Flow, Flow, Flow Your Blood: Sing-Along War Poems by Paul Hellweg

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MWSA Review

Flow, Flow, Flow Your Blood: Sing-along War Songs by Paul Hellweg is a book that incorporates dark humor dressed in well-known nursery rhymes. As the title suggests, the book makes light of serious and painful subjects: injury, death, tragedy, and suffering. The author uses parody for each of the poems, changing the words to songs we learned in grade school. This can serve as a coping mechanism to process the terrors and horrors of war. Each entry is paired with a black and white photograph from various wars, some of them quite graphic. The author includes a content warning on the back of the book regarding the photos, which can be distressing or disturbing.

While this book isn’t classic poetry and might not be considered entertaining, it does open the dialogue for discussion of national policy and care of returning military veterans. In a departure from his previous poetry book—When Eagles Vie with Valkyries, which was awarded a gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America—Hellweg, a Vietnam veteran, uses caustic wit and bitter irony in this volume. This will likely appeal to those who have served in the armed forces, but may provoke discomfort for civilians and possibly offend families whose loved ones died or were injured in war. It may also provoke serious thought as to what is required of service members who are deployed to war zones.

Review by Betsy Beard

 

Author's Synopsis

Flow, Flow, Flow Your Blood reimagines familiar nursery rhymes through a darker lens. With biting irony, Paul Hellweg juxtaposes the sing-song rhythms of childhood with the stark realities of war—violence, loss, and lingering trauma.

Sample Poems:

WOUNDED

Flow, flow, flow your blood
Gently in a stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a scream
Flow, flow, flow your blood
Gently in a stream
If you see an IED
Don’t forget to scream (Aaagh!)

YANKEE DOODLE

Yankee Doodle went to war
Riding in a Humvee
Stuck a peace sign on his cap
And called it all baloney

Chorus:
Yankee Doodle keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the mines and watch your step
And with the guns be handy

Content Warning: This book contains real-life war photographs that depict graphic violence, injury, and deceased individuals and may be disturbing or distressing to some readers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Poetry—Poetry Book
Pages/Word count: 59 / 2,174

Stealing Stealth by Brian L. Reece

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MWSA Review

Stealing Stealth by Brian L. Reece is a mystery thriller worth reading. Gabrielle Hyde is a lovely, devious, athletic, cunning con who could out-plan a chess master. She befuddles both FBI and CIA agents with a team of specialists and the ability to think several steps ahead of others. There’s not only a Plan B that her team knows about but always another secret plan.

During the Cold War in the 1970s, stealth technology is just being developed, and whoever owns it changes the balance of power. A disgraced CIA agent, a disgraced FBI agent, and the female con artist who disgraced them are teamed by President Carter’s administration to find out how released US research documents on stealth was leaked. It is an uneasy relationship of people who are trained to trust no one.

Just when you think you have the story all figured out, there is another twist. Twist upon twist upon twist. Who do you trust? What does Gabrielle do when she’s off on her own? Why is she on that roof? Is the best way to keep the stealth documents from the Russians to steal them, especially since it’s the con’s plan? There are even Cray computers in the secretive Skunk Works facility where the documents are kept and many layers of security.

Along the way, CIA agent Olson learns about Hyde’s personal story and her ethics. He also questions his agency and his own future. They face a shared enemy from their pasts.

The author’s background lends authenticity to his debut novel. As someone who spent years in special operations and strategic command, he is well aware of what happens when plans meet reality. His background also includes cinematic storytelling, so he knows how to move a story along. This is a winning combination.

Review by Nancy Kauffman

 

Author's Synopsis

The only way to protect the ultimate secret is to steal it.

1977. Deep inside the secretive Skunk Works facility, the United States is forging its biggest advantage of the Cold War: Stealth technology. Invisible to radar, it will shift the global balance of power forever. But a traitor at the highest level is about to hand the blueprints to the Soviets.

CIA Officer John Olson has seven days to stop the leak. But his agency is compromised, the FBI is hunting him, and the official protocols are a suicide pact. Out of time and out of options, Olson realizes he can’t save the program by following the rules. He has to break them.

Olson turns to the only person capable of stealing the unstealable: Gabrielle Hyde. The brilliant, elusive con artist he spent a decade hunting is now his only hope.

Together, they must launch an elaborate con against the U.S. government itself. From the dusty streets of Africa to the high-security vaults of Los Angeles, they must outwit a ruthless KGB assassin and a vengeful FBI agent to pull off the greatest heist in military history.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 472 / 127,000

Assassin's Mace, A Jake Palmer Novel by Ron McManus

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MWSA Review

Assassin’s Mace by Ron McManus is a thriller based on current-day technology and weapons. Jake Palmer and his partner Alona Green, both contractors with the US Joint Special Operations Command’s elite Task Force Orange, must exfiltrate Russia’s top hypersonic missile engineer, Dmitry Solokov, with virtually no time to plan or arrange for backup other than Britain’s MI6 chief of station. Russia’s FSB has been interrogating and arresting innocent missile scientists, and Solokov knows he could be next. Border crossings with Finland are being carefully watched with human agents, pressure sensors, video, drones, and, in rural areas, dog patrols. To make matters more difficult, there is little, if any, cell service in rural areas and nowhere to charge dying phones. In addition to the FSB hunting them, there is a highly successful sniper who has no qualms about crossing borders.

