War could be considered to be overcrowded after more than 150 years of writing and publishing, an astounding number of works continue to emerge on the scene. What makes this book stand out is its deft and unusual combination of fact and creative fiction. The work provides a unique take on the conflict and its impact on individuals many readers may not have considered before—women, children, Blacks, and the socially vulnerable.

Review by Peter Young (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

What was it like to live during the Civil War? Not only for soldiers, but for their wives and children, mothers and fathers, sweethearts and friends? How did people, North and South, cope with four years of fear and misery, death and destruction?

In Voices from the Civil War, twenty-six women and men, black and white, young and old tell their stories. Grounded in historical fact, these fictional characters relate how they struggled to survive the greatest conflict in America’s history.

Among the voices are an Alabama man who fought for the Union, a newly emancipated slave who refused to leave the plantation of her life-long bondage, a woman who lived in a cave with her starving family during the siege of Vicksburg, a soldier who survived the nightmare of captivity in a POW camp, and a woman who secretly turned to prostitution to support her disabled veteran husband and their child.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 184

A Gathering of Men by Rona Simmons

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MWSA Review
A Gathering of Men is a World War Two novel of three young men who leave their rural North Carolina home to become airmen in the “Bloody 100th” Bomb Group, flying against Nazi Germany in the horrific early days of American’s entry in the air war over Europe.

Too often, historical fiction attempts to overlay modern attributes on characters, taking away the authenticity of their speech, emotions, and actions. The author has done a wonderful job of giving her characters in this book an “old” feel, depicting simple brave country boys who grew up in the Great Depression and whose fathers had fought in France in the Great War just a scant twenty years before.

Ms. Simmons has previously written a nonfiction book on World War Two, and her expertise clearly shows through in her descriptions and depictions of the men and machines of the 100th Bomb Group, an actual unit that lost over 730 men and 177 aircraft during the war, many of them during a three-month period in the Fall of 1943. Fans of World War Two and military aviation fiction will find this an outstanding read.

Review by Terry Lloyd (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Candor, North Carolina. The town barber brandishes a copy of the May 1927 Charlotte Observer-on the front page, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis on its cross-country flight. At the outskirts of town, best friends Lake, Roger, and Jim take turns hurling their wingless crate down a hill. Eyes closed, they imagine their future alongside Lindy.Pearl Harbor changes everything. The boys will have their chance to fly-not over North Carolina farm fields, but across Germany on bombing runs, facing a determined Luftwaffe. The odds of completing their tours of duty are slim.A Gathering of Men is the account of the boys who board their aircraft for the first time and the men they become in the blink of an eye. The terrors they witness and the pressure to go up again and again and again brings them to the breaking point. It is a moving tale, based on a true story, about shattered dreams and enduring friendship, duty, and honor.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 262

American by Intention by Patrick R Ritchen

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MWSA Review

American by Intention by Patrick Ritchen is a work of fiction although, throughout the book, it often reads like a memoir. The author refers to this story as part memoir, part history, and part love story. Ritchen’s tale begins with Vietnam veteran Blake Gibbs, the main character who suffers from PTSD. The author describes the insidious disorder with a depth and breadth that only someone who has experienced it can convey.

Gibbs sorts through the labyrinth of emotions about his troubled marriage, his job as a physical therapist for the Aspen Grove nursing home, and his relationships with his co-workers. Everything he thinks about and feels is tainted by the war he fought on the other side of the world. He struggles with alcohol abuse, flashbacks, and sleepless nights. While searching for answers on dealing with people who have never experienced war, death, and destruction, Gibbs connects with a World War II veteran. Gibbs begins to see all the puzzling pieces of his existence come together after meeting and developing a relationship with an unlikely person: a Vietnamese soldier and immigrant, Bao Nguyen.

At the end of this multi-layered story, loose ends are tied up, and we see Gibbs coming to terms with his demons while he finds his place in history. Patrick Ritchen’s story will resonate with many veterans and others who have a dark period in their past.

