Beijing Red: A Thriller; by Jeffrey Wilson, Alex Ryan, Brian Andrews

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MWSA Review

Thoroughly enjoyable techno-thriller

Thrown together by an investigation of a gruesome death, Nick Foley and Dr. “Dash” Chen are the unlikeliest of allies—a former U.S. Navy SEAL and a Chinese microbiologist. However, when the two realize they're dealing with a terrifying new technology that may put thousands of lives at risk, they spring into action. Racing against time, they must figure out who they can trust, and even if they can trust each other.  

One has a proven combat record, fighting terrorists in Afghanistan. The other has a proven record fighting microscopic viral and  bacteriological enemies with the Chinese Centers for Disease Control. One is comfortable in the world of cloak and dagger, the other with lab coat and scalpel. 

Recently separated from his elite warrior comrades, Nick Foley is used to risking his life for his own country, but not for another country… or another woman. Along the way the two cope with international and institutional turf battles, get help from unlikely sources, and track an elusive enemy through underground passageways hidden below modern Beijing. 

Beijing Red has it all: chase scenes, twists and turns, betrayal, and international intrigue. Get ready to break out a microscope and an assault rifle to ride along with Nick and Dash. You'll enjoy this page-turning joy ride.

MWSA Reviewer: John Cathcart

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Author's Synopsis
When ex-Navy SEAL Nick Foley travels to China to find purpose and escape the demons of his past, he instead stumbles into a conspiracy his Special Forces training never prepared him for. A mysterious and deadly outbreak ravages a remote area of western China, and Nick finds himself the lead suspect in a bio-terrorism investigation being conducted by China's elite Snow Leopard counter-terrorism unit. To clear his name and avoid prosecution, he must team up with beautiful Chinese CDC microbiologist Dr. Dazhong "Dash" Chen to find who is really behind the attack. As their investigation proceeds, their budding friendship is tested by nationalistic loyalties and suspicion. In a race against time, Nick and Dash must risk everything to stop a mad man before he unleashes the world's next super-weapon in Beijing

Forgotten Heroes of World War II: Personal Accounts of Ordinary Soldiers; by Thomas E. Simmons

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MWSA Review
Wear a helmet and tighten you flak jacket. 
Mr. Thomas E. Simmons is to be applauded for both his writing and his service to our country. He is a veteran and a historian. His book, Forgotten Heroes of WWII-Land, Sea, and Air, provides a forum for veterans of that era to vent their memories as painful as they are, for the first time ever in most cases. Simmons doesn't omit a single branch and brings every veteran he interviews into your home and heart. You can feel every story. Some are like a body blow.  Others are almost a knockout punch. Veterans who think they are the only ones who experienced the horror of war should read this, but read it carefully.

I appreciate Simmons' approach. Each is a stand-alone story. This book does not tie together a plot, but the theme is there in cement. It is just as heavy.  Historians will love the book, because it adds realism to reporting and recording the events of that massive undertaking. I respect the author's research and found the story he included about the Japanese medic to be compelling as well as tremendously insightful into the mind of America’s enemy in WWII. 

I recommend this book, but only for mature readers. That warning isn't about language. It is about realism shared in vivid terms. Read and be prepared for the shocking truth.         

MWSA Reviewer: Michael D. Mullins
 

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Author's Synopsis
World War II was the defining event of the twentieth century. For everyone it was a time of confusion and fear, destruction and death on a scale never before seen. Much has been written of the generals, campaigns, and battles of the war, but it was young, ordinary American kids who held our freedom in their hands as they fought for liberty across the globe. Forgotten Heroes of World War II offers a personal understanding of what was demanded of these young heroes through the stories of rank-and-file individuals who served in the navy, marines, army, air corps, and merchant marine in all theaters of the war. Their tales are told without pretense or apology. At the time, each thought himself no different from those around him, for they were all young, scared, and miserable. They were the ordinary, the extraordinary, the forgotten. Multiply their stories by hundreds of thousands, and you begin to understand the words of war correspondent Martha Gellhorn: "There are! those who received brief, poor, or no recognition, all those history leaves unmentioned, not because they are lesser but because they are too many." Recorded more than fifty years after the war, the stories in Forgotten Heroes of World War II were shared quietly, shyly, honestly, and often painfully by these extraordinary ordinary Americans. All of them begin with similar statements—"There’s really not much to tell. I was just there like everyone else. All I wanted to do was get home…" Each was uncomfortable for being singled out to speak of experiences he felt were common to so many others. None of these heroes see themselves as heroes. Indeed, the word seems to embarrass them. Yet they and thousands like them stood their watch and did their duty in spite of fear and danger. One by one they are leaving us. It will soon be too late to thank them. It will never be too late to remember what they did.

Impostor: A Genealogical Mystery; by Richard Davidson

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MWSA Review

Beginning in the present day and reaching back through the decades to World War II, Impostor: A Genealogical Mystery by Richard Davidson is a mystery with a great deal of historical fiction thrown in.

Jeremy Hadley’s fiancée, Debbie Danforth, plans to surprise Jeremy with a genealogical research into his origins so that she can present him with a piece of graphic art that represents his family tree. But she runs into complications when she discovers that the man they thought was Jeremy’s great-grandfather was an impostor. Debbie’s research uncovers the fact that the real Michael Farrell Hadley was born in London on 17 April 1914…and died the same day.

