A Quest for Skye, by John Rothdiener

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MWSA Review

“A Quest For Skye” is a well written, heartwarming novel about faith, mystery, intrigue, science and the power of prayer.It centers on a precocious nine year old girl who seems to be the perfect child.

While on a vacation cruise, Doctors Tammy and Morgan Hamilton meet Skye who quickly take on the Hamilton’s as her substitute parents while her birth parents conduct a medical continuing education seminar aboard the ship.The Hamilton’s became enamored with the girl’s curiosity, bubbling energy, infectious smile, photographic memory, artistic talents, instant rapport with everyone she meets and a strong commitment to Jesus.But before the cruise ends, the parents and Skye leave the ship without explanation.

Six months later, the Hamilton’s are mysteriously called to a secluded island near Greece after Skye’s parents, one a medical researcher, the other a wealthy entrepreneur, died in a laboratory explosion under circumstances shrouded in secrecy.They are offered not only to become Skye’s adopted parents and help oversee her vast fortune, but also management of a unique research and treatment facility dedicated to treating and finding a cure for Batten disease, a lethal childhood illness, with a 100 percent mortality rate.

The efforts to find the miracle cure are thwarted by the explosion that destroys all research findings.Further complications come from harassment by sensationalist news reporters and a power hungry Greek politician determined to close down the facility.

Skye’s unselfish inspiration cheers not only the two-dozen dying patients, but also the entire staff.Her devotion makes the Hamilton’s reexamine their own faith as they take on the cause started by Skye’s parents and work feverishly to save the lives of the young patients, including Skye who is also a victim of the dreaded Batten disease.

Although the plot is slow in developing, the pace speeds as new situations grab and hold one’s interest to the conclusion. It is refreshing to read a good book void of mayhem, cursing, substance abuse and/or excessive sexual shenanigans.

Reviewed by: Joe Epley (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

Doctors Morgan and Tammy Hamilton take a vacation from their pediatric clinic in Saint Paul, Minnesota to board a cruise ship for the Caribbean. Devastated by Tammy’s third miscarriage and the news that she will never be able to bear children, the couple hopes to use the fourteen day cruise to regain their emotional footing. But life has other plans for them. Among the passengers is Skye, a nine-year old girl with an irrepressible spirit, and a passion for living that touches everyone around her. Infused with hope and a belief in a loving God, Skye becomes the daughter that the Hamiltons could never have. But despite her open and honest nature, Skye is surrounded by ominous questions. Was the accident that killed her parents truly an accident? Or was it sabotage? Why are news reporters hounding this innocent child? What secrets are concealed in the laboratory clinic on the island of Kardia? The truth—if they ever find it—can bring a government to its knees, and thrust national power into the hands of men who will not hesitate to shed the blood of innocents. The Hamiltons are drawn into a struggle to protect the little girl they’ve come to love. As everything they value begins slipping away from them, these hardnosed and pragmatic doctors suddenly find themselves praying for a miracle. When the miracle comes, it’s not at all what Morgan and Tammy have in mind. Because Skye has been praying too...

CIB - Combat Infantryman Badge, by Wilbur "Bill" Rambow

MWSA Review

CIB: Combat Infantry Badge, book one of the Philip Lawson saga, introduces us to Specialist Fourth Class Philip Lawson, an Army infantry soldier initially assigned to be a helicopter door gunner in Vietnam. As often happens in the military, his assignment is changed and he winds up instead in a mechanized infantry company, an assignment initially not to his liking. After the shock of knowing he is not going to be in a helicopter, he sets out to prove himself to his fellow soldiers.

Philip has a domineering brother named Captain Paul Lawson, who shows up in the combat zone. It’s Paul’s influence that he has tried to avoid. Now, without anything to say about it, Paul is back in his life and Philip must deal with it.

The interaction between the characters is plausible. So is the banter, sometimes hilarious, that makes the characters come alive. Like many of those who did a tour of duty in Vietnam, the soldiers find ways to take up their time while waiting for the next life-threatening battle. Odd pets wind up in the story. Rambow shows this interconnection between the men well.

The unbreakable bond between soldiers who depend on each other for their lives stands out in this novel. Bill Rambow has written a very good book that is a page turner.