Review by Nancy Panko (May 2022)
 

Author's Synopsis

It is May 1982. Blake Gibbs, a former door gunner in Vietnam and the sole physical therapist for the Aspen Grove nursing home in Denver, grits his teeth in silent protest. Flogged daily by the ennui of post Vietnam America, he is coy about his service both at home and work. His colleagues offer no respite. Neil Rotterdam, facility manager and former Green Beret, continually invites Gibbs to grieve while Elissa Redd, the beautiful and predatory Activities Director, implores Gibbs to peel back his emotional scabs. As if taunting him, Aspen Grove’s television lounged blares forth Donahue's endless parade of veterans describing their lurid dreams and barely suppressed violent impulses. Yet despite the indifference and hostility accompanying his homecoming Gibbs unconsciously yearns to love his country. But how? His chance encounter with Bao Nguyen, a former Vietnamese Ranger, jars Gibbs’ dormant sense of patriotism. Soon thereafter, he begins Alphonse Merkowitz’s post op rehab, learning that he is a former French Resistance fighter. Nguyen and Merkowitz unwittingly launch Gibbs on a journey from a blank slate of patriotic indifference to an American by Intention in the summer and fall of 1982. Gibbs’ odyssey and reconciliation with America culminates at the dedication of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial where he meets the father of a dead comrade. Part memoir, part history and part love story, American by Intention is a multi layered homage to patriotism with all the ambiguity that that word conveys in modern America.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 556

Just Another Day in Vietnam by Col (Ret) Keith M. Nightingale

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MWSA Review
Just Another Day in Vietnam tells the story of the 52nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion’s battle for survival in War Zone D northeast of Saigon in June 1967. With no time to plan or prepare, the Ranger Battalion’s commander, Major Nguyen Hiep, must deploy his forces to attack a suspected Viet Cong base camp located in a bend of the Dong Nai River. After a helicopter insertion into a landing zone near the suspected camp, the Rangers discover they’ve been ordered into a trap and are soon surrounded by numerically superior Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. Only through the heroic leadership of Major Hiep, the incredible fighting qualities of his men, and the assistance of U.S. airpower, does the Ranger Battalion survive.

This is an important story that needs to be told. The bravery and fighting ability of the 52nd Ranger Battalion and the heroism of Major Hiep dispel the myth that all South Vietnamese fighting forces were ineffective in combat. The author’s role as a U.S. military advisor to the Ranger Battalion ensures the credibility of the narrative, which captures as only a combat veteran can the emotions and true horrors of war. If you are looking for a gritty combat narrative covering a battle from planning through execution, you need to read Just Another Day in Vietnam.

Review by David Grogan (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

Keith Nightingale’s accomplishments in both military and civilian life largely contribute to the excellence of Just Another Day in Vietnam as a creative memoir of unusual depth as well as breadth.

Uniquely adopting a third-person omniscient point of view, Nightingale eschews the “I” of memoir in favor of multiple perspectives and a larger historical vision that afford equal time and weight to ally and enemy alike. Examples of the many perspectives based on real-life characters include: Hu, a VC “informant” whose false information led the Rangers straight into the jaws of a ferocious ambush; General Tanh, the COSVN commander; Major Nguyen Hiep, the 52d Ranger Commander; and Ranger POWs later returned by the North.

Nightingale moreover offers the point of view of an American advisor to elite Vietnamese troops, a vital perspective regrettably underrepresented in the literature of Vietnam, including Burns’ documentary. Added to this are well-informed conjecture of enemy psychology; insight into the dedication and often misunderstood role of the elite Vietnamese Ranger forces; the intelligence acquired from debriefing captured Rangers, whose captors had told them that the entire battle had been a carefully staged attack planned by COSVN as part of a larger Total War strategy developed by the leadership of the North Vietnamese Army; and an eyewitness account by a gifted author who is a rare survivor of one of the most vicious—and heretofore forgotten—battles of the war.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Creative Nonfiction

Number of Pages: 264

Into The Cauldron by Glenn Starkey

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MWSA Review
Author Glenn Starkey has given us a very interesting and enjoyable read in his book Into the Cauldron. Although the book is a work of historical fiction, the author pulled a lot of the book from the true events mentioned in the actual diary of a Wisconsin cavalryman who served in the frontier. Starkey's description of the harsh realities facing a soldier in the 1860's pulled no punches. Dirty, cold, and undernourished, the soldiers had to be ready to fight no matter what the conditions. While the civil war wound down, the book's main character, Jonah Gustafson served in the frontier, in what is now west Kansas. The enemy he faced consisted of a variety of Indian tribes.
The book does an excellent job pointing out the atrocities committed by various soldiers against the Indians which certainly added to the hostile attitudes the Indians held against both the Union army and the settlers moving into and through their lands. However, it also points out that the Indians committed atrocities of their own. Rather than play a political blame game, Starkey focuses on the realities of life at the time. In doing so, he has given us an excellent book to read with an excellent focus on the experiences of one man. I recommend this book.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

