Disaster on the Spanish Main by Craig S. Chapman

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MWSA Review

Disaster on the Spanish Main: The Tragic British-American Expedition to the West Indies during the War of Jenkin’s Ear is written by Craig S. Chapman and is a historical recounting of Britain’s ill-conceived and poorly executed attack on the Spanish Main. The book is well-researched and contains enough footnotes and charts to please the most enthusiastic history reader. The book is comparable in many ways to similar books, both fiction and nonfiction, written by better known authors who write about the British Navy of the Georgian Period.

Author Chapman goes into great detail regarding the underlying conflict between Army General, Major General Thomas Wentworth, who was in charge of the British Land Forces, and Vice Admiral of the Blue, Edward Vernon, who was in charge of the Royal Navy Forces. Each needed the other to achieve their professional and personal objectives, and yet neither one could tolerate the other or work cooperatively to the desired goal, the subrogation of the Spanish Main. The only thing that the two officers appeared to have in common, was their total disdain for the American Colonials, which had been brought into the Royal Army at the direction of King George II. In addition to the primary conflict between Wentworth and Vernon, the author also discussed in some detail the secondary conflict on the Spanish side between Vice Admiral Blas de Lezo and Viceroy Eslava of Cartagena, which had its own negative impact on the defensive side of the war.

Chapman’s book is long, but reads quickly. Thanks to an enthusiastic writing style, the reader will move quickly through the material. The work is heavily footnoted, but is written in such a manner as to allow the reader to push on with the reading and come back to review the footnotes at their leisure. Sourcing and the extensive Bibliography are on par with what a reader would expect from a book of this nature.

Review by Larry Sharrar (February 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

Disaster on the Spanish Main unveils and illuminates an overlooked yet remarkable episode of European and American military history and a land-sea venture to seize control of the Spanish West Indies that ended in ghastly failure. Thirty-four years before the Battles of Lexington and Concord, a significant force of American soldiers deployed overseas for the first time in history. Colonial volunteers, 4,000 strong, joined 9,000 British soldiers and 15,000 British sailors in a bold amphibious campaign against the key port of Cartagena de Indias. From its first chapter, Disaster on the Spanish Main reveals a virtually unknown adventure, engrosses with the escalating conflict, and leaves the reader with an appreciation for the struggles and sacrifices of the 13,000 soldiers, sailors, and marines who died trying to conquer part of Spain’s New World empire.

Disaster on the Spanish Main breaks new ground on the West Indies expedition in style, scope, and perspective and uncovers the largely untold American side of the story.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 410

Word Count: 123,000

The Curators by Kenneth Andrus

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MWSA Review

In this 4th book in the Defender Series, by Kenneth Andrus, Nick Parkos is recalled to the CIA’s off the book group called The Curators to go to the Czech Republic to interrupt the flow of arms from that area to northern Mexico. Nick has a unique ability to see how disparate facts make sense, using Venn diagrams to see how those facts overlap and interact.

There are multiple groups involved in the shipment, each with their own agendas, none of whom trust each other. Nick has his own struggles as he tries to learn about his family history, which is tied to the Czech Republic. One of the players he is investigating is a Russian spy, now on an undercover mission for her country. Nick worked with her on a previous assignment. Another player is, he discovers, a cousin, who has his own problems with the groups Nick is investigating. Nick learns more about his father and his heritage as he and his team pretend to be on a heritage tour where he learns more than he expected to about his own family’s history.

While many thrillers use an overabundance of technical jargon, especially relating to weaponry, the early part of this book focuses on distilled spirits and cheeses. The later chapters do include some weaponry terms, but they are used infrequently and do not delay the story telling.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Parkos and his clandestine operations team, The Curators, are ordered to Prague by the Director of National Intelligence. They must thwart a Czech transnational crime organization and Russian operatives to send arms to Mexico to foment rebellion. But Parkos has another goal prompted by the the discovery of a keepsake box in his grand-parent's attic–learning the truth about his Czech roots. His search leads to an ancient castle and a distant cousin who, by a twist of fate, has a surreptitious link to his mission. Caught in a web of deceit and double-crosses, Parkos grapples with fundamental questions about his life. Where do his loyalties lie? With his family? His colleagues? His country?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 374

Word Count: 98,500

In the Mouth of the Dragon by John B. Haseman

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MWSA Review

As the Vietnam War fades into the past, it is reassuring that accurate records are documented by people who lived the stories. John B. Haseman’s memoir recalls his experience as an advisor in the Mekong Delta well after the American troop withdrawal had begun. The author succeeds in his stated purpose to present a different and more accurate narrative about the Regional and Popular Forces with whom he worked from 1971 to 1973. He explains how even though poorly equipped and scorned by the ARVN as well as the Americans, these grassroots soldiers defended their districts, their families, and their communities with tenacity. A detailed explanation of how the VC infiltrated their ranks sheds light on that unfortunate derogation.

Often the only American accompanying his men on patrol, Captain Haseman knew it was important to establish trust. Calling for air support when needed and his willingness to acknowledge ignorance as a foreigner living in a different culture are just two ways he earned that trust. Photographs provide faces to names and images to descriptions. An account of differing belief systems explains how religious traditions develop into political institutions. He seized the opportunity to put Navy Seabees to work replacing a wobbly coconut log bridge with a U.S. donated steel framework. He earned a mother’s trust when she allowed him to escort her son—whose father was a senior VC officer—to Saigon for facial surgery in an American hospital.