In their quest to discover the truth, Debbie and Jeremy travel to England to find answers to the question of his heritage which was conceived in mystery and has been shrouded in secrecy for seventy years. Impostor takes us behind the scenes to the formation of the intelligence gathering community of the late 1930s and carries us through wartime American and British spy rings to the present day farmlands of the English countryside.

Fans of genealogical research are sure to enjoy this fast-paced mystery from its beginning to its surprising and unorthodox conclusion.

MWSA Reviewer: Betsy Beard

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Author's Synopsis
When Debbie Danforth discovers a flaw in the genealogy of her live-in boyfriend, Jeremy Hadley, he and his family try to discredit her findings, but eventually admit they must be true. Jeremy and Debbie run a private detective business, the Sandley Agency and commit their skills and resources to learning about the impostor Debbie has discovered in the Hadley ancestry. They are assisted in this effort by Penny and Joe Gonzalez, principals in a covert federal agency, with whom Jeremy has previously worked as a consultant. Their joint investigation uncovers both unique details concerning the mysterious Hadley impostor and little-known facts about events leading up to World War II in both Britain and the United States. Was the person who masqueraded as a Hadley a villain or a hero? Did other Hadleys know he was a fraudulent member of their family? Did his actions assist or impede the British and the Americans as they faced the growing menace in Europe?

The Fifth Bomb; by Kenneth Andrus

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MWSA Review
Kenneth Andrus writes with clarity and excitement. The Fifth Bomb will keep you up turning to that next page, then the next, and the next.

Nick Packos, a mid-level intelligence analysis for the Director of National Intelligence is put in charge of a multi-agency task force to investigate the theft of spent radioactive pellets in the Russian Federation. It’s not enough to make a nuclear bomb, but enough to make several dirty bonds.
When the first two bombs explode in Moscow's GUM shopping center, Nick is thrust into a global quest to find the perpetrators and missing radioactive material. His sister agencies in Russia and France have no clue as to whether the bombers are part of an international cabal such as ISIS or a lone-wolf operation.  The search gains in intensity when a third dirty bomb explodes in Paris, targeting the wives of the presidents of France and the United States.

Packos is not the swashbuckling superhero found in many thrillers. But his careful analytical skills and ability to overcome self-doubts keep him on the trail of Bashir al-Khultyer whose goal is not political, but personal revenge for the murder of his wife and child. The search intensifies as Packos learns Bashir had received advanced degrees in Radiation and Radiobiology at the Institute for Nuclear Research.

As the global search goes on for missing radioactive pellets, the trail leads to Pakistan and Turkey. But one canister of pellets needed to make a fifth bomb, eludes the international intelligence agencies and Packos. Leads take him to Somalia where they identify Bashir al-Khultyer as the lead suspect, yet he slips away and disappears again. A family emergency causes Packso to rush to Miami where the story takes another surprising twist.
From the heist of the nuclear pellets in the first chapter to the dramatic climax, "The Fifth Bomb" keeps a reader glued to the pages as the story races from action pact episode to another.

MWSA Reviewer: Joe Epley
 

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Author's Synopsis
Crazed by the murder of his wife and child by paramilitary police, Bashir al-Khultyer has only one goal: To seek revenge against all those he feels were responsible for their deaths. In Russia, he steals enough nuclear material to construct five dirty bombs. When the first is detonated in Moscow, NSA analyst Nick Parkos must confront his own demons as he pursues al-Khultyer in an international manhunt to stop him before he can detonate his four remaining devices.

The Dark Side of Heaven; by Robert G. Lathrop,‎ Jeanette Vaughan

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MWSA Review
Jeanette Vaughan has done a superb job of compiling the poems of the late Captain Robert G. Lathrop, USMC, and compiling them with drawings and photographs in the publication of The Dark Side of Heaven. Lathrop captures the trauma and agony of war in fourteen poems and Vaughan complements them with several hand drawings and photographs. Perhaps because I belong to Lathrop’s generation, his poetry and the pictures brought out many feelings and emotions. Most of the poems are less than a page long, while a few take longer to tell their tale. I enjoyed reading them all.

Flying most of his missions in versions of the A-4, Lathrop provided close air support to the fighting troops on the ground. Lathrop saw plenty of action and witnessed death and destruction at first hand. His poetry dates back to the Viet Nam era or shortly thereafter. He started writing more poems in the late 1980’s, when the dreams of his days in Viet Nam wouldn’t go away.

This book is not long and is an easy read. Anyone who has served in combat would certainly find it appealing. I recommend it for everyone.

MWSA Reviewer: Bob Doerr
 

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Author's SynopsisFour decades after the Vietnam War, many veterans still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. For some honorable serviceman, it is a condition that will never go away. The key to coping with the nightmares and attacks is two pronged, holding onto relationships with family and sharing stories with veterans who experience the same thing. Captain Robert Gene Lathrop, a Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk pilot arrived in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive of 1968. Over fifteen months he flew over 275 missions. During Vietnam, his squadron VMA-311 flew 54,625 sorties dropping over 9 million tons of bombs. That record will never be broken. Lathrop found comfort in dealing with the aftermath of Vietnam through the written word. These poems and his soon to be released memoir are a brilliant window into the atrocities of a controversial war. His mission in writing them was to honor the men and women who served. He believed that society has a responsibility to care for all veterans when they return to peacetime and aid them to recovery after their sacrifices. "Having been part of an adjacent Marine A4 Squadron at Chu Lai, these poems and photos brought back the vision and the memories of Vietnam, both the good and the bad. These poems brought me back to the true experience that was Vietnam. I have not felt that experience in a long, long time. To Captain Lathrop, I can only say, Thank You!!!" - Cpl. Marty Halpin, USMC,VMA-225 "I just finished reading Gene's poems. With tears in my eyes, I read each one twice. Gene was a great friend and wingman. I love the way they have been put together with the photographs. They brought back lots of memories." - Captain Peter Erenfeld, USMC, VMA-311, pilot A-4 Skyhawk