1864. After four cruel years, the Civil War still raged without peace in sight. The Union Army's manpower was stretched to its limits fighting on two fronts; one on the eastern battlefields against the Confederacy, the other to protect the Santa Fe Trail and western expansion of citizens from marauding Indian tribes and vicious Confederate guerrillas.

Jonah Gustafson's family was dead, leaving him to aimlessly wander. Rather than wait for the coming draft, he joined the 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry, expecting to be sent east into the war between the states. Instead, his regiment went west to 'Bleeding' Kansas and war-torn Missouri. There, along the Santa Fe Trail, they fought every major Indian tribe and Quantrill's Raiders, a roaming, bloodthirsty guerrilla unit. Horrid weather and deplorable living conditions were the lonely troopers' constant companions. Death always lurked near whether from disease, a bullet, or an arrow. But the cavalry of the frontier fulfilled its duties against all odds.

"Into the Cauldron" is the life of Trooper Jonah Gustafson based upon true events written in the pages of a Civil War diary by a Wisconsin cavalryman that served on the frontier. It is a novel to enjoy and learn from; one that will carry you back in time to feel the joys, heartaches and anguish of those days.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 260

The Hidden Key by David E. Grogan

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MWSA Review
Author David E. Grogan has created a series of page turning legal thrillers featuring attorney Steve Stillwell, who like the author is a retired Navy JAG officer now in private practice. In what should be a routine civilian law practice handling wills, trusts and real estate closings, Stillwell instead attracts clients who involve him in international intrigue and violence.

His latest novel, The Hidden Key, features a complex plot that includes the theft of ancient artifacts, Russian mercenaries, and the search for the Garden of Eden. Kudos to Grogan who ties all these disparate elements together in a story that also brings Steve Stillwell full circle in his personal life.

Characters from previous Stillwell novels Sapphire Pavilion and The Siegel Disposition grow in significance. Early readers of the series will want to tackle all three books. Grogan personally visits the multiple scene locations that he writes about, providing clear and compelling descriptions.

The Hidden Key starts in sleepy Williamsburg, Virginia, but careens across the globe to Iraq, England, India, Italy, and the isolated island nation of Bahrain. Stillwell lives a more dangerous life than your normal local attorney as he deals with threats, shootings, and car chases. At times it’s difficult to keep up with the surprising plot twists but Grogan provides a concluding scene that will make the reader scratch his head and say, “Oh yeah. I get it.”

Review by James Elsener (February 2022)
 

Author's Synopsis

When Navy veteran Kevin Jones answers the door for two men he doesn’t know, he can’t foresee the Pandora’s Box he’s opening. One week later, attorney Steve Stilwell meets with a billionaire businessman in a London eatery. As two men burst into the restaurant, Steve’s new client cries out “I’ve sold my soul.” Moments later he is dead, leaving Steve to figure out why.

Steve finds his first clue in a package addressed to his dead client containing an ancient map etched into a clay tablet. Soon powerful people descend on him and his wounded warrior law partner, Casey Pantel, to take the tablet from them. Not knowing who can be trusted and who should be feared, they dig deeper and deeper to decipher the tablet’s secrets. Their quest takes them along a trail of murder and intrigue winding from Italy to India. With time running out and their own motives being questioned, Steve and Casey must unmask those seeking to exploit the tablet’s secrets before they, too, fall victim to its power.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 254

Sapphire Pavilion by David E. Grogan

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MWSA Review
Sapphire Pavilion by David E. Grogan is a gripping, fast-paced mystery that will challenge any reader to put it down.