Solokov offers more than his technical knowledge, which he is certain is far superior to that of Western nations. The West has been slow to develop hypersonic missiles and effective defenses and faces production challenges as compared to Russia and its allies (China, North Korea, and Iran). The West’s power grids, communication networks, and satellites are targets for simultaneous attack. Their reaction might be a nuclear one.

The major characters have well-developed stories that explain their motivations and actions, and the road to safety for the exfiltration is far from straightforward. In addition to the fast-paced story of their run for the border, you learn some geopolitics, like Russia weaponizing immigration into Finland. In other words, if they can put enough Russians into the border area of Finland, they can alter the political leanings of the area and claim that they need to protect their citizens, as they did in the Crimea. It is clear that members of the FSB are well trained, although the motivation of the leaders of Russia and FSB have questionable goals, strategies, and tactics.

The author’s background as a former naval officer and a Vietnam combat veteran undoubtedly helped him add authenticity to the story. This is well written and will keep you engaged.

Review by Nancy Kauffman

 

Author's Synopsis

Jake Palmer is weeks away from finishing a grueling two-year contract with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command’s elite Task Force Orange in Islamabad. But instead of winding down, he and his partner, Alona Green, are thrust into their most dangerous mission yet: a covert operation deep inside Russia under false identities. With MI6’s Moscow Station Chief, Sania Reed, as their only lifeline, their goal is clear—extract Russia’s top hypersonic missile engineer and deliver him safely into U.S. custody. But when the mission uncovers intelligence with world-shaking consequences, the stakes rise beyond anything they imagined. Now hunted by Russia’s Federal Security Service and its most lethal operative, assassin Nikolai Ivanov, Palmer and Green must outwit an enemy who rarely misses. The consequences of mission failure could redefine the balance of global power and cost Palmer and Green everything.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 363 / 89,000

Colored Pebbles by Del Staecker

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MWSA Review

A time-honored philosophical maxim states, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”

Colored Pebbles is an intensely personal memoir that, based solely on its title and cover, is modest to a fault. A near-fatal health scare confronted award-winning writer Del Staecker with the challenge to reflect on the many meaningful connections he had with others and to gather them into a personal memoir.

He has collected the stories of his encounters with an array of significant people in his life, ranging from family members and friends to nationally known and world-renowned figures. Inspiration for the title stems from the courtship rituals of penguins, which instinctively gather colorful stones and present them as gifts to their prospective mates.

Individual vignettes can stand alone, and the order of presentation does not follow a chronological arc. Each story focuses on the author’s interaction with a particular individual and their impact on him at a specific time of his life. He provides his personal thoughts about how each encounter influenced him at the time.

A dedicated reader will be rewarded with a compelling, cohesive narrative that emerges as a literary equivalent of a photomosaic portrait—a moving retrospective image formed by the diverse fragments of the author’s multifaceted life.

This memoir will appeal to readers who appreciate the lasting influences of others on an individual’s life story.

Review by Peter Adams Young

 

Author's Synopsis

Del Staecker is an American writer of novels, novellas, short stories, and non-fiction in a number of genres, including suspense, crime, philosophical fiction, satire, and memoir. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (London) and Knight of Honor, Order of St. John (Malta). He was educated at The Citadel, Wheaton College, and The University of Puget Sound.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 306 / 65,000

I'm Alive: A Young Fighter Pilot's Diary of the US Navy Air War in Vietnam, 1964 to 1965 by Errol F. Reilly; Kevin Callahan; Christopher P. Callahan

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MWSA Review

I’m Alive, a biography of Errol F. Reilly (Rile), is written with great attention to detail. When I read that Kevin Callahan and Christopher P. Callahan are Errol Reilly’s stepsons, I understood why. It’s apparent from the Callahan brothers’ work on this biography that they loved and respected their stepfather.

I’m Alive is a story of a novice fighter pilot during the early years (December 7, 1964 to October 23, 1965) of the Vietnam conflict. Rile’s entries in the diary were written with a raw emotion laced with a sense of humor. I felt his depths of sorrow with each loss of a fellow pilot to the heights of excitement when he learned his time in the Gulf of Tonkin was over, and he was still alive. In the course of that year, while fighting an unpopular war, Rile evolved into a hardened combat pilot with a wealth of experience to share with others. And he did just that.

Having recently returned from his third Western Pacific (WESTPAC) cruise and the deadly air war in Vietnam, Rile was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, as a flight instructor. This extraordinary man drove cross-country by himself from San Diego to the family’s new officers’ quarters with four rambunctious stepsons, aged seven to fifteen. When I read that, I knew that Errol Reilly was more than brave; he was fearless. In a wise move, his wife and toddler son flew to Florida to meet them.

Stepsons Kevin and Christopher Callahan are now retired US Navy captains. After organizing and editing their dad’s letters and diary, they produced a historical look at the Vietnam conflict from the cockpit of a fighter plane that will live on. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read I’m Alive.