Despite numerous incidents of factual repetition, military buffs will appreciate reading about tactical operations and all things military including the author’s respect for FAC support and the incredible bravery of the pilots. Academics will appreciate the narrative research thesis style of writing, thoroughly documented with footnotes, an index of terms and additional appendices. Laymen will relate to the relationships the author formed with his Vietnamese soldiers and superiors, knowing that any one of them could be VC and take his life if they chose. John Haseman has laid out a valuable relationship-building roadmap using trust, respect, and humility as the markers to understanding and cooperation. 

Review by Janette Stone

 

Author's Synopsis

On his second tour in Vietnam, U.S. Army Captain John Haseman served 18 months as a combat advisor in the Mekong Delta's Kien Hoa Province. His detailed memoir gives one of the few accounts of a district-level advisor's experiences at the "point of the spear." Often the only American going into combat with his South Vietnamese counterparts, Haseman highlights the importance of trust and confidence between advisors and their units and the courage of the men he fought with during the 1972 North Vietnamese summer offensive. Among the last advisors to leave the field, Haseman describes the challenges of supporting his counterparts with fewer and fewer resources, and the emotional conclusion of an advisory mission near the end of the Vietnam War.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 277

Word Count: 97,700

Escape From Ukraine by Ward R. Anderson

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MWSA Review

Ward Anderson’s Escape from Ukraine: One Man’s Journey to Freedom spans seventy years of a tenacious Ukrainian’s fight for survival. The story begins in 1944, with his family fleeing German and Russian occupation, and ends in 2014 with Putin’s invasion of Crimea.

Ten-year-old Dmytro and his family flee their Ukrainian village, heading west. “They stole our grinding stone to prevent us from making flour. . . . How can a farmer in Ukraine die of hunger?” The perilous odyssey of walking a thousand miles to the protection of American troops in Austria is filled with tragedies and horrific hardships. They nearly starve and freeze to death. Jan, a stranger, atoning for his previous barbaric behavior as a Nazi soldier is savior, teacher, friend, and father to Dmytro whose name he changes to Luboš (to appear Czechoslovakian). Luboš grows up in Prague, falls in love, and for decades survives even more hardships and loses—alternating between despair and hope.

What a relief when Luboš finally settles with his family in Eastern Ukraine, relishing well-deserved contentment. His idyllic twilight years are disrupted, however, with yet another occupation: Russia invades Crimea and 80-year-old Luboš, once again, must escape from Ukraine. “[B]lood-red flags of the star, hammer, and sickle. . . had been absent for twenty-three years. . . . Shreds of the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag smoldered.” He proclaims, “This time, I am Jan,” as he initiates his well-thought-out plan to deliver his family to waiting arms in Prague.

Escape from Ukraine is a work of fiction but is surely the history of countless Eastern European families, including this reader’s grandmother’s escape. Meticulously researched, Anderson lays out the history as we watch the 2022 incursion of Ukraine on the news.

While enthralling, Escape from Ukraine is not a quick read. It is, at times, difficult to follow the vernacular dialogue. Part One will break your heart over and over, but Luboš will win your heart as he perseveres.

Review by Sue Rushford (March2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

To protest the 2014 Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, I wrote Escape From Ukraine. My novel follows Luboš as he copes with the excesses of Joseph Stalin, the Nazis, Communism, and the overreach of Vladimir Putin. Completed in 2020, the book was a metaphor for the threat to Baltic countries and Ukraine from a relentless Federation of Russia. I was fortunate that my drafts were reviewed by Ukrainian friends, one was a Ukrainian Naval Officer.

Predictably, Putin’s imperial ambitions led to the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and I updated and republished Escape From Ukraine.

In a fertile but vulnerable borderland coveted by powerful empires, a young Ukrainian and his peasant family wanted nothing more than to tend their allotment. But geography placed them in the path of fanatical Communists, conquering Nazis, and the advancing Red Army. They had no choice but to flee west in 1944, led by a German Wehrmacht deserter, to the safety of American forces.

Trapped behind the Iron Curtain, Luboš is a participant in the significant events of his era: the death of Stalin, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Prague Spring's rise and fall, the Velvet Revolution, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

During perilous times in the shadow of the USSR and then Russia, Luboš finds love and tragedy and strength to guide his family. The 2014 invasion of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea by Russian forces is a personal threat. Seventy years after fleeing Ukraine as a boy, he must escape again to safety with his daughter and grandson.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 277

Word Count: 82,000

A Tail Among Tales by Bill Sheehan

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MWSA Review

Although billed as historical fiction when submitted to MWSA, Bill Sheehan’s A Tail Among Tales is better characterized as an anthology of short stories for young adults. The book includes seven short stories ranging from only two pages for the story “Fake” to about 50 pages for “The Tire Baby.” Most of the stories mesh with events or personalities from the past. The author ends most stories with a brief explanation of how his fictional short story relates to a person or event from the past. I won’t spoil the surprise of who some of these people are—but you’ll recognize at least one of the names.

