Verbal Orders by Larry Carello

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MWSA Review
Captain Johnny Jack McGirt, command officer of the CH-46 helicopter squadron; North Island Air Naval Air Station; Coronado, California, has a dilemma.  A wealthy Texas oil baron’s daughter has been kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group of terrorists and is being held somewhere on Basilan Island in the Philippines.   His old Navy buddy, now overseeing CIA Asian Operations, Dr. Bud Lammers, needs his expertise for the secret rescue mission.  One of McGirt’s previous assignments was a two-year stint as the Naval Attaché to the US Embassy in Manila.  Lammers feels McGirt’s knowledge of the local culture will prove invaluable to the operation.  McGirt makes the decision to retire from the Navy and join the team.  

Verbal Orders by Larry Carello is a fast read, filled with a number of unbelievable plot twists.  The flashbacks provide useful and detailed background information.  The story will educate the reader on  military operations in this part of the world, our alliances with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the difficulty all nations have when faced with a terrorist organization on their soil.

MWSA Review by Sandi Cowper (March 2018) 

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Author's Synopsis

NOT JUST ANOTHER HOSTAGE RESCUE...

U.S. Navy helicopter pilot Johnny Jack McGirt has always been a wildcard, but his superiors and fellow officers are stunned when he turns down Rear Admiral’s stars to announce his retirement from active duty.  After a career built around bold exploits in the cockpit and covert operations with U.S. intelligence agencies, he’s become far too accustomed to following his gut and making his own rules.  The thought of sitting behind a desk holds no attraction for him, no matter what rank the position carries.  So he’s more than ready when his long-time friend and former squadronmate, Bud Lammers, calls for assistance.

Lammers, who left the Navy for the CIA, is trying to track down an American oil heiress held hostage in the volatile, Muslim-dominated southern Philippines.  It’s supposed to be a straightforward mission to negotiate the young woman’s release, but things take a deadly turn as McGirt and Lammers collide with an extremist rebel group known as Abu Sayyaf, Bearer of the Sword. Along with McGirt’s and Lammers’s exploits, there are several subplots – the most significant being a money laundering scheme concocted by the girl’s captors and a Filipino lawyer who runs a charity to help poor Muslim citizens. 

As the story reaches its climax, McGirt and Lammers are swept into an hastily-planned mission to rescue the girl, led by a team of American and Filipino Special Forces. McGirt and Lammers escape with her by speedboat, and all three are ultimately hoisted aboard a Navy helicopter after a heart pounding at-sea chase.

The book concludes as McGirt returns stateside where he’s confronted with two revelations: The kidnapped girl’s location was known all along by the Filipino Special Forces’ commander, who was using her as bait to help trace the trail of ransom money; and McGirt learns that he’s been selected for the rank of Rear Admiral after his boss purposely “held up” his request for retirement.

ISBN/ASIN: ASIN: B076B8JSX5     ISBN-13: 978-1640620117
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 238

Dead Man Launch by John J. Gobbell

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MWSA Review
Fascinating look at a time when the Cold War wasn't so cold

Billed as "historical fiction," John J Gobbel's Dead Man Launch would also certainly qualify as a thriller.  Crammed full of incredible detail, this book sits precariously on the boundary between historical fact and historical fiction.  The reader may often wonder where the historical facts start in the fiction begins.

The sixth installment of the Todd Ingram series, Dead Man Launch is set during the tumultuous period around the hijacking of the USS Pueblo in 1968.  As the story unfolds, the world tips ever closer to all-out nuclear war.  While the rest of the globe is focusing on the ongoing war in Vietnam, the U.S. and Soviet navies play a potentially lethal game of cat and mouse.  That deadly match-up of naval forces—above, on, and under the surface of the Pacific—provides the main backdrop for this story.  But the action isn't restricted to naval activities on that ocean.  The reader will also be transported to not-entirely-idyllic family life in southern Italy; desolate, snow-covered stretches of the former Soviet Union; a Turkish Black Sea port town, and a Mexican hacienda, to name just a few.

Gobbel's life experiences as a US Navy destroyer deck officer are evident in every page.  The details of life at sea: the language, the culture, the family ties and sacrifices, all fairly jump off the pages and lend an air of credibility to the novel.

Review copy had a few formatting errors—including a missing page—which detracted from this fast-paced and exciting story.

MWSA Reviewer: John Cathcart (March 2018)

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Author's Synopsis

It’s 1968, a time when global upheaval seems the norm. The war in Southeast Asia rages along with prolonged civil unrest at home. Amongst this, turncoat Navy Warrant Officer JOHNNIE WALKER begins an extended relationship with the Soviet Union by selling top-secret crypto key lists to them to fulfill a voracious appetite for the good life. This prompts the Soviets to order their friends, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), to seize the USS Pueblo (AGER 2) steaming in international waters off the coast of North Korea. The Pueblo carries the KWR 37 coding machine, allowing the Soviets to read the codified material Walker had sold to them. Soon after this, the Soviet submarine, K-129, a boomer carrying three R-21 ICBMs with a 1,500 range, inexplicably disappears in the North Pacific. The desperate Russians cannot find her even though they mobilize nearly every vessel in their Pacific Fleet. Two months later, the USS Scorpion (SSN 589) sinks near the Azores. With each side blaming the other, 1968 gets worse as a frustrated President Lyndon Johnson gives up and refuses to run for a second term. But it’s not over. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy are assassinated two months apart. With the nation still reeling and grieving, the Democratic National convention iis disrupted by riots that August.