The Journey of an Adventuresome Dane; by Jasmine Tritten

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MWSA Review
Reading The Journey of an Adventuresome Dane was a delight and an inspiration. Fate delivered challenging choices to author, Jasmine Tritten, but she embraced her options and turned them into opportunities. Her early life felt safe and comfortable even though her father was defying the Nazis by helping Jews escape Denmark. Then Jasmine had to face the loss of everything she held dear when he died mysteriously. Perhaps that was how and when she learned to start over, and that ability sustained her over the years.

Jasmine’s life has been full because she chose to make it that way—from her early travels as a young woman, to her life in Carmel, California, during the late 60s and early 70s as a wife and mother. Perhaps I found her memoir captivating because it reflects my stories and those of my cohorts. It was a time of exploration.

Pushing back the boundaries was done two ways—by demanding it publicly or by simply evolving yourself. It would be unusual to live through those times and not be an agent of change in some way. Jasmine’s joyful book reminds me that life must be lived organically—from sunrise to sunset.

The voice of The Journey of an Adventuresome Dane is clearly that of a woman for whom English is a second language. It takes a chapter or so to resonate with her rhythm—in the same way it takes time to appreciate Downton Abbey when you grew up with the Rockford Files.

The book is a charming, quick read. Enjoy.

MWSA Reviewer: Joyce Faulkner

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Author's Synopsis
The Journey of an Adventuresome Dane is a memoir by Jasmine Tritten recounting life-altering events encompassing a span of seventy years. She explores the meaning of courage, taking chances, overcoming fears and obstacles, recovery, growth and change. 

A woman’s evolution, an odyssey across time and place.

The first part of the memoir takes place in Nazi-occupied Denmark where the author was born during World War II. Her childhood memories were eclipsed by the suicide of her father when she was twelve years old. She explains why and how at twenty-one she left her country. The flip of a Danish coin determined her destination in America.

In the second part of the book Jasmine courageously boards a Norwegian ocean liner and arrives in New York with a “green card.” Seeking peace in her soul she takes a train bound for San Francisco, but ends up in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea in California.

The third part describes the awakening of her art spirit, exploring new surroundings, marriage, and performing as a belly dancer with sword and snakes. Years later she heals from a divorce by traveling to Morocco and Egypt. An accident in La Jolla forces her to get in touch with her inner self.

Jasmine Tritten ends the memoir with her recovery from many trials and errors to finding her prince and settling down. Llamas as pets and frequent trips abroad become part of her life. The continuous thirst for adventure takes her zip-lining at 10,000 feet between two mountain tops in Angel fire, New Mexico on her seventieth birthday.

Testimony of the Protected; by Douglas Milliken

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MWSA Review
Testimony of The Protected, by Doug Milliken, is a serious, sincere read. It is thoughtful, thought-provoking, and spiritual. Mr. Milliken writes about his personal journey to redemption and peace after his experience in Vietnam. He looks at his life, his fears, his reclamation, and reformation through the prism of religion, not denomination. Milliken does not attempt to convert or cajole the reader, merely sharing his journey in emotional and well-thought terms. I recommend the book with enthusiasm. It is an honest portrayal of a soldier finding himself in Scripture. 

I saw a post on Twitter: You wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired the night before, and that, my love, is bravery.  Milliken’s book is an expose about his approach to that battle. 

At the end of Milliken’s story he adds a pair of stories about his forays into the mindset of our enemy in Vietnam. It is revealing as well. Sometimes the warriors on the ground are more alike than not. Testimony of the Protected is well worth the read. 

MWSA Reviewer: Michael D. Mullins
 

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Author's Synopsis

"Testimony of The Protected" by Doug Milliken is the author's personal account of his struggle coping with the visceral realities of Vietnam War combat, without having come to faith, and how he was protected through all danger, to later be pursued and born of the spirit, in a miraculous salvation event.

Triple Threat (OAS Book 2); by Lee Boyland,‎ Vista Boyland

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MWSA Review
In their second in the Office of Analysis and Solutions series, Triple Threat, Lee and Vista Boyland present a plausible and exhilarating tale that falls in line with its predecessor, Pirates and Cartels. In this ongoing story, President George Alexander leads his administration through a beneficial pro-American foreign policy, showing what a strong and ethical President could accomplish for our nation during a time of turmoil.

Set in the bowels of deceit and debauchery, the Boylands' imagination weaves drug manufacturing and smuggling with jihad training camps into a blanket of ultimate and imminent terror for The Great Satan—the United States of America.

Lee and Vista Boyland deliver new surprises and plot turns at every step, and keep the reader on the edge of their seat.  Jam-packed with action, suspense, disloyalty, and intrigue, Triple Threat is a page-turner not likely to disappoint a true Boyland fan.