Review by John Cathcart (February 2023)

Author's Synopsis

The stories in this book will keep you wondering until the very last paragraph. If you think you have the plot figured out early in the story, take caution; you may be pleasantly surprised in the end. The author's notes at the end of the stories relate the stories to the real events from which they were created. Keep in mind the words of Phaedrus: "Things are not always what they seem."

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 158

Word Count: 35,000

Together We Served by Bill Sheehan

MWSA Review

Bill Sheehan’s Together We Served is a gut-wrenching collection of stories from Navy corpsmen who served with Marines on the ground in Vietnam.

Every Marine feels a bond with every other Marine, and most have little fondness for the Navy, but there is one member of every Marine platoon that is loved and protected like no other—the one they call Doc. Navy corpsmen have served with Marines in combat for many years. Seldom older than the Marines they serve, they are nevertheless looked up to, because every Marine knows that if they get hit, Doc will come for them or die trying.

The stories in this book are real-life accounts of exactly that: Navy corpsmen doing everything they can to serve, protect, and save their Marines. That idea is repeated over and over again in this book: my Marines, our Marines, etc. They are touching always, terror-filled sometimes, and often without a happy ending. But they are real, and from the heart. The author, a Vietnam combat corpsman himself, collected these stories from those he served with, having reconnected with them through social media. He also tells his own story, and then shares one final story from a modern-day corpsman severely wounded while carrying on the corpsman tradition in Iraq. This particular corpsman removed his own wounded finger because it was preventing him from adequately treating his wounded Marine. There is no better illustration of the bond between Marines and corpsmen.

Vietnam veterans, prior hospital corpsmen, and army combat medics will appreciate this book very much. Well done to the author and those that contributed.

Review by Rob Ballister (January 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Fellow combat Navy Corpsmen talk about their experiences when they served with their Marines, in the jungles of Vietnam in 1968-1969. Sometimes difficult to talk about, but always heart wrenching, these stories are true and a reminder of the consequences of a war that has initiated PTS, various cancers and emotional trauma that they still battle.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Other—Anthology

Number of Pages: 170

Word Count: 37,000

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Peachy Possums by Nancy Panko

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MWSA Review

Award-winning author Nancy Panko has aced it again with her latest children's book, Peachy Possums.

Peachy Possums is a delightful tale of six-year-old Olivia's encounter with a passel of possums in the family orchard and the compromise they make when faced with a series of problems. Olivia manages to resolve their differences in a most admirable way.

The illustrations are marvelous. Even a child who cannot read will enjoy the colorful and clever drawings. I especially like Polly's facial expressions and her brothers' and sisters' antics from the sideline.

Panko uses Olivia's story to accentuate important teaching lessons throughout the story in simple language that children will understand. In addition, there are fun facts about possums and a mouthwatering recipe for Peach Cobbler at the end of the book.

I recommend Peachy Possums to any parent with young children—encouraging them to develop a sense of responsibility toward others and alternative methods to settle conflicts.

Review by Sandi Cathcart (February 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

There's nothing better than a sweet, juicy peach cobbler at the end of a summer day. Thoughts of her mother's cobbler fill Olivia's head as she strolls into the family orchard to fill her basket with perfect peaches. Instead of peaches on the trees, she finds a mess of half-eaten, bruised peaches scattered on the ground.

A rowdy group of possums are eating, playing soccer, and bowling with perfectly good fruit. Olivia knows that somehow she and the possums must reach a compromise to save the orchard and have enough peaches for everyone to enjoy.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Number of Pages: 46

Word Count: 1,600

The Able Queen, Memoirs of an Indiana Hump Pilot Lost in the Himalayas by Rainy Horvath and Robert Binzer "

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MWSA Review

Author, Rainy Horvath, presents tales of her father's account as a pilot flying "The Hump" during WW II in her book, The Able Queen. Stories told to her by her father, Robert Binzer, begin in his boyhood, with a first-person narration, where he expresses his constant desire to be a pilot. His account leads to his entering the Army Air Force just before WW II, but his goal gets sidetracked by an assignment to repair teletype machines instead. Eventually, with the war's outbreak, he gets his opportunity to fly and receive his coveted pilot's designation. Binzer then is assigned to fly in the dangerous China/Burma theater where, by war's end, 1,400 airmen died, with 400 more missing, flying over the Himalayas. Initially, he pilots the light single-engine Stinson L-5 Sentinel ferrying people and cargo throughout western China while avoiding enemy aircraft always at the edges of battle. Next, he upgrades to flying the twin-engine Douglas C-47 Skytrain, bringing war supplies to China over the Hump, "the most dangerous air routes in the world." The deadly hazards of flying the Himalayas come to focus for Binzer in one final account when unpredictable weather creates a situation where he and his crew parachute from their cargo plane and then face surviving in the frozen mountains. This book is Robert Binzer's tale as his daughter Rainey Horvath faithfully records it.

Review by Tom Beard (January 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

Flying “The Hump,” the route over the Himalayas between India and China, was some of the most dangerous flying in the world during World War II. Thirty-thousand-foot peaks, unpredictable winds, and Japanese fighters were just some of the perils that awaited flyers. Yet, they persevered in spite of all dangers.