Caught in the morass is Naval Academy graduate Lieutenant (j.g.) JERRY INGRAM. Just out of flight school, Young Ingram is a is a freshly minted P-3 (4-engined ASW patrol plane) co-pilot assigned to a P-3 squadron in Sigonella, Sicily. En route to his first duty assignment, Jerry falls in love with RITA HERNANDEZ. A Mexican beauty queen who has made it big in New York’s fashion world. They settle in Sigonella and Jerry, who has squeaked by in life, due to the influence of his father, Vice Admiral TODD INGRAM, suddenly realizes he is involved in serious bustiness. He vows to bear down and make a go of it, as a pilot and as a husband. Instead, he comes home one night to find Rita in bed with MICHELANGELO RUGANI, a wealthy and handsome Italian ski-bum and Olympics wanna be who also represents the Rugani family’s Enzio line of Fragrances. Jerry beats the daylights out of Michelangelo and is censured by the U.S. State Department and the U.S, Navy for his trouble. Politics are in play as the Navy hangs an article 133 charge, conduct unbecoming an officer, around Jerry’s neck but whisks him off to another duty station to get him out of sight. With Jerry’s disappearance, a vengeful Rugani family (Poster- boy Michelangelo has lost three front teeth and has two broken ribs) sends Michelangelo’s body guard, Giorgio Michelleti, strong man of the Salvati Mafioso family, of Sicily after Rita who has taken refuge in her father’s vineyard high in the hills above Vera Cruz, Mexico.

Jerry is assigned to squadron VP 72 at Barber’s Point, Hawaii. From there and other bases, the U.S. Navy searches for Soviet submarines that seem to be popping up like ten-pins all over the Pacific. And he is uncomfortably close to his father who is commanding officer of the top-secret Fleet SIGINT Operations Control Center in Kunia, Oahu, Hawaii. Todd Ingram’s on-again, off-again friend is Soviet Navy Captain First Rank EDUARD DEZHNEV who he first met in 1942 (A Code for Tomorrow). They disenfranchised later that year when Ingram discovered Dezhnev was spying for the Soviet Union, trying to turn American scientists assigned to the Manhattan Project including his soon to be wife, Helen, then trapped on Mindanao. More recently, they re-kindled their friendship when Dezhnev helped save Ingram’s life right after Japan’s surrender in 1945 (Edge of Valor). Over the years, Dezhnev declines the invitation of CIA agent OLIVER TOLIVER to come over to the other side. Desperately earnest, he wants to somehow help change his beloved Russia for the better. But now, Dezhnev finally realizes his dream for the Rodina just won’t happen, that the Soviet government is too corrupt. Accordingly, he now spies for the United States. 

Eduard is proud of his son, Starshiyi Leytenant VLADIMIR UTKIN DEZHNEV, also a newly minted naval officer. Young Vladimir is highly regarded for his computer skills and is attached to the K-129 which sinks in the Central Pacific with all hands. Only Jerry Ingram, while on a special assignment aboard an American submarine, sees through the periscope what really happened to the K-129. In 1974, the forward section of the K-129 was secretly recovered by Howard Hugh’s Glomar Explorer via CIA project Azorian authorized by President Nixon. Ironically, the day the wreck was pulled into the Glomar Explorer’s moon-pool, is the day President Nixon was forced to resign. But artifacts examined in this portion of the wreck tell Ingram and Dezhnev, the role Vladimir played in saving the world from a major disaster.

ISBN/ASIN: StarboardSide Productions, ISBN 978-0-9839138-7-0 Create Space: ISBN  13:  978-1975895181 10:   1975895185
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, History
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 383
 

My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? Helping Military Children Cope with a Brain-Injured Parent by Brunella Costagliola

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MWSA Review

Inspector Harry Callahan once said, "A man's gotta know his limitations."  And when it came to reviewing My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? Helping Military Children Cope with a Brain-Injured Parent by Brunella Costagliola, I figured I better ask the experts.  Since this book is intended for elementary-school-aged children, and your reviewer's elementary school days are 50 years in the past, it was clear that some outside help would be appropriate.  So I brought the book to my local Great Falls Elementary School (where I do volunteer work), read it aloud to the members of the fourth grade class, and then asked for their opinions.

Although none of these kids had parents in the military—much less one who had suffered traumatic brain injury—they were quite interested and willing to read/listen, discuss the details, and share their opinions about this book.

Just as MWSA does with all its reviews, I asked these fourth-graders to evaluate the book's cover, its artwork, and its content.  Was it appropriate, attention-grabbing, directed toward the targeted audience; and did its message come through?  The answers to these questions were almost uniformly "yes."

The book points out "Seven Cs" (seven words beginning with the letter C, such as cause, control, cure) that can help kids understand what's happening to his or her parent, and suggest various coping skills to help them deal with the difficult challenges they will face.  The "Seven Cs" were integrated into short and easy-to-understand phrases, which can serve as a discussion guide for the entire family.  The fact that the words all start with the same letter also makes them easier to remember.

Having heard from the experts, I can now highly recommend this book to families trying to cope with this incredibly challenging type of injury.  The cover artwork and illustrations are indeed top-notch; and the writing definitely geared toward the targeted age group.  With a little bit of discussion to better understand some of the details, this book would be extremely helpful as a "training aid," or simply a way to guide and focus a family's discussion.