Review by Nancy Panko
 

Author's Synopsis
I'm Alive is the compelling diary of Lieutenant Junior Grade Errol F. Reilly, a 26-year-old US Navy fighter pilot, written aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea during his first combat cruise in Vietnam. In writing that is colorful, perceptive, and at times both humorous and heartbreaking, "Rile" chronicles his daily experiences "living, playing, and fighting" within the context of the Navy's fledgling air war. Covering the period from December 1964 to October 1965, I'm Alive details an untested F-8 Crusader pilot's personal journey from "nugget" aviator to seasoned combat professional. Reilly's feelings quickly change from patriotic enthusiasm to frustrated disillusionment as he begins to experience the realities of deadly air combat over Vietnam. His keen observations provide rare insights into the evolving strategies and tactics of the US Navy. With historical context and explanatory notes provided by the editors, I'm Alive offers a bold, unfiltered narrative of the earliest stages of the air war in Vietnam, and a fascinating personal account of friendship, war, and triumph over adversity.

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 209 / 66,450

Hill 119, Defending a Reconnaissance Marines' OP, Vietnam 1969-70 by Colonel Michael O Fallon USMC (Ret)

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MWSA Review

Hill 119: Defending a Reconnaissance Marines’ OP, Vietnam, 1969–70 is an extremely detailed account of the Marines and Corpsmen of Delta Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, as they manned an observation post near Danang during the Vietnam War. Like a James Michener novel, the account starts with a description of the surrounding infrastructure constructed during the French colonial period: roads, railroad tracks, dams, and canals. All of these features would play a part in the daily operations of the Hill. With two higher hills in close proximity, it was only through aggressive patrolling and regular night ambushes that the men of Hill 119 were able to maintain their presence and enable another group of Marines to conduct vital day-and-night surveillance over a valley that was an NVA infiltration “highway.”

The author, who spent considerable time as the commander on the hill, spares no one by offering an honest appraisal of both the valor and shortcomings of the people who manned the Hill and the supporting 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Most chapters start with a short paragraph on what was happening in the U.S. at that time and in the conduct of the war, to provide necessary context. Even though Hill 119 was an isolated and occasionally beleaguered outpost, events on the Hill would eventually be felt not only in the larger theater of the Vietnam War but also in the United States.

The author uses an extensive collection of maps and diagrams, many of which he and others used during the war. An extensive glossary is provided, ensuring readers at any level of interest in military history do not get lost in the blizzard of jargon and acronyms from a conflict that happened over 55 years ago. This book will be of interest to military history enthusiasts, Vietnam veterans, or anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the U.S. military's final days in the Vietnam War.

Review by Terry Lloyd

 

Author's Synopsis

A narrative account of Reconnaissance Marines in Vietnam. Small Teams launching daring deep Stingray patrols in the bush. On the Observation Post, Hill 119 defending for 600 relentless days and nights. Surrounded by the NVA with the constant challenge of determining friendly Vietnamese civilians from hard corps Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars. Their lifeline were the Marine helicopters that flew out bringing water, ammo, food, and their replacement platoon. In 1969 and 1970, Delta Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division manned the OP and ran patrols in Phu Loc Valley and Go Noi Island. This firsthand account of the Marines and Corpsmen who patrolled deep and occupied the OP describes their struggle to survive. Based on participant interviews and the detailed declassified debriefing reports compiled after each patrol returned to their rear base, at Camp Reasoner, Da Nang in the Republic of South Vietnam. This is their history!

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—History
Pages/Word count: 449 / 261,656

Sheltering Angel of Belleau Wood by Louella Bryant

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MWSA Review

Sheltering Angel of Belleau Wood: A Novel of One Woman's Life After Titanic by Louella Bryant continues the story of Florence Cumings Swain after her husband, Bradley, perishes in the Titanic tragedy. The plot follows Florence through World War I, her grief after losing her son Wells at Belleau Wood, the lingering injuries suffered by her son Jack, and the other losses that follow her into the World War II years. When her granddaughter Eva visits and discovers Jack and Wells’ letters from France, the past takes on new significance as a link between generations.

In this novel, the historical period plays an integral role in the narrative. The letters allow the author to move between Florence’s present day, the Great War, Belleau Wood, and the World War II home front while maintaining the emotional flow of the story. The relationship between Florence and Eva is particularly compelling; Eva’s curiosity pulls the family history forward in a natural and believable way.

The book is well written and easy to understand while still giving readers a strong sense of time, place, and family memory. The writing is reflective and emotionally driven, and the book is well suited for historical fiction readers who enjoy stories about family, wartime correspondence, grief, resilience, and living with the impact of historical tragedy.

Review by Matthew West-James

 

Author's Synopsis
Sheltering Angel of Belleau Wood, a sequel to Louella Bryant’s novel Sheltering Angel, Based on a True Story of the Titanic, is the WWII story of a mother’s grief in losing her husband to the Titanic disaster and two sons to the battlefields of the Great War.
In 1943 Florence Cumings’ youngest son Thayer (known as Tax) has driven her from New York to her summer house in Maine. He leaves her alone for the week with a box of old letters from her sons Jack and Wells, both soldiers in France in 1918. As Florence begins reading the letters, she is visited by the ghost of her first husband Bradley who lost his life in the Titanic disaster.