Robert Dean Binzer was one of these young men, and this is his story of adventure in the service of his country. A young boy from Indiana who dreamed of flying he enlisted as soon as he was old enough to pursue his dream. In his rare first-person account, he tells the story of his experiences in China and the cockpit where he, too, faced the daily perils of the Himalayas and answered the deadly call of the Aluminum Trail.

Young and well-trained, but not for what awaited him in the skies over the Hump, follow him in his own words from training, across the ocean to India, rescuing downed pilots, dropping much-needed supplies behind enemy lines, and finally stepping out the door of his failing C-47, the “Able Queen,” to become one of those in need of rescue.

This is a story that needs to be told. It could be the story of hundreds of young Americans who sought the adventure of flying and found it while serving their country in the far-off China-Burma-India Theater of World War II, but it is the true story of 1st Lt. Robert Binzer, Hump Pilot.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 142

Word Count: 27,237

Submarine-er by Jerry Pait LCDR, USN (Ret.)

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MWSA Review

Anyone familiar with the military knows that each branch—and each type of job within a branch—has its own culture and set of experiences. Yet one type of assignment may be unique among them all: serving onboard a submarine.

In Sŭbmarine-ër: 30 Years of Hijinks & Keeping the Fleet Afloat, Jerry Pait covers a career on these craft that began as junior enlisted and ended as a lieutenant commander. The book consists of “chapters,” though each is better thought of as an ad hoc story about a person, place, or prank. As the title suggests, the tone is largely lighthearted, with moments of tension quickly giving way to resolutions that involve a misguided sea creature, lost navigator, or oblivious Soviet vessel.

Those interested in this particular slice of Navy life will find many anecdotes both technical (how subs muffle the sound of their engines) and colorful (how a stubborn seal ended up onboard). Unfortunately, the book also includes jarring and unneeded comments about non-sub topics, from describing lesbians as “250-pound dykes” to asides such as “you have no idea how hard it is to remove information from a wife’s mind.”

For readers willing to accept this approach—and interested in learning how one determined man (and a friend) can steal an entire submarine’s worth of cups—this book will serve as a detailed guide.

Review by John McGlothlin (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Lieutenant Commander Jerry Pait's semi-autobiographical collection of sixty stories recounts his thirty years in and around the U.S. Navy's submarine fleet. Ranging from light-hearted to wrenching, all are poignant inside looks at naval operations rarely seen by outsiders. Topics include the real story behind the shuttle Challenger tragedy, risking his own life underwater, discovering a Soviet spy living across the street, surviving when a DELTA rocket ignites, critical missions, and the everyday lives of men and women of the fleet. Dive into Submarine-er for hijinks and breathtaking adventures with this poignant memoir by a true American hero.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 350

Word Count: 100,800

The Marine Corps Experience: Parris Island by J. A. Clark

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MWSA Review

The Marine Corps Experience by J. A. Clark is a good read for someone contemplating joining the Marine Corps, and it will probably find its way into the hands of parents or family members of a recruit or soon-to-be-recruit. When our son enlisted in the USMC, my wife read every book she could find about what to expect as a mother of a future-Marine. 

The Marine Corps Experience gives hope that there is discipline and order provided in boot camp, along with some head-banging necessary to create a modern-day fighting force. I read the book with interest from the standpoint of being a Marine and experiencing much of what Mr. Clark went through. His storytelling is spot-on. It’s easy to forget more than you remember from an intense multi-month training period. Clark's journal of boot camp served him well, as he recounted many minute details of the daily life of a Marine recruit. He does a good job of walking the reader through the Marine experience in Parris Island, and his use of active voice keeps the reader engaged in his progression along the recruit path. You want to see what's coming next. 

Kudos to the author for minimizing the typical vulgarity use by Marine drill instructors.

Review by Rob Lofthouse (March 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

Parris Island, South Carolina. Marine Corps Boot Camp. An unprecedented first-hand account of the harrowing journey from that petrifying first night on the yellow footprints. Recruit Clark kept a daily journal of his ordeal in meticulous detail and captures the essence of what makes this one of the hardest, most extreme military challenges in the world. And due to the inexorable harshness, a challenge that not all of his fellow recruits were able to complete.

This is the stark day-to-day reality of boot camp from a lowly recruit’s perspective. This is life on the inside, within the ranks, standing at the position of attention in formation. This is being relentlessly harassed by the godawful, unhinged, foaming at the mouth drill instructors and the sometimes humorous, but ever-present affliction.

This is The Marine Corps Experience.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 427

Word Count: 138K

Terror's Sword, A Kyle McEwan Novel by Kevin Kuhens

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MWSA Review

Terror’s Sword: A Kyle McEwan Novel by Kevin Kuhens is a gripping, action-packed example of art imitating life. Kyle McEwan is the hero of this exciting saga. His bravery, intelligence, and unconventional skills are unmatched. McEwan’s reputation for success and dogged determination has come to the attention of the President of the United States when the country is threatened by a cunning terrorist with a deadly bio-weapon. Motivated by revenge, religious fanatics led by Al-Dosari conjure up an evil, devious plan for death and destruction in the Western world. McEwan vows to stop this elusive man with or without the sanction and backing of the US government. POTUS knows the only chance of thwarting the Al-Dosari, aka The Terror’s Sword, is to put Kyle McEwan in charge of the plan. This alone ruffles the feathers of many heads of the alphabet soup agencies in Washington, and McEwan is faced with those who subvert his efforts of keeping tactics and operations on a need-to-know basis.