MWSA Reviewer: John Cathcart (Feb. 2018)

Author's Synopsis:
"My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do?" is a juvenile fiction book aimed at helping military children learn how to cope when Mom or Dad come home from deployment suffering from traumatic brain injury. Sponsored by the National Academy of Neuropsychology Foundation and illustrated by Disney cartoonist Valerio Mazzoli, this book was written by Brunella Costagliola, best-selling editor, writer, and proud Air Force wife. Dr. Johnson, a neuropsychologist, along with her mischievous side-kick Mr. Brain, introduce the Smith Family, made of Mom, Dad, Jackson, who is 9 years old, Isabella, who is 7, and Sally, their adorable dachshund. Dad is in the military and he wears his uniform proudly. They love to spend time together and we see them playing outside while Mom cooks. One day, however, the children see Dad pack up. He has to deploy. Even though they are sad to see him go, they know they will be able to see him via computer and they will count down the days till his return by eating a cookie from the "Daddy's Goodnight Kiss" jar. While deployed, Dad is in an accident that leaves him injured. Once his wounds are healed, he is able to go back home to his family. While everybody is happy to have him back, something is off. Dad's behavior has changed. Once a happy, patient, and caring father, he is now moody, short-tempered, and aggressive. The children notice a big difference and wonder, who is this person who came back home? He may look like Daddy, but he is not the same person. Even Sally can tell something is different. The children, not sure of why Dad is so angry all the time, begin to blame themselves for this sudden change: should I have cleaned my room better? Should I have eaten more vegetables? Just when the children are about to give up hope after Dad yells at them for losing a baseball game, Dr. Johnson and Mr. Brain come to their rescue! They explain to Jackson and Isabella that Dad's brain, specifically the front lobe, was injured in the accident. She also gives them a poster to bring home with them that explains the "7Cs", which are "rules" for children to remember. These rules remind them that, "I didn't Cause it"; "I can't Cure it"; but, "I can help by taking Care of myself" and "Celebrating myself". Soon after, the children run back home feeling happy and empowered by their newly-acquired knowledge of what is wrong with Dad and how they can help not only him, but especially themselves. And Dr. Johnson? Well, she and Mr. Brain are ready for another adventure, helping children understand how the brain works! The reason why this book was written is to help military children understand traumatic brain injury. While there is plenty of literature catered to adults and the affected service member, there is very little for military children. Hence, the team behind "My Dad Got Hurt" set out on an a mission to fill this literary gap. When dealing with a stressful situation as the one described in the book, children have a tendency to internalize feelings, since they are not capable to properly express them and verbalize them. One of the most common reactions is for children to blame themselves and feeling guilty over something they have no control over, such as Dad suffering from TBI. This book aims at providing children with the proper vocabulary so they can understand what happened and their role in helping the whole family adjust to their new normal.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1483472577
Book Format(s): Kindle, Soft cover
Genre(s): Fiction, Picture Book
Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Number of Pages: 38
 

Lighthouses of America by Tom Beard

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MWSA Review

Lighthouses of America is a splendid and diverse pictorial collection of the American “castles” guarding our coasts.  In addition to nearly 150 breathtaking photographs, Tom Beard (Editor-in-Chief) and Tom Thompson (Graphics Editor), in conjunction with the United States Lighthouse Society, accomplished a masterful job compiling a treasure trove of historical and often humorous tidbits.  The book educates and delights the reader and leaves him/her hungry to discover more.

Lighthouse construction was the first public-works project of our new nation.  These guardians of the coast were essential for our fledgling shipping industry, making our ports safer for commerce.  Many are still in operation today, serving to guide vessels to safety and to warn of danger.   Many are shrouded in mysterious and romantic legends.  Many have been destroyed or damaged by nature or war.  Some have been rebuilt on the same location, some have been moved, and some have been left to the elements.

The Preface by Wayne Wheeler (Founder and President of the Board of Directors, US Lighthouse Society) and The Forward by Captain Robert Dash, US Coast Guard (Retired) provide useful and detailed information on the organizational, architectural, and technological journey lighthouses have taken through their 300-year existence on our shores.

The book is divided into five geographic regions:  New England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic and Gulf Coast, Great Lakes, and West Coast.  Information is provided on Fresnel lenses, which in the 1840s greatly improved the structures’ light magnification—saving even more souls and cargo.  These days, many lighthouses are powered by solar panels and use light-emitting diodes.

Lighthouses of America is fascinating and would be a welcome addition to any library or coffee table.  The book teases the reader to seek these treasures out and visit first-hand.  It is the perfect gift for those who love the sea and all things nautical, and even for those who will just want to appreciate their unique history and beauty.