When Jack’s widow Margaret, newly remarried to a U. S. Consul, and her daughter Eva arrive for a visit, Margaret asks to leave Eva with Florence for the summer as she helps her husband with his assignment to Guatemala. Ebullient Eva brings lightness to the story as she learns about her father from his letters. In the box Eva finds a diary written by her uncle Wells, a sensitive and musical young man who for pride in his country finds himself in a horrifying and deadly situation. Eva learns distressing details about fighting on the front lines against the German army and realizes life is not all glamour and parties.

When Florence and Eva return to New York, Eva meets and falls in love with a U.S. Marine just before he leaves for training in the Pacific as Japanese troops are threatening to attack. While experiencing WWII deprivations, the two women follow the progress of the war, both hoping Eva’s beau will return safely.
The novel culminates at the end of WWII when Florence takes Eva to France to find the grave of Wells who was killed in the battle of Belleau Wood when he was Eva’s age. As the women stand under a clear blue sky by the small white cross bearing Wells’s name, they realize both joy and sorrow are part of earthly existence.

The story is based on actual letters from Jack sent to his mother Florence between 1918 and the war’s end. As with Sheltering Angel, the sequel depicts a true story of real people. Through the book, readers will realize that war has been part of human history since the beginning of time, but throughout hardship and sacrifice, love and optimism have been our guiding light.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Pages/Word count: 306 / 90,500

The Organization: Operative Nova by Daniel C. Davis

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MWSA Review

Operation Nova by Daniel C. Davis had me hooked in the first few pages. Davis introduces Nova Dunn, an extraordinary young woman, daughter of a former operator, groomed from a young age, extensively educated, and trained to develop her talents. Nova works for The Organization with the same handler that her father had.

Handler B is the man who delivered the news to eight-year-old Nova that her father had been killed on a classified mission. Since that day, Nova has worn her dad’s dog tags around her neck. Following in her deceased father’s footsteps, Nova intends to be every bit as good as Jonathan Dunn. The dog tags around her neck serve as a reminder to use her highly trained skills in every situation, regardless of personal feelings.

Nova’s Handler B walks a fine line, knowing the entire story about her father, hoping that Nova will succeed in each mission, earning the right to have an answer to one question each time. Handler B drops subtle hints along the way to steer Nova to find the truth. How will Nova handle what she discovers?

This fast-paced, action-packed book had me on the edge of my seat the entire read, and when it ended, I yearned for more. I look forward to the next installment by Daniel C. Davis.

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

They don't exist on paper.
They don't answer to Congress.
They were built to protect the Republic from the shadows.

Nova Dunn has spent twenty-one years carrying her father's dog tags-and the weight of unanswered questions. Jonathan Dunn died on a classified mission when she was eight years old. At least, that's what she was told.

Now recruited into The Organization, the same covert force that sent her father on his final operation, Nova is beginning to realize that some classified secrets cut deeper than others.

Operating under federal cover, Nova is thrust into three escalating missions that will test her loyalty, discipline, and survival. She must confront a corrupt official selling secrets to Russian intelligence. Hunt down a missing nineteen-year-old girl and dismantle the trafficking network that erased her. And face a Russian enforcer known only as Bull-a man who believes he cannot be stopped.

He's wrong.

Perfect for fans of Jack Reacher, Orphan X, and Atomic Blonde, The Organization: Operative Nova is a relentless, character-driven spy thriller featuring a new kind of hero-one forged by loss, driven by truth, and trained to operate where the light never reaches.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 200 / 50,000

Grunt 0311 Reflections of a Marine Rifleman by George P Berg

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MWSA Review

George Berg's Grunt 0311: Reflections of a Marine Rifleman is a well written and poignant combat memoir by someone who experienced it firsthand. From his humbling performance in high school through boot camp and on to the battlefield, George is honest about himself and his experiences. He tells it like he felt it, the good and the bad, and makes no apologies about what he did or what he felt while he was serving his country as a Marine.

Most notable to the reviewer was his account of being seriously wounded; what it felt like, the thoughts he had, his survival instincts, and his recovery. He talks openly about how it felt to be a Marine no longer able to serve in combat; a feeling which many veterans can probably relate.

Army and Marine infantry vets will appreciate this book and will feel like they are spending time with someone who "gets it." Vietnam veterans especially will recognize and feel the camaraderie that for a while may have been missing when they came home. Well done, Grunt!

Review by Rob Ballister

 

Author's Synopsis

The author recounts his very personal combat experiences as an infantry rifleman in Vietnam. Grunt 0311 is a candid and often uncomfortably frank description of the brutal conditions Marines faced in Vietnam in 1968. The year, 1968 was the most violent of the entire war for the Marines - the operational tempo was extreme and unrelenting. The new Marine was challenged with moral decisions young men in war are often forced to make just to survive.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 202 / 68,000

Seeker by Glenn S. Robertson

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MWSA Review

Seeker by Glenn S. Robertson takes the reader into a post-apocalyptic world of chaos, brutality, and survival. The United States is ravaged by the red death and a nuclear weapon attack that kills the President of the United States and all of Congress. The country devolves into pockets of chaos and remnants of civilization.