Attorney Steve Stilwell sets out to help his friend, Ric Stokes, a former Navy JAG officer, who is arrested and thrown in a Vietnamese jail for heroin possession. To complicate matters, Stokes is found in the same room with his traveling companion Ryan Eversall, dead of an overdose and in bed with a prostitute. Alarm bells go off in Stilwell’s head because he knows his friend as an ethical and morally upright prosecutor of drug crimes. Steve travels to Vietnam to investigate, wondering who would frame his friend and why.

Steve visits Ric in prison and discovers that Ric and Ryan came to Vietnam in search of a lost Air Force transport plane piloted by Ryan’s father. Ric relates to Steve that, before the heroin arrest, they had located the wreckage. Fortunately, Ryan kept a detailed notebook, which Steve manages to obtain. In it, the exact location of the plane is noted. However, it is soon apparent that others are also interested in the notebook and are willing to do anything to have it in their possession. One feels the heat and chaos of the ancient Asian city, especially when Steve realizes that his investigation puts his life in danger.

Steve’s business partner, Casey, a former Army helicopter pilot, visits Ryan’s widow in the States while Steve is investigating in Vietnam. The grieving widow gives Casey a file labeled Sapphire Pavilion. Casey realizes that the documents are another valuable piece of the puzzle and when she leaves the widow’s home with the file, Casey is followed.

Apparently, someone has unlimited funds and is willing to go to any lengths to steal all evidence of the 1968 airplane crash and the mission called Sapphire Pavilion. Casey and Steve realize that someone high up in the bureaucratic atmosphere of Washington, D.C. is involved in attempting to silence them. However, the bad guys underestimate the determination and resiliency of Steve Stilwell and his associate, Casey.

The chase scenes in this book will have the reader flinching when bullets fly. Sapphire Pavilion is a fast-paced, thrilling page-turner.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

The Vietnam War ends for a Top Secret U.S. warplane when it disappears in 1968, but for the two men who discover its wreckage 32 years later, the fight is just beginning. Travel to Vietnam with former Navy JAG Steve Stilwell as he and his associate Casey Pantel, a former Army pilot who lost her leg in a helicopter crash, try to outwit a powerful adversary who will stop at nothing to keep them from solving the mystery of Sapphire Pavilion.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 280

Captain of the Tides Gunner Morgan by Charles D. Morgan, Jacque Hillman

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MWSA Review
Historical Fiction is a tough category to write in, but Charles D. Morgan and his friend Jacque Hillman do a fantastic job with the cooperative work Captain of the Tides: Gunner Morgan. It’s no coincidence that one of the authors and the hero share the same name. Charles D. Morgan is the grandson of the main character.

While Morgan has a few cherished memories of his grandfather, he was far to young to absorb all that the older Morgan had accomplished. However, fate smiled on the young Morgan, and he came in possession of his grandfather’s sea chest, which contained numerous scrapbooks, personal letters, and other memorabilia that allowed him to reconstruct this account of his ancestor’s colorful life.

Gunner Morgan lived well into his nineties in an age when most people were lucky to see age 60.  Enlisting at age seventeen (before even there was standardized recruit training) he climbed the ranks and became one of the first enlisted “mustangs” to become an officer.  He recovered bodies from the USS Maine, also almost died at the hands of Thomas Edison, and spent many years helping grow trade between the U.S. and Cuba.  He was an outstanding baseball player, and one of the first executives for Pan-Am airlines.  In short, he had enough adventure to fill three or four lives, and his grandson did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the spirit of his grandfather.

The book reads like an autobiography, and if you didn’t know it was written by the grandson, you would swear the Gunner himself had written it. Morgan and Hillman had to fill in a few gaps using some creativity, but it’s impossible to tell the true historical moments from the filled-in fiction. All in all this is a terrific read for those interested in the early U.S. Navy around the turn of the century.

Review by Rob Ballister (March 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

In 1882, Charles "Gunner" Morgan, 17, shipped from New Orleans as a 3rd class apprentice seaman, Navy No. 817. In 1898, he led the dive team pulling bodies from the USS Maine disaster, reported to Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, and became "The Man Who Started the Spanish-American War." Known as "The Man Behind the Gun" for his shooting prowess, he was among the first enlisted men promoted to officer. He taught the Japanese how to fire the big guns in the Russo-Japanese War and survived working in Thomas Edison's Key West Navy lab.