MWSA Review by Sandi Cowper (Feb 2018)

Author's Synopsis
Through gorgeous photography, this spectacular collection of America's most iconic and stunning lighthouses celebrates these unique and magnificent beacons and their history. The construction of lighthouses began as this new nation's first public-works project in 1789 and established the United States as a maritime world power by making ports safe for navigation. Early lights shined from reflectors bouncing the flickering flames from multiple lard-burning lanterns. Towers boosting the lights high, making them visible over the horizon to sailors, came in hundreds of architectural designs and construction materials. Then, in the early 1800s, came the amazing Fresnel lenses, first boosting light from the oil flame and later by electric lamp Today, LED science has become the light for navigational aids in this country. From Maine's West Quoddy Head to North Carolina's iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Alaska's Eldred Rock to Southern California's Fort Point Lighthouse, and Michigan's Holland Harbor, these structures--many still active and serving their original purpose--are living museums and popular tourist destinations.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-59962-140-1
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): History
Review Genre: Artistic—Pictorial
Number of Pages: 176

 

Heart of Gray: Lt. Raymond "Iggy" Enners, Courage and Sacrifice of a West Point Graduate in Vietnam by Richard Enners

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MWSA Review

Heart of Gray is a sincere tribute to First Lieutenant Raymond Enners, who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam after graduating West Point in 1967.  It was penned by his brother, Richard, also a West Point graduate, class of 1971.
The book honors not just Ray's military service, but his entire life, from when he was a star athlete in high school up through the day he died, and includes poignant memories from his classmates, soldiers, and family members about his death and the days and weeks after.

The author did an excellent job of reaching out his brother's classmates, friends, and fellow soldiers to have them discuss not just his brother's personality and actions, but also his character and leadership style.  As a service academy graduate myself, it was wonderful to read about and see not just the man but the leader remembered, because those of us that have served know that is an important part of our legacy.

Service academy graduates, Vietnam veterans, and those interested in leadership biographies will enjoy this book.  I very much would have enjoyed meeting Lieutenant Enners, and his brother did an excellent job of preserving his legacy with this book."

MWSA Reviewer: Rob Ballister (Feb 2018)

Author's Synopsis

Heart of Gray is a riveting narrative of a leader-warrior who chose the “harder right instead of the easier wrong” when on 18 September 1968 in a brutal firefight near Xã Ky Mao he rescued a wounded squad leader ten meters from the NVA position then led his platoon into the thicket, giving his life in the process. For his actions he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest award for valor.

It’s a pulse pounding combat story of events that took place in Quảng Ngãi Province as seen through the lens of Ray’s letters and the Soldiers he served with and commanded. 

Heart of Gray takes you on a journey of selflessness and sacrifice, a journey of how West Point and its values of “Duty, Honor, Country” influenced his thought process, a journey of how the game of lacrosse and the warrior spirit contributed to his never quit attitude, a journey of how his rigorous military training provided the confidence and courage to face life threatening situations.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-942613-37-4
Book Format(s): Hard cover
Genre(s): Memoir
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 240
 

Enemies; by Richard Whitten Barnes

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MWSA Review
Enemies share similar perspectives of war, but with an interesting twist.

Vivid memories of the World War I trenches flooded Jurgen Stern as he glanced at drawings found in an Ottawa hotel in 1968. Some of the scenes were from the battlefields where he fought long ago. Stern traced the owner of the drawings to a former Canadian soldier, Brian MacLennan, now like Stern, an old grandfather.

They fought against each other in the same battles, yet had not met. But one of the drawings compelled Stern to track down MacLennan and solve a 50-year-old mystery that had caused the German to hold on to a postcard size portrait sketched on the back of a map that he took from Canadian soldier. The rendering was identical to one in MacLennan's portfolio.

Enemies follows both men as teenagers who matured quickly in their first minutes of combat. Through them, author Richard Whitten Barnes brings alive the fear, sounds, smells, and horrors of trench warfare. The reader experiences the emotional and physical strains on the young soldiers as they watch friends die and become maimed in horrific ways. They both pine for a special girl back home as they try to sleep in water clogged craters.  Through these up close and personal experiences, which are written in a well-balanced narrative, the reader has a realistic view of the “War to end all Wars” from the perspective of privates and junior NCOs.
Through all this is an intricately woven plot that comes to light as the two old veterans meet for the first time and discuss the drawings. They quickly form a friendship that takes the story to a surprising and heartwarming climax.  

I recommend this fast-paced book. 

MWSA Reviewer: Joe Epley
 

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Author's Synopsis

It is November 11, 1968, fifty years to the day since the armistice of the Great War.. The seventy year old German diplomat Jurgen Stern is in Ottawa, Canada on a special assignment. He rescues a portfolio mistakenly left behind in his hotel lobby by a man near his own age. Inside are drawings that are obviously from a soldier’s perspective of WW1. One of the sketches is so intriguing he is compelled to find this man and learn the truth about it.

The story reverts back to 1916 when Brian MacLennan, a farm boy from northern Ontario joins the Canadian Expeditionary Force. At the same time, young Jurgen Stern has been conscripted by the Imperial German Army. Their experiences in that brutal war are followed until they become entangled in a way that will take fifty years to unravel. The two men face the consequences of those events a half century in the past and must put them right.

The War Years and the Willard Years; by Nancy Kauffman

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MWSA Review
Will be added shortly.
MWSA Reviewer: 
 

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Author's Synopsis
Dr. Bill Kauffman was an observant Army physician with a sense of humor who served on troop ships during World War II. He kept journals of his 18 trips mostly in the North Atlantic as well as the invasion of Sicily and a trip around the world; enriching historical context is provided for each journal. After the war, Doc settled in Ohio where he was dedicated his patients, loved especially by children, and where he reached out to his community. This book is a celebration of Doc's life.

The Second Mouse Goes Digital: Self-Publishing Comes of Age; by Carolyn P. Schriber

Author's Synopsis:
“Write these things on a rock!”