MWSA Reviewer: Sandra Linhart
 

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Author's Synopsis

President George Alexander's war with narco cartels and jihadists continues in the second OAS novel. The assassination of Mexico's president has just been thwarted by Teresa Lopez, Erica Borgg, Lee Culberson, Pete Duncan and Gy Sergeant McDougal. Mission accomplished he team is headed for Mexico City and then home for some R&R.

President Alexander is concerned about forming the UN's replacement, and Martha Wellington, Director, CIA is concerned about Central American cartels, and the Triple Frontier, a 1,000 square mile home for drug labs, jihadi training camps and all types of illegal activities. The Triple Frontier includes parts of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Alexander decides to apply the Mexican model to the Triple Frontier problem. It is up to Teresa Lopez to persuade the presidents of the three nations to join the plan. Both cartels and jihadists think this is a bad idea and make plans to kill her.

Alexander sends Teresa and Julian Taylor to London to coordinate with MI6 and the foreign secretary and interview the pirate captain. One meeting results in a "dust-up."

The Coast Guard encounters cartel submersibles transporting drugs. Secretary of War Simpson sends Delta operators to ID targets in the Tri-Border Area, the local name for the Triple Frontier, and SEALS to find cartel boatyards in the jungles of Columbia and Honduras. Worried about Teresa's safety, he assigns a Recon Marine platoon to guard her in Paraguay. 

A radical imam in London decides to assassinate Alexander when he arrives and things get exciting in London Town.

Readers of Boyland novels never know what new surprise or plot awaits them on the next page, and this story has plenty of action, betrayal and intrigue. Deltas, SEALs, Recon Marines and the Coast Guard share the action with the USAF. Teresa considers writing a novel about love in Special Ops and Julian is not pleased.

Welcome to FOB Haiku: War Poems from Inside the Wire: by Randy Brown

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MWSA Review
Fresh, profound, illuminating

Poetry is, by nature, sparsely populated with words, almost to the point of being terse. Words carefully chosen, however, can explode into the mind, creating images and understanding where none existed before. If you ever wondered about the experiences of our service members in the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is a must-read poetry book. It logs the humor and joy as well as the pathos and tragedy that comes as a result of serving in the American military. 

The poetry is divided into several sections titled Basic Issue, Getting Embed, FOB Haiku, Lessons Learned, and Homecoming. A final section titled Notes contains valuable definitions as well as pronunciations for the ever-present military acronyms. Information in this section is critical to the understanding of how the poetry is to be read, since many of us do not know how to pronounce DFAC or TOC. My advice is to read the notes for each section before you read the poetry in that section. I think it will deepen the experience as well as allow you to get the meter that the poet intended.

One poem in particular changed the way I think of my son’s service in Iraq, where he was killed in action. “Hamlet in Afghanistan” enabled me to realize more than I had allowed myself to think that “nothing we can ever do will change that day in the village.” Heartrending, but true.   
Not everyone in America understands the military culture. But for those who lived it, this book will bring remembrance and affirmation. For those who are families and friends of service members, this book will help you gain new understanding of your loved ones. For those without experience in this field, you may end up with a fresh look at what it’s all about.

MWSA Reviewer: Betsy Beard

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Author's Synopsis

SHERPATUDE NO. 26: "HUMOR IS A COMBAT MULTIPLIER ..." Has your war become workaday? Does life on the Forward Operating Base (FOB) now seem commonplace? Armed with deadpan snark and poker-faced patriotism--and rooted in the coffee-black soil and plain-spoken voice of the American Midwest--journalist-turned-poet Randy Brown reveals behind-the-scenes stories of U.S. soldier-citizenship. From Boot Camp to Bagram, Afghanistan. And back home again.

Here's a taste:

Three Cups of Chai-ku

1.
I had hoped, I guess,
for something more like Starbucks,
not yellow water.

2.
We build our nations
one tea party at a time.
They serve, we protect.

3.
No one here can lead
this endless talk of action.
"Que shura, shura."

Black Sun; by Glenn Starkey

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MWSA Review
Historical fiction at its best—The Mexican Revolution of 1910

To understand a nation you must read its history. The author takes the reader on a journey beginning in 1900, told through the eyes of a fictional young man. Mexico is slowly sinking into chaos under the dictatorial rule of President for life Diaz. Foreign interests are raping Mexico’s resources and people while paying off the president and his cronies. Desperate people are capable of desperate action and the faint scent of revolution is in the air.
The story begins with fourteen-year-old Mexican peon, Arnulfo Triana, laboring in the Ojuela Mine near the village of Mapimí in the State of Durango, Mexico. Conditions are poor and the pay is minimal. Only the native Indians have worse working conditions. Garcia, the foreman, is sadistic and has chosen Arnulfo as his current target. Chamaco, an older miner with a varied background attempts to protect him from Garcia. 

Arnulfo witnesses Garcia assaulting a Yaqui Indian woman and uses a shovel to end her rape, giving the reader their first indication of the man the young boy will become. In gratitude, the woman presents Arnulfo with a gift. Events become confused and Arnulfo flees. Chamaco follows on a “borrowed” mule and the two become lifelong friends. Along the way they meet Pancho Villa and join him. During the following years, Arnulfo grows into a man, takes the name Indio, and becomes Pancho’s trusted companion as Mexico continues its downward spiral. Villa is a natural leader and a powerful force for the people against its dictatorial president.  Through Indio, the reader meets Emiliano Zapata, Abraham González, and many leaders of the coming revolution, including Francisco Madero, the man who would light the fuse.