Kuhens provides edge-of-your-seat entertainment from beginning to end. Terror’s Sword is the consummate thriller packed full of psychological one-upmanship. The author paints an action-packed picture of the real world, real locations, and real military scenarios.

To quote Grant Stinchfield, four-time Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter: "Terror's Sword is a counterterrorism espionage thriller that goes into the deep state, politics at its absolute worst, and the heroism of those trying to do what's right inside government. Kuhens knocks it out of the park with this one.” I wholeheartedly agree with him. Terror’s Sword is a great read.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2023)

 Author's Synopsis

Target America. An attacker known only by the nom de guerre Terror’s Sword is headed for the US to commit mass murder with an undetermined bioweapon. When conventional intelligence methods fail to identify the terrorist and define the threat, the president taps the only resource that matches this clever and elusive foe. Elite counterterrorism case officer Kyle McEwan is the off-the-books weapon America’s chief executives unleash when all else fails.

McEwan establishes the threat as legitimate and imminent by connecting kidnappings and murders of the world’s foremost bioweapons experts. Tracking the terrorist, McEwan and special operations forces conduct raids in the Middle East and Africa. The actions produce evidence unmasking the terror mastermind and identifying the bioagent as a virus genetically altered by gain-of-function research. Despite these discoveries, America’s greatest scientific minds cannot invent a medical cure to counteract the deadly virus. The world faces an untreatable pandemic if the attack on America succeeds.

With the attack looming, McEwan battles both embedded terror cells and powerful deep state forces whose political machinations complicate his search and increase the likelihood of an attack on US soil.

Global survival hangs in the balance as two deadly weapons hurtle toward each other: the terror mastermind determined to strike, and McEwan resolved to stop him. Who prevails?

By probing presidential decisions and political factors impacting military, intelligence, and law enforcement operations and personnel, the novel immerses readers in the real-world inner workings that thwart terrorist threats and the obstacles that sometimes impede those efforts.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 362

Word Count: 96,000

The Spirit to Soar: Inspiring Life Lessons and Values for a Victorious Life by Jim Petersen, PhD

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MWSA Review

The Spirit to Soar is a fiercely patriotic story highlighting Major Barry B. Bridger’s survival after his F-4 Phantom was struck by a missile over North Vietnam. How Barry negotiated a safe landing after ejecting almost defies reason, but the real gem is learning about his life as a POW for almost seven years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Barry’s narration, beginning with memories of his first six years in an orphanage and adoption by the affluent hardworking Bridger family, provides deep insight into how this little boy became the tower of strength he is today.

There are layers to this book. Jim Petersen, the author, sets up each chapter for an episode of Barry’s life. You can almost hear Jim nudging Barry along. Researched excerpts provide precise documentation of places and events. Weaving life lessons into his story, Barry describes how he and his fellow POWs used “what’s between our ears” to stay alive. Calculating how to weigh themselves with the help of a cistern paints an image of sheer genius. Finding ways to communicate using codes and other innovations allowed the men to stay connected when isolated from family, friends, and fellow prisoners.

Barry’s story is also a tribute to the United States military and the values that define this elite membership’s commitment to the nation, to the service, and to each other. Barry calls on wisdom from ancient Greek philosophers to modern-day sages in support of his premise that a precise understanding of what liberty means is the guiding light. Whether you agree with his political and religious beliefs or not, Barry’s words will leave you contemplating your own values.

Review by Janette Stone (January 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

 On January 23rd, 1967, Lt. Colonel Barry Bridger and his copilot, Dave Grey, launched a mission over Vietnam in their Phantom F-4 fighter jet in treacherous weather. It was Colonel Bridger’s 75th mission and the only one he had attempted in the daylight hours. 

Suddenly, his plane was split in half by a ground-to-air missile. He and Grey ejected while the plane was going 600 miles per hour and began their descent into the unknown below. When Bridger finally landed on terra firma, he found the North Vietnamese army waiting for him. They arrested him and Grey and checked them into The Hanoi Hilton—a place designed to break the spirit of all who entered. 

Barry Bridger survived that hellish experience and even thrived. He will tell you without any hesitation that it was his deeply held values that made it possible to withstand the torture he and his fellow prisoners of war were subjected to. 

The Spirit to Soar (Morgan James Books, February 2022) was conceived by Bridger’s good friend and colleague, Jim Petersen. When they met some thirty years ago, Petersen knew right away that Barry was special. The following quote from Bridger gives you a glimpse into Barry’s remarkably optimistic mindset: 

“In Vietnam, I solved more problems with nothing than I did with something because I had control of my mind, similar to what I had experienced as an orphan. We got to the point of doing so much with so little, we figured we could do everything with nothing. That’s where the happiness factor comes in. That’s why POWs were happy. I was never, ever sad. I wasn’t sitting around crying because of my circumstances.” 

Bridger’s harrowing experiences in Vietnam prepared him to be successful in every phase of his life. Instead of tearing him down, his worst enemies actually built him up! All because he refused to have even one bad day, no matter how much they tried to make it so. In fact, Bridger and his comrades had great fun befuddling their North Vietnamese captors; you will probably find yourself laughing at the antics they engaged in to infuriate their captors. 