The main character, Ghost, aka Seeker, travels on horseback in and around Wyoming to find relics of a once-thriving culture to prove that the nation was civilized.

When a child with special mental powers is abducted by goons working for the ruthless, bloodthirsty King John, Ghost becomes not a seeker of things, but seeks to get the child, Neva, back home to Casper, Wyoming.

Ghost partners with Jake and Carl, who follow the deliberate clues left by Leonidas and Hannibal, the abductors traveling with the young one. The two soldiers become fond of the girl and do not want to hand her over to King John. They try to slow the trek, hoping Seeker will overtake them and save the girl from a fate worse than death.

Will the tactic work? Will Ghost recover the girl without a bloody battle? Will King John exact revenge with brutality? Will Casper’s civilized community survive the evil in this new world? Read Seeker to find out.

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

Seeker by Glenn S. Robertson
More than a century after a devastating disease erased ninety-five percent of humanity, the American West has fallen back into something older—and far more dangerous.

Across the harsh plains and mountains of the Rocky Mountain Free Zone, scattered towns cling to survival. Places like Casper, Wyoming, stand together against the lawless violence that stalks the land. Beyond their borders roam raiders and warbands who live by brutality, taking what they want and leaving little behind but ashes.

In this broken world, a Seeker is a rare and valuable thing—someone trained to track down lost relics of the old world, knowledge that might help the scattered remnants of humanity endure.

But this time the Seeker is not searching for an object. He is searching for a girl.

Kidnapped by a ruthless band of ravagers from the ruins of Denver, the child may possess a gift that could change the balance of power across the frontier. In the wrong hands, it could mean disaster for the fragile communities struggling to survive.

And the farther the Seeker rides into the violent lands beyond the Free Zone, the clearer one truth becomes:
Some things are worth finding. Others are worth killing to keep hidden.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Pages/Word count: 384 / 96,385

Three Years in Tending by Nicholas D. Butler

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MWSA Review

In Three Years in Tending: A Memoir, Nicholas D. Butler delivers a deeply resonant and honest description of his struggles with alcoholism, depression and homosexuality. He chronicles his experiences working in the hospitality industry as a bartender navigating the widespread bar closures brought on by the Covid pandemic.

Butler uses his time in the service industry as a lens to explore the fragile nature of livelihood and self-worth. He bridges his professional struggles with deeply personal reflections, connecting his time in hospitality to his upbringing and the unsettling realities of a midlife crisis. He clearly explains his confusion and struggles, and success in dealing with being gay in a military culture that frowned upon the lifestyle and then in a somewhat dysfunctional, though lengthy marriage.

The narrative shines brightest in its vulnerability. Butler does not shy away from the exhaustion, financial desperation, and identity shifts that defined his life. Three Years in Tending serves as an empathetic tribute to hospitality industry workers, and providing readers with an intimate roadmap for overcoming hardship and finding meaning in life's unpredictable second acts.

Review by James Elsener
 

Author's Synopsis

Nicholas Butler's second memoir is the continuation of his account of working in the service industry as a bartender who struggled to survive the pandemic's massive closure of bars. "Three Years in Tending" seeks to build empathy with readers by connecting memories of how the author (a former Air Force officer) found his way into working in hospitality to his upbringing, sharing the details of a mid-life crisis, and providing an example of how to overcome hardships in life.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 245 / 54,586

The Bureau by Dale Kelley

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MWSA Review

The Bureau by Dale Kelly is a fast-paced crime novel chock-full of law enforcement procedural action and adventure. Protagonist Sean Hurley, an experienced FBI agent in Chicago, takes on a new assignment in Dallas, Texas, with a multi-agency task force. His target: a dangerous outlaw motorcycle gang who may have been involved in the murder of a judge.

While excited at the new challenges awaiting him in Texas, Sean has distractions in his personal life when his live-in girlfriend, Angie, returns to Lebanon to “help her people” and is kidnapped by Hezbollah. He’s torn between his responsibilities to the new job and the need to find Angie.

As fate would have it, while in Texas, Sean accidentally bumps into Dominique, a former love interest in Vietnam. Hearts pound and love is rekindled. Author Kelly throws in a twist when Dominique, who works for a French intelligence agency with contacts in Beirut, offers to help Sean look for his girlfriend, Angie.

Sean only has a limited amount of time to look for Angie, and people in the government want the culprit(s) responsible for the judge’s murder off the street.

Readers: fasten your seatbelts, you are in for a bumpy ride with The Bureau.

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

A gripping FBI thriller packed with crime, corruption, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Sean Hurley is a seasoned FBI agent in Chicago - battle-hardened by Army service, sharp, and driven by duty. He heads a team in a special investigation in Dallas searching for the killer of a federal judge.
This is the 3rd book in a trilogy. All written by a former FBI agent.