The author’s descriptions of people, places and battles allows the reader to become part of unfolding events. Black Sun is a story of courage, despair, patriotism, deception, heroism, betrayal, loyalty, greed, honor and leadership—both good and bad. It is the story of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and beyond.

MWSA Reviewer: Lee Boyland

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Author's Synopsis

From the underworld of the Ojuela Mine to the majestic Sierra Madre Mountains and across the desert plains of northern Mexico, a boy is forced to survive and grow into manhood through a turbulent decade that erupted into the bloodiest revolution of the twentieth century–the Mexican Revolution of 1910.

On the run for a murder he didn’t commit, forced to hide even his name, Arnulfo Triana is swept into a maelstrom of tragedy as revolutionaries, led by his mentor and friend Pancho Villa, collide with the forces of a corrupt dictator.

Black Sun is based on actual events. A young man’s life unfolds against a background of poverty, injustice and political corruption that finally explodes into a devastating revolution.

Taking Risks Defining Life: A Soldier's Memoir; by LTC John R McClarren

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MWSA Review
John McClarren has taken the lessons he learned in life and has penned an interesting memoir of his experiences in his new book Taking Risks Defining Life.  The author allows us to see into many of the decisions he made in life and the results that evolved from them.  As might be expected, and as McClarren readily admits, many of his early decisions were made more on bravado than common sense.  Some, in hindsight, are humorous and others not, but they all played a part in making him the person he is today.
The author’s life included time in the army which sent him to combat and near death experiences in Vietnam and to tense situations in South Korea.  Readers who have served in combat or in Korea will certainly appreciate the impact these tours of duty had on the author.

Post military, the author held a variety of jobs, bounced around the country, and had a difficult family move from California to Michigan while he was between jobs.  The extreme differences in weather and life styles led to an interesting series of family adventures that the author portrays to the reader in a manner that has you laughing with him while at the same time feeling the hardship the family was going through.  

Taking Risks Defining Life is an easy read book that I recommend to readers of all genre.

MWSA Reviewer: Bob Doerr
 

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Author's Synopsis
John McClarren (LTC, US Army, retired) relates to his readers how circumstances in his own life naturally led him into taking what many would consider unnecessary risks in order to reach his goals, and how this risk-taking became a primary routine in his life, all of which ultimately resulted in total fulfillment. This book is for anyone who is always trying to assess the need to take risks in accomplishing goals, and there are very few who are not in that category. We all take risks from time to time. We just need to figure out if the decisions to take risks are worth the possible consequences of failure, because that too is part of life. Can we handle failures and still be successful? John will take you on a journey through his life, much of which is really funny, much of which will make you wonder how he ever made it this far alive and well, and much that you will be able to identify with perfectly and compare it with a good deal of your own life. Many of those experiences are from his military life, and many are far from that life.

The Barbarossa Covenant; by Ian A. O'Connor

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MWSA Review
I grew up in an Irish Catholic family, hearing about the miracle at Fatima, where the Virgin Mary appeared to three Portuguese children in 1917. Our Lady appeared several times, asking the children to pray the rosary.
I never dreamt that nearly 100 years after the miracle, I’d read a fabulous thriller, The Barbarossa Covenant, that tied one of the children (now Sister Lucia) to a plot to save England from a Nazi attack during World War II.

Author Ian O’Connor successfully brings the miracle, England’s war strategy, the Russian czars and the present-day papacy together in a fast-paced plot that threatens to destroy the Vatican. Justin Scott, a retired FBI agent, lands in the middle of a terrorist attack when he arrives in Rome at the invitation of a cardinal. The Pope needs him to verify the authenticity of a letter in time to prevent catastrophe.

The characters interact seamlessly with historical figures and events. At one point, Scott visits Queen Elizabeth II in a well-written scene. Once you enter O’Connor’s world, the plot is believable and he ties historical eras and events together to offer readers a great read. Suspenseful, yes indeed, and you’ll most likely discover some new little piece of history.

MWSA Reviewer: 

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Author's Synopsis

"Author O'Connor...has written a nifty thriller that...holds reader interest with his breakneck plot...fits nicely in the Tom Clancy-meets-Dan Brown canon." -- Kirkus Reviews

Past and present collide in the opening pages of The Barbarossa Covenant when retired FBI agent Justin Scott becomes a target for assassination while en route to Rome at the behest of the Vatican's secretary of state. Before learning why, the reader is whisked back to 1940 wartime London where British Intelligence is working feverishly on an audacious plan to thwart the imminent cross-channel Nazi invasion. With England's fate hanging in the balance, a papal emissary hand-delivers a sealed letter to Adolf Hitler from a source no mortal would dare ignore or disobey. The letter is lost to history in 1945 with the fall of Berlin--only to surface without warning in the Vatican seven decades later. Penned by an unimpeachable source, it states with a God-given certitude that the time of the Dies Irae (The Day of Wrath) is now. A very troubled pope wants Justin to authenticate or disprove both message and messenger--an admitted all but impossible task as the Doomsday Clock readies to strike midnight.

Near Death / Near Life; by Dennis Maulsby

MWSA Review
Vivid imagery and thought-provoking shards of brilliance  

Near Death Near Life by Dennis Maulsby is a journey into the past and a peek at the future.  We live; we die.  We are touched by both.  Some parts leaves scars, others laugh lines. Maulsby forces one to think about both experiences with broad meaning but concise precision at times.  The flashes of brilliance force one to pause and remember one’s own brushes with death and glory in the joy of living. It reminded me that pain sometimes makes me feel close to the kind of life I dreamt about, but somehow reaching for it with frustration as I fall short of my ideal. 
The experience of war is described in short bursts, similar to a soldier’s reaction in a firefight.  