“Here is the legacy I want to leave to my family: I would remind them to live by this model: first and foremost, to obtain virtue, which means you sacrifice your own private approach to life for the greater good.” 

It has been more than fifty years since The Hanoi Hilton, and Barry still hasn’t had a single bad day. His is a successful marriage to the love of his life, Sheila. He raised two successful children who adore him. He had a successful career in the financial services industry and is constantly reinventing himself. He is blessed with a great reputation and a host of friends who love and admire him. He has no regrets. 

Barry Bridger has soared. Jim Petersen shares life lessons learned from Barry’s life in this book which will inspire you, too, to rise above your darkest hours and be your best. Not with some ivory-tower, theoretical mumbo jumbo. But with real life lessons drawn from the life of a real, live American hero.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 247

Word Count: 69,357

101 Chuck YEAGER-isms: Wit & Wisdom from America's Hero General Chuck Yeager & his favorite wingman, Victoria by Victoria Yeager

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MWSA Review
The real General Chuck Yeager is more deeply revealed in, 101 Chuck Yeager-isms, compiled and written by Victoria Yeager, his wife and companion for more than twenty years. The “Right Stuff” American hero’s wit and wisdom is shown through his brief retorts commenting on everything from the abilities of a wingman: “An arrogant pilot will get ya killed; confident ones make history,” to life’s secrets: “You don’t have to be good to be a legend, all you gotta do is live.” Added value for readers are the many excellent photos: color and B & W. Further, an index makes 101 Chuck Yeager-isms a keeper for future references as a personal reminder to some of life's secrets espoused by an American favorite.

Review by Tom Beard (January 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

Chuck Yeager was the greatest aviator who ever lived. He was the first to break the sound barrier: fly past the speed of sound, Mach 1 and beyond. He also was very witty and very wise. This book has actually 131 quotes from Yeager with some rare photos and the stories behind the quotes and photos.

For instance; one of Chuck Yeager's quotes is: "First time I saw a jet...I shot it down!" The details of the story are in this book.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 180

Word Count: 13118

Don't Go There! by Charles A. Rothbard

MWSA Review

Don't Go There! by Charles Rothbard is a rollercoaster of gasps, groans, and head-scratching. Due to mature content, Don’t Go There is certainly not family-friendly.

Disgraced former intelligence soldier, Eric Palmateer, descends into crippling mental illness and defects to Korea, thinking that he can unify the peninsula while developing safe artificial intelligence. Palmateer works diligently to develop a pack of AI dogs and does so successfully.

From there, the story descends into chaos as Eric falls in love with Sora, an active porn star, and aligns himself with kooky Kim Jong Un. In addition to the pack of AI dogs, Eric and Sora take on real dogs that accompany them everywhere.

Don’t Go There misses the mark for Horror and/or Sci-Fi. Readers might find the technical errors, content, or language in this book objectionable. Reader discretion is advised.

Review by Nancy Panko (February 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Don't Go There! is a story with the perfect blend of everything you want; divine redemption, the future of AI science, hot romance, real political conspiracies, and of course, true love.

At the center of it all is Eric Palmateer, a disgraced former US intelligence soldier suffering from crippling mental illness.

Through a series of twists and turns, Eric's madness proves to be a blessing when Providence works through him to bring about the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula and the development of safe and trustworthy AI technology.

Knowing Eric's life leads to these great things, you should definitely root for him... And preemptively forgive him for falling in love with a porn star and aligning himself with Kim Jeong Un along the way.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Horror/Fantasy/Sci Fi

Number of Pages: 206

Word Count: 45790

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The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Duty, Honor, and Courage by Angel Giacomo

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MWSA Review

The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Duty, Honor, and Courage by Angel Giacomo is a multi-faceted mystery/thriller that is sometimes predictable. MacKenzie, sometimes known as JJ to those who know him best, is a highly decorated but disgraced soldier. His freedom and honor were stolen from him in a plot carried out in Southeast Asia. Although severely wounded, MacKenzie is dragged out of a hospital in Vietnam by brutal MPs who have been told the soldier betrayed his country. In the brig, he suffers severe post-traumatic stress and becomes severely withdrawn. Jackson bristles when he hears that many in the Army call him a traitor. The evil ones underestimate Jackson’s determination and his survival instincts. His prison mates overcome the guards and escape, dragging Jackson across the country in stolen vehicles seeking freedom.

The rag-tag group finally reach their destination, Jackson’s godfather’s home in Montana. JJ begins to deal with and heal his PTSD with the aid of his horse that listens and gives unconditional love to this wounded man. With the help of his family and friends, Jackson works hard to become healthy, fit, and well-nourished.

Jackson has sworn to discover the real traitors and reclaim his lost honor and reputation. MacKenzie and crew risk their lives and the lives of friends and family from a rogue element in the CIA and the White House, both towers of power.

Finding an unlikely ally who can give him protection by the Secret Service, Jackson continues his attempts to clear his name while getting closer to the villains who feel the pressure. They begin to make mistakes with repeated attempts on Jackson’s life. Finally, Jackson and family are able to live in peace, eternally grateful for God’s grace to do so.