In this updated version of The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese: How to Avoid the Traps of Self-Publishing, best-selling author Carolyn Schriber takes a closer look at the self-publishing innovations that have opened the gates to mainstream book publication. In twelve detailed chapters, she leads the writer through the self-publishing process, from that first decision to forego traditional publishing, through setting up a business and office, choosing the right software and social media platforms, planning the book, writing the first draft, revising, editing, choosing the best publishing partners, and finally to the book launch and marketing phase. Her words are still based on her personal experiences and still touched with her wise advice and gentle humor. Among her new rules to write on a rock are these:

•Treat your writing like a business.
•Words are meant to be read.
•Software does not come in one-size-fits-all. 
•Don’t start your author journey until you know where you are going.
•Do your homework.
•Watch your language,
•Your cranky old English teacher knew her stuff.
•Remember that your words (and mistakes) will outlive you.
•Don’t be fooled by promises of instant fame and fortune.
•Choose your publishing partners wisely.
•Give your readers what they love at a price they can afford.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-9993060-1-7
Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre: Nonfiction, Reference, How to/Business, Anthology
 

A Time To Remember; by V G Gallagher

Author's Synopsis:
A fast moving memoir full of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, history and nostalgia, as we meet a youth from Queens County, NYC, soldiering from the age of 15, facing the unknown in the Korean War in the early 1950s. Share his teen exploits looking down the barrel of a bandit’s handgun while tending the fountain in the local drugstore, on to escapades in the Army, and in private life as he advances from puppy love explorations to his love of a lifetime, all by the age of 20! He and his young bride forge ahead through adversity to success, through tears and laughter, to achieve the American Dream. Journey with them down their path of chance and uncertainty, now looking back and enjoying their triumphs and A Time to Remember. Inspirational and entertaining, it’s a story with universal appeal, something for everyone. This memoir may enchant you, humor you, or even bring a tear to your eyes. An entertaining read for anyone and a must for a veteran. The author says it like it was, using the vernacular of those forgotten times and events.

Facing the Dragon; by Philip Derrick

MWSA Review:
A young boy witnesses the unthinkable, and in pursuit of revenge becomes a man.

Facing the Dragon, by Philip Derrick is one of the best Vietnam war era thrillers I've had the pleasure of reviewing. From page one, Derrick skillfully led me down his visionary path of a boy coming of age in a war zone. Not only were his characters in Facing the Dragon believable, they came to life for me. I was completely drawn in and held captive until the very end.

Derrick had me catching my breath, squirming in my seat, and shouting at my Kindle. Fear, frustration, helplessness, sorrow—I was emotionally embroiled with each page turn. Derrick is a master storyteller; Facing the Dragon satiates the categories of both mystery and thriller. I look forward to reading Philip Derrick's next book.

Reviewed by Sandra Miller Linhart, MWSA Reviewer

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Author's Synopsis:
A hitchhiker. A cavern. A series of murders over 25 years.
January 1970 - Twelve days ago fifteen year old Jim Peterson's biggest worry was failing his Geometry class. Now he is Vietnam impersonating a U.S. Army paratrooper. He's there to solve a mystery and make up for his cowardice.

Can someone without military training survive in a combat zone?
Will he find the answers that he seeks?
Or will someone see him as a loose end that needs to fixed?

A compelling page turner, FACING THE DRAGON is a coming-of-age story, wrapped in an historical mystery, and played out in a exotic land at war. Join the adventure.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-9991202-0-0
Book Format(s): ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages:
 

Doing a 180 at 60; by John Takacs

MWSA Review

Sixty is the youth of old age...

"Doing an 180 at 60" is a short motivational book written in a breezy, casual style often sprinkled with humor and sage advice. It is written to help us older folks get more enjoyment as we enter the senior citizen phase of life. 

Finding himself becoming sedimentary at age 60, the author made a U-turn in his life style and set an ambitious goal to accomplish 60 adventures or experiences that he had done in his younger years. This included modifying his diet and engaging in disciplined physical training programs that enabled him to compete in Ironman and triathlon contests, scuba diving, motorcycle riding, skydiving and other less strenuous outdoor activities.  

The author also recognizes not everyone wants to participate in demanding triathlon or Ironman events, but he does encourage his readers to get involved in outdoor activities.

Knowing first-hand how it can be done, John Takacs used his personal experiences in writing "Doing a 180 at 60." Through entertaining and often funny anecdotes, he provides inspirational advice on 60 being a renewal of life, not the start of life's ending. 

Review by Joe Epley, MWSA Reviewer
 

Author's Synopsis:
How many times have you heard that getting old was a bitch? What if it didn't have to be? What if getting older actually meant getting better?

Author John Takacs takes us on an adventure and shares his journey of transformation from overweight out of shape author to world-class Ironman triathlete in his age group. Along the way he shows us that many of the adages of old age are faulty. Join him in taking steps to:

Change your diet and change your health
Start moving and exercising for a more complete life
Actually go back to doing the things you once loved and enjoyed

You can do a You-turn, but only if you start the process now. If you want a better quality of life at any age, this is the book for you.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-943267-21-7
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): How to/Business, Anthology
Review Genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business
Number of Pages: 157
 

The Drifter; by Michael D Mullins

MWSA Review

Russell Pearce, “The Drifter,” wants a major change in his life. He has been a hired assassin, dispatching the enemies of the U.S. all over the world, but he is tired of living that life. He wants to drift, to disappear for a while in the mid-South, mostly Tennessee, to see the countryside, and to think.