The time seems frozen and infinite but in hindsight was in fact fleeting. Life is confusing and death is final. At times Maulsby’s verse scratched off the scabs from old wounds compartmentalized somewhere in my warrior memory. Life is dance, music, rain, flowers, birds on wing.  Death is final and universal. Maulsby takes the reader by the hand and meanders between the two with great skill.  Veterans should read the book. Lovers of free verse poetry shouldn’t miss the opportunity to walk hand-in-hand with the author. 
MWSA Reviewer: Michael D. Mullins

Author's Synopsis
Near Death / Near Life strikes a meaningful and tender balance between the appreciation for life's poignant moments, and the human experience of war, both as a construct and a memory.

Stump!; by Larry Allen Lindsey

MWSA Review
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stump by Larry Allen Lindsey.  Stump is a fascinating account of the World War II experiences of the late Lee Kelley.  An avid swimmer, Lee Kelley joined the fight against the Japanese shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and volunteered to become a Navy frogman.  I was surprised to learn the frogmen in WWII weren't equipped with oxygen tanks.  They were snorkelers whose mission was to swim in close to the shore and with the use of demolitions, destroy any obstacles that the Japanese may have placed underwater to prevent the landing crafts that would be bringing in the marines from reaching shore.  Author Lindsey had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Lee Kelley, and in this book I got the sense I was hearing Kelley's first hand accounts of what happened.  Facing Japanese snipers on shore, sharks in the water, and handling explosives on every mission, the life expectancy of the frogmen wasn't very high.  The story of one of the survivors fascinated me and will fascinate you.  Read this book!
Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (Oct 2015)
 

Author's Synopsis
Motivated by the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, champion swimmer Lee "Stump" Kelley is hell bent on becoming a Marine. Waylaid by a silver-tongued Navy recruiter he becomes a frogman instead. After blowing up under water obstructions all over the Pacific, at Tacloban he loses the first of his best friends in a gruesome explosion. A month later he loses the second in a freak encounter with a giant hammerhead shark at Manila Bay. Moving on to Okinawa with what's left of his frogman team, he suffers serious burns during the largest kamikaze attack of the war. At Guam a three star admiral asks his opinion on a prospective landing site for the invasion of Japan. As always, Stump tells it like it is. "Admiral... trying to march into Tokyo will cost a million American lives. And one of those lives is gonna be mine."

Warriors Remembered -- Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home (Vietnam Veteran Memorials from 50 states); by Albert J Nahas

MWSA Review

Photo-journal that should be in every vet’s library.   

Warriors Remembered: Vietnam Veterans--Welcome Home by Albert J. Nahas is a wonderful pictorial journey to several veterans memorials around America.  Mr. Nahas provides the history of the efforts of those involved in creating monuments to the memory and sacrifice of those who fought for our country, in particular to those who shared the Vietnam experience with him.  He was drawn to include those who fought or served in all our wars, men and women alike.  It is a coffee table book in the truest and best sense of the description. His photography is the next best thing to being at these places in person. 

Like most Vietnam vets, I know much of what went into the creation of The Wall in D.C.  I am aware of local memorials, but I knew nothing of the efforts made by others around the country.  Mr. Nahas enlightened me.  He took me places I can’t go.  He showed me things I won’t see up close.  He made tears well up in my eyes, with appreciation and respect for those who worked so diligently to keep memories alive, who salute those who died or otherwise did not come home.  Albert J. Nahas took me on a magic carpet ride around the country with the art of a photographer and the patience of a teacher.  I can feel his emotion. I feel his effort.  I know how much it cost him to produce this work via his own wallet and at the expense of unending emotional commitment. I thank him for it. 

I recommend this wonderful book to all who support the military and especially all those who served. 
MWSA Reviewer: Michael D. Mullins

Author's Synopsis
WARRIORS REMEMBERED is a 240-page, 11½" x 11½" hard cover coffee-table format photo documentary of Vietnam Veterans Memorials from all 50 states with stories of their significant features, locations and the motivation and struggle faced by those who built them. It highlights 100 memorials and their creators, and shares some of each memorial's subtle details. WARRIORS REMEMBERED is both a travel log and a documentary. It mattered not what politicians argued. It mattered not what history would reveal. We had no expectation but to serve where duty called us. We asked for no reward except a nation's thanks. Warriors Remembered

Eugene Bullard: World's First Black Fighter Pilot; by Larry Greenly

MWSA Review
When Eugene Bullard's father told him there was no racism in France, a very young Eugene became determined to be where all people were treated with respect - France.

In his biography on Eugene Bullard, the World's First Black Fighter Pilot, Larry Greenly paints our hero with tenacity and an unyielding desire to live in a world of equality.  In his quest for France, the young run-away found not all white people were mean, and not all black people were his friend.  He finally found the respect he earned and desired for so long in the fighting ring, on the music scene, and over the field of battle. 

Eugene Bullard led a fantastic life.  Fighting against the Germans in WWI with the French Foreign Legion, Bullard excelled in every endeavor.  But, he came home to find a handful of Americans remained deeply embedded in the racism trench, never to accept him for his accolades over his skin color.