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2023)

Author's Synopsis

Danger lurks in the shadows, danger that threatens not only Colonel Jackson MacKenzie and his friends but the American way of life. MacKenzie’s honor and his freedom were stolen from him once. Now a disgraced soldier, he must risk his life and his freedom in a fight to save his friends, his country, and himself. Or will the real traitor destroy everything Jackson holds dear?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 280

Word Count: 99,391

The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Peace at a Cost by Angel Giacomo

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MWSA Review

 Peace at a Cost is full of action-packed heroes doing the right thing for the right reason. While Jackson MacKenzie and his team are on the run from some parts of the US government, other parts understand their value and continue to call on them when required. See how this brave team overcomes pain, loss, and disadvantages to continually come through for their country.

Review by Dawn Brotherton (March 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

War – What happens to the soldiers who fight them? Do they just go home and ride off into the sunset? Do they return to their families and a normal life? Or do they have an internal war? Trying to come to terms with what happened to them and their buddies in a war that no one wanted. Scars made not only outside but inside. Called baby killer, murderer and so many others vile names. Ignored and sometimes abused by the very system they gave their oath and sometimes their lives to protect. Lt. Colonel Jackson MacKenzie is one of those men. He gave all on many occasions and nearly gave his life to honor his oath and the men with which he served in Korea and Vietnam. Only to be betrayed by those above him. Those who know the truth but refuse to come forward. Honor, Duty, Country, Loyalty aren’t just words to him. They are his life. His problem, does he follow his heart and stand by his duty or disappear into his mind and let his demons take over? His other choice, live the rest of his life as a simple cowboy hiding out on a cattle ranch in Montana? It is a decision both hard and easy. And one he has to make or lose himself entirely.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 285

Word Count: 104,715

The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: In the Eye of the Storm by Angel Giacomo

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MWSA Review

In the Eye of the Storm, by author Angel Giacomo, continues the saga of Jackson MacKenzie, a man born in 1934, who fought in the Korean War and subsequently attended West Point, carrying on his family tradition. The time frame for this book is 1972 through 1973. Jackson has moved up through the ranks and is now on his fourth deployment to Vietnam following his capture, torture, and escape from a prisoner of war camp. Sent on a mysterious mission to Hanoi by the Department of Defense and possibly the CIA, his team is arrested upon their successful return to their base camp. Despite severe injuries, they are transported back to the United States and imprisoned in a military prison without the benefit of medical attention or proper legal counsel. Although Jackson is a hero and recipient of the Medal of Honor, he is treated as a traitor. This book is part of a trilogy, so the reader would have to purchase two more books to find out how the situation is resolved.

Review by Betsy Beard (February 2023)

Author's Synopsis

War - It changes everyone and everything it touches. But especially the men who live in the trenches. Who fight the battles. Lt. Colonel Jackson Joseph MacKenzie is one of those men. He grew up in the shadow of a legendary Marine. Part of a family tradition to serve, he joined the United States Army. His first war - Korea -taught him death the hard way, both personal and professional. His second - Vietnam - never-ending pain. And betrayal by those above him. Those he trusted. His superiors. Given a top-secret mission to help end the war, he carried out his orders. Then upon his return, they disavowed any knowledge of it. He found himself in a six-by-eight cell with no way out and no hope. A man broken by the horrors of the Vietnam War and the POW camp that left everlasting scars. Memories - nightmares - that haunted him, even awake, and left him a prisoner in his own mind.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 282

Word Count: 107,909

The Jackson MacKenzie Chronicles: Golden Feather by Angel Giacomo

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MWSA Review

Born into one of the wealthiest families in the county, Dakota is expected to work for his father’s drilling company, the biggest employer in the area. But as a high school senior, he doesn’t know yet what he wants to do. Dakota and his father butt heads over the youngster’s indecision. Dakota graduates and, one day at breakfast, tells his father that he doesn’t want to work on an oil rig; he wants to work on cars.

The two mutually disown each other and Dakota impulsively enlists in the U.S. Army, leaving the mother he adores and his high school sweetheart Julie. Insisting on being called by his high school nickname Chief, the young man leaves Little River and looks forward to serving his country. He is certain that Julie will wait for him, and someday he’ll come home, they’ll get married, and start a family.

It is 1963 and men are sorely needed in Southeast Asia in a remote country called Vietnam. Chief’s ethics and values ingrained by his Osage parents make him the ideal soldier. The ensuing story chronicles Chief’s journey to hell and back with several tours in Vietnam. Author Giacomo vividly depicts what life was life for the infantry in Southeast Asia. On his way to becoming a man, Dakota Blackwater experiences intense struggles for life and death along with unexpected twists, turns, heartbreak, gut-wrenching grief, and the balm of forgiveness.