As he embarks on his leave of absence from federal service, he keeps a low profile, staying in campgrounds and cabins, paying cash for almost everything, listening to nature, awakening with the sun, and making friends along in the way among barkeeps and restaurant owners. The author makes it very clear Russell enjoys home-cooked meals, and although Russell desires solitude, it seems that trouble finds him. He has an innate desire to help those who need it, and it results in several robberies which he foils, helping a shunned old woman, and setting a homeless Vietnam veteran on the right track to recovery. And that’s just the small stuff, some of which required him to use his considerable assassin skills. 

In the area where he has decided to live for a little while, he recognizes an Islamist terrorist who slipped his grasp in the Middle East. Azim  is now setting up a terror cell in the very town where Russell has met a woman, Jill. After Russell prevents many people in a church group from getting killed as a result of the actions of this terrorist, he disappears for a while, but promises to return to Jill. 

His attempt to become “invisible” involves his using multiple identities, having his truck repainted, and having his cell phone fool anyone who could track it. He meets or reconnects with helpful people throughout the book. But he is tired of this life in intrigue and makes a decision that will allow him to explore his softer side and lead him to an adventure in relationships.

Russell Pearce is a likeable character, if a little unbelievable. But the reader goes along with him and enjoys his exploits, hoping he will find whatever it is, besides peace, he is looking for in life on his leave of absence from the CIA. Will he ultimately change his life forever, and settle down? Or his way of living too set for him to change?  Read this enjoyable tale to find out the answer.

Reviewed by Patricia Walkow, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis
The Drifter is a story about a Vietnam veteran and career Central Intelligence Agency operative who had one assignment too many. It made him question his heart and soul. Did have any of either left? Were they hardened beyond redemption? Richard Pearce loves America and serving its people, wherever that took him, whatever he had to do, but fears he lost his humanity as his expertise became legend. Pearce begins a journey to find the answers to his questions, to quell his introspection. Along the way he finds adventure and discovers that his instinct to protect people is as automatic as breathing. His travel takes him into the heartland of his country where he hopes to find a way to fend off his demons. Somewhere in the magnificent mountains of the south he hopes to find peace in himself and perhaps even some way to forgive himself for a life defined by violence

ISBN: 194326712X
Genre: Thriller
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Pages: 224

After Bloody Shiloh; by Larry Murley

MWSA Review
Civil War novels tend to share certain common features. The majority tell the story of the war from the winning side. But those books with a Northern focus are more likely to be filled with tales of great battles won, brilliant generals leading the way, and patriotic citizens at home bravely carrying on in the face of dangers. Those with Confederate sympathies are more likely to be romantic in nature, with bell-skirted damsels waiting sadly but bravely for their heroes to come home, “bloody but unbowed.” Narrators and main characters tend to be men with relatively high military rank, so they are in a position to understand and explain the battles taking place. And the action usually takes place in easily recognizable places like Gettysburg or Appomattox.
 
Josh’s story features none of those characteristics. His letters from the western front come from places like Pumpkinville, Georgia, or Tullahoma, Tennessee. His comrades are still his good old friends from back home. And his main concerns include the sole of his boot that keeps falling off and the cookies he failed to share with his mates. This story is simple fare, too—the war through the eyes of an uneducated and inexperienced farm boy thrust into a cataclysm he cannot hope to understand. The story is therefore limited but also fascinating in the manner of a trainwreck one cannot help but watch.
 
Civil War buffs will learn nothing new here, but young readers who need characters with whom they can identify may enjoy the book.
Reviewed by Carolyn Schriber, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
Young Josh leaves his home in the hills of northern Mississippi to go and join the Confederate Army at Corinth, Mississippi in April, 1862 to help defend his home form the damn Yankees. Only he discovers that the war will test everything he believes in. As the months progress, he describes camp life and the battles of the western theater of the Civil War through letters home to his parents and family back home in Mississippi.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-9960148-8-5, 0-9960148-8-8 paper version
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 207
 

In the Company of Decent Men; by Andy Horne

MWSA Review

For combat veterans, wartime is more than just memories. In author Andy Horne’s book, In the Company of Decent Men, Bill Boston has fought his personal demons and survived. When revisiting the old family where he hid from society after the war, he remembers a particularly bad battle in 1969.

David Armstead, another veteran who now serves as Assistant Secretary of State for International Security Affairs, comes face-to-face with his memories when a former North Vietnamese enemy, Phan Tran Nguyen, reveals secret information dating back to that same battle in 1969.

Edward Stroud, an officer in the battle, is currently a US Senator and has set his sights on the upcoming presidential election.

The three menserved together on Swift Boats, patrolling the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta.Now, many years later, their fortunes are again intertwined as the past is brought to light.

In the first chapters of the book, the author sets the scene for a political thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Most readers love stories where good triumphs over evil and In the Company of Decent Menmost certainly delivers.

Review by Pat Avery, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
In the Company of Decent Men is a political action thriller with its share of true-to-life heroes; these are not superheroes or darkly flawed stick figures of extraordinarily violent and fantastic behavior. They are, instead, the good, decent and ordinary men and women always preponderant elements in the high drama of life, especially when compared to publicly adored heroes, deserved or not.