Larry Greenly's biography intrigued, enlightened, and saddened me.  To live and fight for a country during a time of intense war, only to be treated less than human, yet remain true to your dreams of tolerance and love is truly a feat for only the bravest among us.  Eugene's perseverance and drive should encourage us all to seek the good in everyone.  Mr. Greenly reminds us of the true American hero who was Eugene Bullard, the World's First Black Fighter Pilot.  
Reviewed by: Sandra Miller Linhart

Author's Synopsis
Pioneering black aviator Eugene Bullard, descended from slaves, became the world’s first black fighter pilot, though he was barred from serving the United States because of the color of his skin.

Growing up in Georgia, Bullard faced discrimination and the threat of lynching, but he had listened spellbound to his father's stories about how France treated everyone equally. He ran away from home at twelve, worked as a profesional boxer at seventeen, and eventually made his way to France, where he joined the French Foreign Legion and later the Lafayette Flying Corps. He saw fierce combat during World War I and was wounded multiple times.

In World War II, Bullard became a member of the French Underground. After the war, he returned to the United States with a chest full of medals, but once again faced discrimination. Bullard was all but ignored in the United States, even as, at age sixty-four in 1959, he was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. The next year, General Charles de Gaulle personally invited Bullard to a ceremony in New York where he was embraced by the general himself.

Eugene Bullard's is a remarkable story of accomplishment despite racial prejudice. Author Larry Greenly's biography includes numerous historical photographs of Bullard throughout his travels.

Clicking Mics: Lessons Learned from a Law Enforcement Officer; by Bruce Hoff

MWSA Review
The gritty streets of a Florida county

Clicking a microphone, that simple act of keying the transmit button may seem like an innocuous, mechanical process devoid of any particular meaning to most people, but to Bruce Hoffman and to thousands of law enforcement officers across the country, it is anything but. In fact, clicking a mic oftentimes carries a deeper meaning and purpose. It is about expressing raw emotion in a subtle and non-verbal manner. The static click sound made by keying the microphone may mean approval, happiness, anger, sadness…even grief.

Bruce Hoffman captures these emotions and much more in his autobiographical book, aptly named Clicking Mics. Hoffman traces a 27-year career with the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff’s Department. His was a career that spanned the time he left the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968 to his retirement as a captain. Nestled in between are 175 anecdotes and stories about his life on the gritty streets of a Florida county that included Tampa and St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast of the state’s peninsula.

The author takes the reader on a historical journey that includes plenty of the expected – drugs, sexual crimes, violence and other seedier elements of society – but also the unexpected. Hoffman gives behind-the-scenes access to the politics and drama of police work, pulling back the veil on what most people assume, but don’t always see, goes on in the life of an officer as he climbs the ranks. Clicking Mics is complete with police procedure elements neatly woven into the stories. Undercover operations, confidential informants, drug buys and busts, and so much more are all inside this compact and well-written autobiography.

There is also plenty of excitement for the crime story junkie in us all. And that is where the book’s title earns its merit. During calls the deputies would signal their reactions by a series of mic clicks. It didn’t matter if the reaction was happiness over a major drug bust gone well, or sadness over an injury or even death, the simple act of clicking the microphone button a few times conveyed it. And everyone hearing the clicks understood its meaning. Police work is known for its fraternity and the bonds that glue one officer to another. Clicking a microphone is one simple example of how that brotherhood communicates feeling and emotion without the need for spoken word.

Get a copy of Hoffman’s book, sit back, and read it for its many purposes. It tells true stories and it entertains at the same time. For someone who has never been in police work, it is revealing and enlightening. For someone who has carried a badge, you will find yourself nodding throughout the book, symbolically clicking a mic along with the author.
Reviewer: Mike Angley
 

Author's Synopsis
In "Clicking Mics," Bruce Hoffman offers a peek behind the door of an extensive law enforcement career with 175 anecdotes of history, lessons learned, and amusing events. After returning home to Florida from the battlefields of Vietnam, Bruce traded his Marine Corps uniform for a badge and gun. Patrolling the streets of Hillsborough County is not the same as serving in a warzone, but there are some similarities-Bruce recounts stories of seeing the best and worst of humanity, describes the struggle of deciding between right and wrong when there are all too many shades of gray, and details the two instances when he experienced friendly fire from fellow cops. In addition to the serious business of police work, Bruce shares some of the amusing shenanigans of his squad and the crazy characters they encounter. In his twenty-seven years of service to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Bruce developed a distinct point of view, one that he imparts with his heartfelt and sometimes humorous stories and lessons learned from living the day-to-day highs and lows of being a law enforcement officer. *"Clicking Mics" is the winner of a Bronze Medal in the 2016 Military Writers Society of America awards memoir category.

Gravity; by Beth Underwood

MWSA Review
“How can a bunch of Tennessee National Guardsmen who never expected, or trained for, deployment survive a year on the battlefields of Iraq? “ That’s the problem facing K Troop of the  278th Armored Cavalry in Beth Underwood’s new book, Gravity.  The year is 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom is still new, unexpected, and misunderstood by most Americans. The men are teenagers and grandfathers, a coach and his players, a gung-ho recruiter and an oblivious youngster who joined up simply because his friends were doing so. The challenges they face are both unprecedented and uncompromising.

Underwood has not written this story from the perspective of an outside observer. She knows these men from the inside.  She has talked to them and to their families, earning their trust and therefore their honesty. She has been able to get under their skin and into the crevices of their brains. The resulting stories are therefore funny one moment and excruciatingly painful the next. Their emotions are raw and frequently make the reader uncomfortable.