The author is a former FBI agent.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 201 / 44,250

Sacred Plunder by Phillip Daigle

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MWSA Review

Sacred Plunder delivers an impactful and action-packed thriller set in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Beginning with Navy SEAL Mike McCall’s wartime service, author Phillip Daigle places the reader in Vietnam, both the intensity of the jungles and the chaos of the sights and scenes in Saigon. Daigle’s sensory details create this story’s memorable and realistic experience.

The novel progresses at a rapid pace with interesting characters—some good, some bad—and villains readers can root against. The characters have their own hidden secrets making them all that more intriguing.

The plot turns down winding roads, and the reader is left wondering which path it will take. When mixing Vietnam veterans with journalists, high-powered businessmen, CIA operatives, Buddhist monks, and Saigon citizens, the outcome can be unsure. Tension is tight lending to the page-turning aspect of the book.

Sacred Plunder is highly recommended for thriller fans and those who may not be aware of this unfortunate chapter of sacred artifact looting during the Vietnam War.

Review by Valerie Ormond
 

Author's Synopsis

Vietnam, 1969: a SEAL's jungle discovery turns a routine mission into a lifelong vow.
Navy SEAL scout Mike McCall discovers a fallen temple and swears to protect the relics hidden there. Years later, that promise drags him back into the war he thought he'd left behind.
Mike is recruited by Joe Kane's private security firm after discharge—ex-military talent doing corporate work in Southeast Asia. But CIA handler Dani Piedra has other plans: go undercover inside Kane's operation and find out what he's really moving through Saigon.
Vietnamese partner Le and journalist Jane Wade help Mike uncover the truth. Kane isn't just trafficking stolen Buddhist artifacts—he's using the antiquities pipeline to move heroin that's killing American soldiers. The temple relics Mike vowed to protect are funding the war's deadliest secret.
Mike works to expose the ring before Kane's network silences everyone who knows. But the deeper he goes, the more he realizes bringing down Kane means risking Le and Jane, burning his CIA handlers, and destroying evidence that could save lives—or letting the pipeline continue.
To honor his vow, Mike can follow his orders and stay silent or blow his cover and face the consequences.
Sacred Plunder is a character-driven thriller about loyalty, faith, and what it costs to protect what matters when the system is rigged against you.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 315 / 91,000

Writings from the Barbed Wire Hotel, A Prisoner’s Account of Captivity and Survival by Diana Maul Halstead

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MWSA Review

Writings from the Barbed Wire Hotel by Diana Maul Halstead is akin to hearing a voice from the past. The author takes up the mantle that her father, Henry Eugene Maul, started as a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III and IV during WWII.

Gene was a twenty-year-old waist gunner on a B-17. After flying eight missions, the aircraft dubbed Laura Jane was shot down on May 8, 1944, over war-torn Germany. Nine crew members were taken prisoner, serving time as POWs in brutal, unpleasant conditions.

For the next year, Gene passed the time by writing in his camp diary, drawing cartoons of camp life, and penning poems, even one titled, “Dear Draft Dodgers.” In the absence of a tablet, he used scraps of paper, including cigarette wrappers, to record daily life as a POW.

Maul writes, “Humor,” as shown in the cartoons he drew, “was one of the few ways prisoners coped with the anxiety and helplessness of having every possession subject to seizure.” The Germans would often confiscate the contents of packages sent by the American Red Cross.

Gene never talked about that period of his service. His daughter, author Diana Halstead, put together the puzzle pieces of Gene’s life, including the time he served his country. Writings from the Barbed Wire Hotel is a tribute from a daughter to the first man she ever loved, her father.

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

A World War II memoir unlike any other, built from the original writings of a prisoner of war.

Henry Eugene Maul was a 20-year-old B-17 waist gunner when his aircraft was shot down over Europe during World War II. He would spend the next year as a German prisoner of war, enduring the uncertainty, hardship, and isolation of life as a POW.

During that time, he wrote.

On scraps of paper, on the backs of flattened cigarette packs, and in whatever space he could find, he created poems, drawings, and personal reflections that captured the reality of life behind barbed wire. These writings were never meant for publication. They were his way to endure.

Almost 80 years later, his daughter brings these preserved materials together for the first time.

Writings from the Barbed Wire Hotel is more than a memoir. It is a rare and intimate collection of firsthand accounts created in the moment, not reconstructed from memory. Alongside these writings are reflections from family and those who knew him, offering a deeper understanding of the man behind the words and the lasting impact of his experience.

This is a story of survival, resilience, and the quiet strength that carried him through one of the darkest chapters of the twentieth century.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 302 / 25,000

Clifford's War: Redivivus by J. Denison Reed

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MWSA Review

In Clifford’s War: Redivivus by J. Denison Reed, Private Investigator Clifford Dee responds to a request from an old acquaintance, Grace, to find her missing daughter. The police have not been notified; Dee is asked to come without his team. However, his tech guru keeps track of Dee with a special watch—as long as he’s wearing it.

In addition to complications in the search, Dee meets Rox, a bartender with a good sense of people who is not put off by the roughness of Dee’s life. She contributes to the team’s efforts several times, unexpectedly. At one point Dee is captured by an old Army squad member who now goes by another name and who has a mission of his own.