Review by Nancy Panko (January 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Born into a well-off but strict family, eighteen-year-old Dakota Blackwater doesn’t appreciate his father’s plan for him. He wants to find his path through life and chase his own dreams. Instead of taking the easy road, he rebels, enlists in the US Army, and goes to war in a place foreign to him – Vietnam. He finds this choice may be the more difficult one, learning the pain of death, not only of his friends but his own hands. Will he keep his morality or slide down the rabbit hole of hate?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 173

Word Count: 55,774

Sandusky Burning by Bryan W. Conway

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MWSA Review

Sandusky Burning by Bryan W. Conway is a thriller set in an RV campsite and recreational park an hour away from Cleveland, Ohio. The author creates an interesting plot by having the owner of the campsite spy on and blackmail several of the guest residents in the RV park. A natural tension develops between the main antagonist and his team of thugs and those being blackmailed. Bring in an outsider who sees what is going on and you have a protagonist for whom you start rooting. The tensions rise as the bad guys resort to violence and even attempted murder to control their victims. The point has come where the protagonist knows he must take a stand, and with the help of one of the victims, they plan their move. The concluding confrontation will be deadly.

Review by Bob Doerr (January 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

He’s desperate to come back home. But a sinister crime lord will stop at nothing to keep him wrapped in a corrupt spider’s web…

Brady Sullivan isn’t living at a Lake Erie campground by choice. Temporarily estranged from his family, the dedicated army vet longs to see his kids and be back in his wife’s arms. But a local’s invitation for a friendly drink turns ominous when he wakes from being drugged to discover he was photographed in a compromising position with a prostitute.

Despite blackmail threatening his marriage, he refuses to compromise his security clearance by giving up government secrets. But when the vicious crime lord endangers his family, Brady faces a terrible choice between his loved ones and his honor.

Will this former soldier stand up to evil, no matter the sacrifice?

Sandusky Burning is a rollercoaster ride of a crime thriller novel. If you like complex characters, devious plans, and high-stakes excitement, you’ll love Bryan W. Conway’s gritty tale.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 393

Word Count: 113,000

He Charged Alone: World War I Medal of Honor Recipient Private First Class Frank Gaffney by John R. Strasburg

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MWSA Review

He Charged Alone is the story of World War I Medal of Honor recipient Private First Class Frank Gaffney. Gaffney served with Company G, 108th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army’s 27th Division during 1918. His unit assaulted the Saint Quentin Canal tunnel, an extremely fortified portion of the Imperial German’s Army Hindenburg Line, the last line of defense protecting Germany’s occupied areas of Belgium and northeastern France.
The story covers Gaffney’s early life, civilian working life, and his journey from civilian to World War I “doughboy” as well as his combat experiences, including the tremendous acts of heroism that earned him the Medal of Honor. We get a fairly complete picture of Frank Gaffney as a man, both in and out of uniform.

Gaffney was assigned as a Lewis gunner, which was a “light” machine gun carried and employed by one soldier as a part of a three-man team. The team also consisted of an assistant gunner that carried extra ammunition and a soldier equipped with a standard rifle to provide protection for the two men dedicated to the operating the Lewis gun. Gaffney’s exploits, as reported at the time, deemed him second only to Sergeant Alvin York, America’s preeminent Medal of Honor recipient and “war hero” to the American masses in 1918. Both Gaffney and York earned their medals during the same massive Allied campaign that broke the back of the German Army, at a high cost in U.S. casualties, but essentially ending the war.

The author constructs a rich backstory of PFC Gaffney’s time in the hastily constructed basic training camps of the World War I American Expeditionary Force, including training received by both British and French soldiers in the United States. The perilous voyage to France, in which his convoy engaged with a prowling German U-boat submarine, is detailed, and then the extended period of further training and introduction to the front-line trenches in France is covered.

The author does an outstanding job of balancing details with quotes from Gaffney. Where there are no direct references by Gaffney, the author weaves information available from the officers and men of Gaffney’s unit, associate units in his regiment, and his division. The story flows in a smooth and logical manner. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in World War I and U.S. Army combat history or stories of exceptional valor in combat.

Review by Terry Lloyd ( February 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Frank Gaffney was a 33-year-old papermaker from Western New York when America entered the Great War in 1917. While his age exempted him from serving in the military, Gaffney ran to the colors anyway. He fought bravely on Belgian and French battlefields as a U.S. Army soldier with the 27th Division's 108th Infantry Regiment. On September 29, 1918, Gaffney singlehandedly breached a section of Germany's Hindenburg Line, coming away with 80 prisoners. Six grateful nations recognized his bravery, including his own. In June 1919, the United States awarded him the Medal of Honor. Years later, the 27th Division's commanding general, Maj. Gen. John F. O'Ryan, wrote of Gaffney, "…no one man had performed more daring exploits and had exercised a bigger influence upon those about him by the gallantry of his conduct." 

In He Charged Alone, John Strasburg chronicles the life of a First World War American soldier whose bravery was once compared to that of the legendary Sergeant Alvin York. The author weaves together Gaffney’s personal correspondence with military/government records, newspaper accounts, and published unit histories. Nearly fifty illustrations--photographs and maps--augment the narrative. 

Much of the book focuses on Gaffney's military service, heroism on the battlefield, and subsequent rehabilitation from a combat injury he received in the war's closing days, but not overlooked are Gaffney's upbringing and how he managed the burden that comes with being a Medal of Honor recipient. At its core, this book memorializes a true American hero from New York State who, in life, was admired by people across the country but, in death, has been nearly forgotten. In He Charged Alone, Frank Gaffney's legacy returns to the fore, where it belongs.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 249

Word Count: 59,000