First presented, is a retrospective on a particular brown water raid in a hostile canal complex of Vietnam's Mekong Delta that ends in disaster. More than three decades later, perceptions and known facts are re-examined. With the backdrop of pending selection of candidates for U.S. President, clarity emerges from these distant shadows.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-945507-16-8
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Historical Fiction
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 380

A Time For War; by Ronald Wheatley

MWSA Review
This is a collection of newspaper columns written for a local paper which captures the stories of veterans who have some connection to Scituate, Massachusetts.  The book is organized chronologically by conflict, dating back to the Revolutionary War through the recent war in Afghanistan.  Only World War I is missing. 

The author’s ancestor, who was born in 1765, represents that earliest war where he often served as a substitute for others.  Because this Wheatley lost his discharge papers, he had to wait until age 80 before he was finally granted a pension for his service.

The Civil War is represented by three letters from one of three brothers who was involved with the Siege of Petersburg, which lasted from June 9, 1864 until March 25, 1865.  All three letters were written in the summer of 1864.

The longest section is represented by World War II veterans.  The author recognized that veterans’ stories were being lost and were worth recording.  His stated goal is to “provide some insight into not only the veteran’s service but also the times when the veteran chose to serve.”  (page xii)
Reviewed by Nancy Kauffman, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
"This work, fashioned over 20 years, is a marvelous testament to the diversity of those who have participated in American conflicts and of their many and sundry expressions of patriotism...a valuable historical record of martial valor that’s well-researched, intelligently organized, and lovingly offered. An engaging journalistic account of American military and civilian service during wartime."
—Kirkus Reviews

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-55571-814-5
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History, Biography
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 370

June 17, 1967 - Battle of Xom Bo II; by David Hearne

MWSA Review
I am always amazed by the courage and ability to do one’s job under the greatest duress without thought for their own lives, be severely wounded and yet still function to protect the lives of fellow warriors. Mr. Hearne’s book presents a vivid description of kids 18, 19, 20 years old doing just that. His descriptions of the ferocious battle against one of the legendary North Vietnamese battalions is real, and even after 50 years removed from the war, touched me very deeply. I had to stop reading many times as it began to bring back my own memories of that horrible war. But, I’m so glad to have read it.

Mr. Hearne’s book is an attempt to honor his fellow warriors, both those who survived and those who did not. I applaud him for his determination in putting together what must have been a personally difficult undertaking to bring back the names, backgrounds, and search for what happened to those who survived after the war. So many of the after-war stories were very familiar, and all one needs to do to see them is sit outside a VA Hospital and chat with those who experienced it.

I sincerely hope Mr. Hearne’s book is read by every member of the families whose brother, husband, or son participated in the Battle to have an appreciation of the courage of such young men who should have been playing baseball or football or going to college, yet found themselves in a furious battle for their lives, doing things just a year before they could never have imagined. Be proud of them, whatever you think about the war aside, these were our best and they proved it on the battlefield. Read the descriptions of the sounds of war, the bullets hitting, rocket propelled grenades blowing up around you, the whistles and screams the enemy utilized to unnerve these kids, and imagine yourself in such a circumstance if you can.

When reading Mr. Hearne’s book, we should also be proud of the leaders of these men, the ones willing to stand with them in the heat of the battle and provide such calm leadership. I believe Mr. Hearne has done an excellent job in honoring those who participated in the Battle of Xom Bo II, including himself. He has truly reached out in the form of a book to carry the message forward for those who cannot, and for that reason, I respect him highly.

I flew 127 combat missions in Vietnam, and was close in over many of these battles, and I could never imagine what the guys on the ground were going through. Now I know. Thank you, Mr. Hearne and God Bless you and those you served with.
Review by Danny Johnson, MWSA Reviewer
 

Author's Synopsis:
The true story of the battle of Xom Bo II that was fought on June 17, 1967. It was a battle that pitted less than five hundred 1st Infantry Division soldiers against 800 to 2000 Viet Cong from the 271st Regiment. The bloody clash took the lives of 39 Americans and seriously wounded 150 more. It is the minute by minute story of what happened that day in the steamy jungle and the story of the men who fought so valiantly to survive the ambush. It is the story of the loved ones left behind and the wounded who struggled to become whole again. It's a story that is the result of talking to many of the survivors of the battle and the wives, brothers, sisters, or friends of those who were there when over 8000 artillery rounds rained down around LZ X-Ray to dislodge the entrenched Viet Cong. June 17, 1967 is a story of war, men, and the loved ones. It is the story of the youth, culture and happenings that made the battle of Xom Bo II such an enigma for the summer of love in 1967.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0975597651
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Genre(s): Nonfiction, History
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 358
 

Aztec File by Dale Dye

MWSA Review
Veteran, actor and author Dale Dye doesn’t disappoint in the latest installment of his “Shake Davis” series, Aztec File.

Retired Marine Warrant and counterintelligence operative Shake Davis just wants to live quietly with his wife Chan in a small town in Texas. Unfortunately, after years of chasing bad guys, Shake’s past keeps pulling him back in, with old friends aware of his reputation offering him “one more go,” at an adrenaline rush to protect the country he loves. Patriot that he is, Shake just can’t say no, and what starts as a simple reconnaissance entangles him in web where he is squarely in the sights of ISIS radicals and Mexican drug runners. Can the Gunner stay one step ahead one more time?

This book moves quickly and is a joy to read. The author inserts recent events into the story in order to both provide background and also comment on the current state of counterterrorism operations in the United States. Shake is a character that even first time reader’s of Dye’s work (like me) will appreciate and like, and the rest of the characters only add to the great story.