I floundered with the text at first. The time frame seemed disjointed. The military jargon was unusually confusing and sometimes awkward. The landscape was uncharted. Too many events and too many characters left me bewildered. And then I got it. What I was feeling was exactly what these men were feeling as they set out on this unexpected venture. Without warning, Beth Underwood had sent me off to Iraq to learn about this war the same way her characters did –without explanations or guidelines. And learn I did, but not without shedding a few tears of my own.

Why did she call it “Gravity,” I wondered from the beginning. Was there a force holding this group of men together? Certainly. Were they all being pulled toward a center of some sort? Yes, of course. The bravest discovered their fears and the weakest found their strengths. Was the attraction that held them together too strong to be broken, even by death?  It seems so. 
Or is the gravity of another sort? Is the book so titled because of the importance of the subject matter? That, too, I think. The author never spells out her purpose, because there are no easy answers to the questions she raises. You’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. 
Reviewed by Carolyn Schriber

Author's Synopsis
This is the story of a small group of Army National Guardsmen from the Volunteer State of Tennessee - otherwise simple men, who spent a year of their lives in the Triangle of Death, one of Iraq's most hostile areas of operation. But their daily patrols and combat missions weren't featured on the nightly news. Instead, they operated as silent professionals - ordinary men facing extraordinary circumstances, who carried out their jobs to the best of their abilities and prayed they'd stay alive. Continuing the legacy of citizen-soldiers throughout the ages, they stepped forward to protect their families, their neighbors, their countrymen - and their fellow warriors, even in the face of death. Theirs is a story that will live for generations to come.

The Lost Celt; by A. E. Conran

Click on cover image to purchase a copy

MWSA Review
In The Lost Celt by A. E. Conran, history, Celtic myth, returning war vets with PTSD, issues of bullying, and family values are all rolled into one great book for middle-grade readers. Conran handles all the themes with compassion and humor, weaving a tale of intrigue, adventure, and danger, which is sure to please her target audience, their parents, and military families everywhere. 

Fourth graders Mikey and Kyler are typical boys and exceptional video gamers, spending hours playing Romanii, a war game between the opposing forces of ancient Romans and Celts. Mikey is in the VA hospital one evening when he glimpses what he believes to be a Celtic warrior. Based on the man’s actions, dress, and appearance, Mikey figures that the man must be a time-traveler, clearly from the same time frame as his video game. As the boys investigate, they rely in part on Mikey’s Vietnam veteran grandfather as well as their knowledge gleaned from their game.

From first to last page, this book pulls you in and pulls you along on a page-turning adventure with twists and turns and roundabouts. Along the way, you can’t help but learn about compassion, understanding, and the importance of family. The topic of PTSD is introduced and explained in a way that middle graders will understand. The same applies to the issue of bullying. If you’re not careful, you might even pick up some history as you read.    
MWSA Reviewer: Betsy Beard
 

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Author's Synopsis

Written in the voice of Mikey, a fourth-grader who believes that eating crunchy things will get your neurons to fire, The Lost Celt follows Mikey's adventures after a chance encounter with what he thinks is a time-traveling Celtic warrior.

With the help of his best friend Kyler, and clues from his military history book, Mikey tracks down the stranger, and in the process learns about the power and obligations of friendship.

Full of heart, The Lost Celt throws a gentle light on some of the issues facing our veterans and their families, but it's the humor and infectious camaraderie throughout this book that makes it so memorable.

Stay the Rising Sun: The True Story of USS Lexington, Her Valiant Crew, and Changing the Course of World War II; by Phil Keith

MWSA Review
Author Phil Keith does a superb job in telling us the story of the USS Lexington, CV-1, while primarily focusing on its brief role in World War II.  Keith's extensive knowledge on all things navy are evident throughout the book. He includes numerous first hand accounts of what transpired during the first five months of the war on the Pacific, and while these accounts come mostly from the American personnel who were there, they also include several from Japanese war records.  His detailed description of the USS Lexington, its personnel, and the operations of its air group make this book a very interesting read.  I highly recommend it to anyone interested in military history, and especially to those with an interest in the war in the Pacific during World War II.
Reviewed,by: Bob Doerr (Sep 2015)
 

Author's Synopsis
Her crew called her the "Lady Lex" - see how her fierce battle turned the tide in the Allies' favor.

In May 1942, the United States' first first naval victory against the Japanese in the Coral Sea was marred by the loss of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. Another carrier was nearly ready for launch when the news arrived, so the navy changed her name to Lexington, confusing the Japanese.

The men of the original "Lady Lex" loved their ship and fought hard to protect her. They were also seeking revenge for the losses sustained at Pearl Harbor. Crippling attacks by the Japanese left her on fire and dead in the water. A remarkable 90 percent of the crew made it off the burning decks before Lexington had to be abandoned. In all the annals of the Second World War, there is hardly a battle story more compelling.

Lexington's legacy did not end with her demise, however. Although the battle was deemed a tactical success for the Japanese, it turned out to be a strategic loss: For the first time in the war, a Japanese invasion force was forced to retreat.

The lessons learned by losing the Lexington at Coral Sea impacted tactics, air wing operations, damage control, and ship construction. Altogether, they forged a critical, positive turning point in the war. The ship that ushered in and gave birth to a new era in naval warfare might be gone, but fate decreed that her important legacy would live on.