The search for the missing daughter evolves into a far more serious crime, uncovered by Dee. There are layers and layers of complex crimes, some of which are still being discovered as the book ends. The Epilogue reveals one character is still on the hunt. More will be revealed in the next book, I presume.

Review by Nancy Kauffman
 

Author's Synopsis

After the conclusion of his case, "Without End", Private investigator Clifford Dee is unexpectedly
pulled from his team in Washington D.C. to assist in locating missing family members of an old acquaintance.
A case that initially appears straightforward but quickly spirals into something far more complex.
The deeper he digs, Clifford uncovers secrets, lies, and a danger that threatens to engulf him.
In the process, past memories and long-buried trauma resurface, especially when he reconnects with a ghost from the past, forcing him to confront his own demons while navigating the treacherous path of where the case leads.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 279 / 76,000

Project Darkheart: a Black Spear novel by Benjamin Spada

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MWSA Review

Benjamin Spada brings back flawed hero Cole West and the rest of Cerebrus Team in Project Darkheart. Black Spear is an off-the-books clandestine unit made up of some of the best special operators the United States has ever produced. Cole West was surprised he was invited, but has since proven his worth. But now he must lead his team against the almost inhuman Mr. Black, a ghost-like mercenary whose methods and beginnings seem eerily familiar.

Black is working for Legion, a behind-the-scenes cabal that wields power to manipulate the world's governments and economies for its benefit. Legion is driven by power and money; Black views himself as an instrument of death. When Black steals for Legion a psychological weapon thought lost to history, Cerebrus and Black Spear are sent to stop them. This sets up a showdown between an immovable object and an irresistible force, and when those two things collide, the shrapnel could take down any family Cole West has left.

Filled with all the action and darkness of the previous installments, this book is a welcome addition to the series. Spec Ops and thriller fans alike will find much to enjoy here.

Review by Rob Ballister 

Author's Synopsis

"THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. THEY ARE LEGION."
Ghost mercenary Damien Black moves like a shadow, striking with precision. An occult cabal has hired him to complete two important assignments: 1) Recover the mysterious Morpheus device, a long-buried Cold War weapon with the power to unleash ruin upon humanity; 2) Annihilate the military's Black Spear Initiative in the process.

Captain Cole West has been collecting a different kind of ghost ever since he joined Black Spear. Haunted by memories of all the lives he couldn't save, and all the ones he's taken, he is now tasked with finding Morpheus and uncovering the core of a new enemy's plot before it's too late.

At first, this mission is just a job, but when a shocking secret rises to the surface, Cole West's determination to kill or be killed becomes personal and more meaningful than ever. Armed with anger issues, PTSD, and vengeance, Cole faces off against his most lethal adversary yet.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 491 / 120,000

Unbreaking the Circle - Stories of Service by SouthWest Writers, Dan Wetmore (contributor and editor)

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MWSA Review

The SouthWest Writers have produced another good anthology titled Unbreaking the Circle. With 119 short stories, poems, and articles, I found this collection of writing well worth my time to read. The stories tell of personal experiences or the experiences of family members. Most are a reflection of the impact of war—some sad and a few humorous. The many poems follow a similar theme. All tell stories of service, either directly or indirectly. Many stories use letters sent home by soldiers serving abroad in combat, and others use excerpts from diaries or personal experiences. While reading, I could see pride in many and disenchantment in others. This is an anthology that is worth reading, and I recommend it to everyone who has an interest in combat's impact on those involved and their families back home.

Review by Bob Doerr

 

Author's Synopsis

The circle often serves as a symbol of completeness. But military service often breaks circles—of place, time, relationships (with others and with self), and sometimes of life—breaks borne by family members and caregivers as well. Unbreaking the Circle is an anthology of recollections by those three groups, stories which range from pride in service, to the trials of combat and their echoes into civilian life, to sacrifices made, unexpected moments of humor, and life-long bonds formed. Funded by a grant from The New Mexico Arts & The Military program, the anthology was a project to promote healing by the authors, and forge stronger connections with those around them: to re-forge the circle of community broken by silence born of fear, since expressions of their experiences—so deeply seated as to be inseparable from their identities—can only be made at risk of having not only their work... but themselves... misunderstood or rejected.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Other—Anthology/Collection
Pages/Word count: 365 / 97,000

Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Checklist by Captain Steven J. Craig, USCGR Retired

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MWSA Review

The author stated he was out to write a "practical, easy-to-follow guide that helps individuals, families, and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters." Mission accomplished. The checklists are easy to understand, very comprehensive, and cover practically every situation and category imaginable. The book emphasizes preparedness as key and highlights that a core of common tasks and activities will apply to most disaster situations across the board, saving time and effort. This guide will be useful to individuals, families, business owners and managers, and even first responders and government disaster preparedness professionals.