Yet, he found time for love. He met Vivian, the sugar king of Havana's daughter, married and pregnant, both situations temporary. She became his soul's safe harbor. Later, he helped build the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West. As maritime inspector, he developed Pan Am Airways’ South American airports.

An American patriot, he lived for the moment the sunset's green fire on the sea's horizon promised the dawn. Always he returned to the sea. Board the ships; climb the rigging; shoot the guns when America came to rule the seas. 

His grandson, Charles D. Morgan, discovered in his grandfather's sea chest documents that led the author on a lifetime journey to reveal his grandfather's legacy. Captain of the Tides Gunner Morgan is that legacy, retold as a historical novel, a riveting story of a young Navy seaman whose heroism captured Americans’ loyalty.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 234

Combat Engineer by John Racoosin

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MWSA Review
Combat Engineer by John Racoosin is a well-researched, well-written book about the model citizen soldier. Colonel H. Wallis Anderson was a humble man who rose through the ranks of the Pennsylvania National Guard, earning a commission in time to go fight in Europe in World War I. He returned home to Pennsylvania and his job with the railroad and started a family. His determination and competence saw him rise through both the ranks of the railroad and of the reserves, and all was well until Europe exploded in World War II.

The rapid mobilization of America resulted in an immediate demand for combat engineers to assist the infantry and mechanized forces which were so important in this new war of mobility. Colonel Anderson was given almost the impossible task of developing an engineer group from scratch. Never one to back down from a challenge, he trained and inspired his men so that when the time came, they would be at their best.
That time came in the Ardennes in 1944. In a last desperate gasp, Hitler threw everything he had left at the American presence in Europe in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. When all the other units on the line broke and ran, the only thing between several Panzer columns and the vulnerable American rear was Colonel Anderson and his engineers.

The author does a fine job of detailing the history of Colonel Anderson without making the book read like a boring biography. There is plenty of dialogue, and even material from the German commander that Anderson’s troops faced. Through the entire book, Racoosin does a fine job of painting a portrait of a humble citizen soldier who inspired his men as the consummate combat leader.
Those who enjoy books about World War II, combat engineers, or leadership portraits in general will enjoy this book.

Review by Rob Ballister (April 2022)

 

Author's Synopsis

In his service along the Mexican border and in both world wars, Colonel H. Wallis Anderson, Army Corps of Engineers, commanded troops in the most critical actions of his generation. 

This tribute to an unsung American hero weaves through Anderson's life as a Pennsylvania railroad engineer and as an Army combat engineer. Throughout, he endures tragedy and triumph as a shining example of the uniquely American concept of a citizen-soldier. 

Combat Engineer tells the well-known stories of the Bulge and Remagen from a new and different perspective, that of the commander. In both desperate actions, the senior engineer officer provides the steadying hand that inspires the troops to succeed. The story might seem fit for Hollywood, but no fictional account can compare to the real-life drama of Combat Engineer.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 347

Is Your Dad a Pirate? by Tara McClary Reeves

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MWSA Review
Despite its seemingly tongue-in-cheek title, Is Your Dad a Pirate? by Tara McClary Reeves is a touching and valuable resource for families. Beautifully illustrated, the book describes coping with a parent who has suffered life-altering injuries from both the child's and spouse's points of view. In addition, the book is well-crafted for both storytelling and family discussions.

One of the most vital attributes of this book is the author's use of simple language and illustrations to highlight the importance of family, faith, and love in these challenging situations. Reeves also honors caregivers–of all ages–by showing the vital and often unheralded role they play. Although written with the military family in mind, this book would be a treasured addition to the library of any family with young children facing similar circumstances.

Review by John Cathcart (March 2022)
 

Author's Synopsis

Her daddy went away to fight for our country. And he came home changed. What's a young family to do when a parent is injured? How might they respond to curiosity? In this tender account based on her childhood experiences, beloved author Tara McClary Reeves shares how her family adapted to the extensive physical losses her father, Marine Corps Lieutenant Clebe McClary, sustained. With warmth and humor, this book encourages children and spouses facing similar trials to cherish the gift of family. To hold on to faith. And to choose to be loving heroes on the home front. Is Your Dad a Pirate? will challenge your perspective and deepen your commitment to love.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Number of Pages: 32