Fans of Dale Brown, Tom Clancy, and Jeff Edwards will enjoy this book.
Review by Rob Ballister, MWSA Awards Director

Author's Synopsis:
Shake Davis is back! Retired Marine officer Dale A. Dye returns with the seventh novel in his popular, award-winning “File” series: Aztec File. It’s time to Shake, rattle and roll.

When a former Marine and retired Texas Ranger drops by with evidence indicating terrorists are training south of the U.S. border, Gunner Shake Davis is more than a little interested in the back story. Determined to investigate the situation himself, Shake and his team head south across the Rio Grande where they discover a deadly connection between Middle Eastern terrorists and Mexican drug smugglers.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1944353131
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller
Number of Pages: 280
 

Ranger's Sacrifice; by Tracey Cramer-Kelly

MWSA Review

Sex, commitment and careers come together in Ranger’s Sacrifice. Two couples, Cory and Maddy and Chase and Ella, work to build their relationships amidst war and separation. Is it possible to find and keep true love alive under these circumstances?

Cory and Chase are members of the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, an airborne unit assigned to special missions. Absent from home much of the time, both have discovered the possibility of lasting relationships. At home, Maddy and Ella must continue their lives while waiting and hoping their men return safely.

Ella, both Chase’s girlfriend and Cory’s little sister, is recovering from a disastrous relationship with Rolando. Maddy is a doctor who met Cory when she treated Ella.

Ranger’s Sacrifice offers plenty of hot sex scenes to tantalize readers. However, can
good sex lead to healthy, lasting relationships? The author digs into the issues of
communication, waiting at home, long-distance relationships and life-changing
events as the story develops. Ranger’s Sacrifice is the second book in the Army
Ranger Series. The author is currently working on book three, Ranger’s Choice.

Review by Pat Avery, MWSA Reviewer

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Author's Synopsis:
Tracey Cramer-Kelly is an award-winning author who draws inspiration from her past experience as an Army combat medic and helicopter pilot. She lives in small-town Minnesota with her husband and two children and spends as much time outdoors as sub-zero winters allow, all while managing the family motorcycle business.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1544844589
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Genre(s): Fiction, Romance
Review Genre: Fiction—Romance
Number of Pages: 184
 

The Stan: Father, Son, findin' bombs; by Dan Talley

MWSA Review:
The Stan by Dan Talley is a soul-searing memoir. Though the bulk of the narrative and story is by and about Dan, it includes significant contributions from his wife Karen and son Josh. Theirs is a story told straightforward, without dramatic embellishment. This approach is the book's greatest strength. They tell both what's going on in their minds as well as what is happening around them. In so doing, they give chapter and verse detail of the trauma of combat, its aftermath, and the real cost of it to those in uniform and loved ones at home. Those who have experienced what the Talleys have will understand. Those who have not will find in The Stan a powerful work to help bridge that gulf.

Review by Dwight Zimmerman, MWSA President & Reviewer

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Author's Synopsis:
“The Stan” shares private thoughts, therapy sessions, journal entries, and memories of our family of four as father and son deploy to combat. A rare opportunity to experience deployment as we say goodbye, sacrifice for others, struggle inwardly, attempt to heal, and move on with life from differing, even opposing, perspectives. Observe unspoken emotions, hopes, and dreams common to military families.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1532966095
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Creative Nonfiction, Memoir
Review Genre: Collections—Creative Nonfiction
Number of Pages: 244
 

Parables From The Prairie---How an Admiral was trained on dry land; by Dennis Jones

MWSA Review
In Parables from the Prairie, retired Vice Admiral Dennis E. Jones, has written a fun and heartwarming story about his youth. He explains to his readers how growing up in middle America farmland provided him with the lessons and experiences that later molded him into a person who was able to rise through the ranks in the US Navy and became one of its top admirals.

I found it easy to compare my younger days to the authors', despite my early days being in a totally different geographic location. All children and teenagers have friends, "enemies", fears, and desires. We have school stories, neighborhood stories, and interact with others our same age and with a number of different adults that cross our lives. Reading Jones' book brought back a lot of those memories to me. 

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoy books about "growing up" in America, or who is simply looking for a fun, easy read.
Review by Bob Doerr, MWSA Reviewer

Author's Synopsis:
Vice Admiral Dennis A. Jones, USN Ret.) grew up in landlocked Fairbury, Nebraska, in the middle of flyover country. It was an unlikely starting place for someone who subsequently spent thirty-seven years in the Navy, serving on and commanding submarines.

“Every day of my career I made decisions that were based on lessons that I had learned in Fairbury, Nebraska, and on a farm in Mahaska, Kansas… I knew that my childhood had given me the tools necessary to succeed and to approach situations in a logical manner. I had been taught to be decisive in my decision making, but most of all, I had been taught … to listen… You can learn a lot from other people, good things and bad things, if you will just listen—I made a career of it. And it all started while observing the good, bad, and stupid things that happened in my childhood—parables.” Vice Admiral Dennis A. Jones, USN (Ret.) grew up in landlocked Fairbury, Nebraska, in the middle of flyover country. It was an unlikely starting place for someone who subsequently spent thirty-seven years in the Navy, serving on and commanding submarines.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-99701550-8
Book Format(s): Soft cover
Genre(s): Memoir, Biography
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 418