Review by Terry Lloyd

 

Author's Synopsis

Disaster and Emergency Preparedness is a practical, easy-to-follow guide that helps individuals, families, and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Drawing on decades of real-world emergency management experience, the book begins with foundational all-hazards planning, offering step-by-step guidance, checklists, and budget-friendly strategies for building emergency kits, “go bags,” and evacuation plans. It then examines specific hazards—including wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, pandemics, and home fires—providing tailored preparedness strategies and lessons learned from past events. Additional chapters address often-overlooked planning needs such as pets, seniors, and other vulnerable populations, along with emerging tools like artificial intelligence in preparedness. The final section focuses on disaster recovery for both households and communities, including insights for Emergency Operations Center personnel and leaders responsible for coordinating response and rebuilding efforts. Throughout the book, practical checklists, planning templates, and real-life stories help readers build resilience and take meaningful steps toward being better prepared before disaster strikes.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only
Review genre: Nonfiction—Reference
Pages/Word count: 62 / 8,940

Wrong Bird: A Humorous Memoir of Misdiagnoses, Corporate Tattoos, and the Art of Being Confidently Wrong by Matthew West-James

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MWSA Review

Wrong Bird by Matthew West-James is a collection of relatable, humorous stories sure to evoke a chuckle or two. The title comes from a tattoo the author desired at the tender age of nineteen. Despite the artist’s suggestions that specific changes be made to the image, the author insisted on the one he chose. Then, in his mid-thirties, author James traveled to Europe. Upon his return home, the aircraft was routed through Helsinki. With plenty of time to kill, James wandered around the terminal looking out of the large windows at airplanes coming and going, when he spotted the symbol he had tattooed on his arm. Japan Airlines had the logo on the tail of every plane in its fleet. The same image, in a different shade, that Matthew James chose at age nineteen. For almost twenty years, Matthew sported the logo of a large company in Japan, free of charge, with no royalties. Now he knew why the artist wanted to tweak the design.

Every story in Wrong Bird is full of self-deprecating humor that makes a reader laugh out loud. But haven’t we all been there to some degree? Live, grow up, and learn. Haven’t we all done something embarrassing or stupid that we look back on with chagrin?

Review by Nancy Panko

 

Author's Synopsis

Wrong Bird: Misdiagnoses and Other Things I Got Completely, Confidently Wrong' is a humorous collection of personal stories about the universal experience of being absolutely certain about something… and being completely wrong.

Through a series of self-deprecating essays, Matthew West-James recounts moments from across his life including childhood misunderstandings, professional miscalculations, travel mishaps, military experiences, and everyday situations that spiraled into embarrassment. Each story explores the gap between confidence and reality, and the strange ways memory, assumptions, and human nature conspire to create mistakes that seem obvious only in hindsight.

Rather than presenting failure as tragedy, 'Wrong Bird' approaches these moments with humor and reflection. The stories show how embarrassment can eventually become perspective, how missteps can become stories, and how the things we most wish we could forget often become the experiences we learn from the most.

Drawing on experiences that include military service, family life, and professional work in technology, the book highlights a simple truth: everyone gets things wrong. The difference is whether we hide those moments or learn to laugh at them.

Ultimately, 'Wrong Bird' is a reminder that being wrong is not the end of the story. Sometimes it is the beginning of the best one.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review genre: Other—Humor
Pages/Word count: 118 / 21,657

Scattered, Smothered, and Covered: A Memoir of Resilience by Sandra Tow

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MWSA Review

Scattered, Smothered, and Covered by Sandra Tow is a memoir told in an honest, no-holds-barred manner. As I digested her words, I felt like Sandra Tow was confiding in a trusted friend.

I was both saddened and horrified to read about Tow’s family dynamics. Despite having a mother who doesn’t feel complete without a man, regardless of how he treats her, Sandra loves her mother unconditionally. Sandra assumes the role of her mother’s caregiver each time a relationship ends. To add to her burden, Sandra also has to care for a younger sibling or siblings.

Although a heartbreaking story of poverty and abuse, Scattered, Smothered, and Covered is also a story of grit and survival. Young Sandra is determined to break free of the symbiotic relationship she has with her mother. These pathological family ties threaten teenage Sandra’s mental and physical health.

Author Tow writes: “Anger can be beneficial and a fuel for change, but my unresolved rage, resentment, and misplaced shame began to choke my happiness and settle into the dark recesses of my soul, where it would reside for years, leaking toxic sludge and polluting my thoughts and relationships.”

She dreams of achieving independence, and at the age of eighteen, Sandra enlists in the U.S. Army, where she can make a mark for herself. Scattered, Smothered, and Covered is a gritty, beautiful story of the struggle to overcome poverty and hopelessness. I will remember Sandra Tow’s book long after I finish reading it.

Review by Nancy Panko
 

Author's Synopsis

How do you build a meaningful life when your foundation has cracks from the start?

Amidst the backdrop of rundown motels and trailer parks, the lines between mother and daughter blur, and a young woman bears burdens she never asked for as she tries to survive the chaos of her life. Scattered, Smothered, and Covered is a story about resilience, family bonds, and the battle to be the heroine of your own story.

In this gripping memoir, Sandra Tow explores the extraordinary resilience that can emerge from life-changing obstacles.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Pages/Word count: 315 / 85,000