Reviewed by: Lawrence, Mindy (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

Specialist Fourth Class Philip Lawson arrives in Vietnam after re-enlisting with the promise of assignment as a helicopter door-gunner. But when he arrives in country he is assigned as a replacement to a mechanized infantry ­company and his dreams of action in the sky over Vietnam evaporate in a haze of red dust and sweltering humidity.

Phil sets out with a youthful desire to prove not only who he is to himself, but also to earn the confidence and respect of the more experienced men around him. It's not long before action finds him and he discovers the immense physical, psychological and mortal toll he must face to gain his comrades' respect and quiet his own lurking fears. The misery and daily quest for survival are leavened by the combat soldiers' unbreakable bond, and a cast of eccentric pets and mascots that ride the M113 "tracks" with the mechanized grunts. But further complicating Phil's life is the unexpected
arrival in the combat zone of Captain Paul Lawson, the domineering older brother whose influence he has been trying to escape for years.

During his R&R in Sydney, though worried that the war may have forever hardened and brutalized him, Phil finds love and the promise of a bright new future-if he can survive his tour of duty. Ultimately he must fight alongside the hardened soldiers who will become his brothers, against an unseen and ruthless enemy to earn the coveted Combat Infantryman Badge.

Flashes of War, by Katey Schultz

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MWSA Review

Katey Schultz in Flashes of War totally surprises her readers by the ability to share short stories from many perspectives: those of both military and civilian—American, Afghan, and Iraqi. She shares the consequences of war “on all sides.” The author tells her readers that she “spent 31 out of 36 months traveling across the United States while she wrote Flashes of War.” Her research and passion shine throughout this book. Many readers marvel that someone who has no experience with war can write so astutely on the topic. This book doesn’t bring judgment to the war, but the individual experiences and emotions of people affected—“bringing us closer to a broader understanding of war by focusing on individuals, their motivations, and their impossible decisions.” Readers will find these short stories very powerful. Anyone wanting insight into the War on Terror will want to read Katey Schultz’s Flashes of War.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

Information provided by the author. Illuminating the intimate, human faces of war, this unique series of short stories by award-winning author Katey Schultz questions the stereotypes of modern war by bearing witness to the shared struggles of all who are touched by it. Numerous characters-returning U.S. soldier and pragmatic jihadist, Afghan mother and listless American sister, courageous amputee and a ghost that cannot let go-appear in Flashes of War, which captures personal moments of fear, introspection, confusion, and valor in one collection spanning nations and perspectives. Written in clear, accessible language with startling metaphors, this unforgettable journey leaves aside judgment, bringing us closer to a broader understanding of war by focusing on individuals, their motivations, and their impossible decisions. Flashes of War weaves intimate portrayals of lives affected by the War on Terror into a distinctive tapestry of emotional resonance. It builds bridges, tears them down, and sends out a universal plea for reconnection. "Katey Schultz has written an amazing book. What emerges from these stories is a chorus of voices-American, Afghan, Iraqi-and this chorus enlarged my sense of a war that has defined an American decade. Flashes Of War is the work of a bold, ambitious, and brilliant young author who is writing stories few others in American fiction have really yet tackled." - Doug Stanton, author of New York Times Bestsellers Horse Soldiers and In Harm's Way Katey Schultz grew up in Portland, Oregon, and is most recently from Celo, North Carolina. She is a graduate of the Pacific University MFA in Writing Program and recipient of the Linda Flowers Literary Award from the North Carolina Humanities Council. She lives in a 1970 Airstream trailer bordering the Pisgah National Forest. This is her first book.

Navy Rules, by Geri Krotow

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MWSA Review

Winnie had carefully planned how she’d tell Max the news about baby Maeve. Unfortunately, she didn’t follow her own script.

Navy Rules is a romance with a naval aviation backdrop. Winnie Armstrong feels she has finally regrouped after her husband’s death. Five years after his fatal attempted landing aboard an aircraft carrier, she heads successful knitting and yarn concern and balances single parenting her two daughters. Then Commander Max Ford returns to Whidby Island. Winnie’s late husband, Tom, was the father of their oldest daughter, Krista. Max, however, is the father of eighteen month Maeve, something Winnie never told him. Complicate this with Max’s recovery from shrapnel wounds and PTSD from a tour in Afghanistan, add in Winnie’s therapy dog, Sam, and watch the old chemistry between Winnie and Max try to break through both their respective hurts.

Geri Krotow’s novel neatly handles the romantic tension between Winnie and Max. Both her main and supporting characters are sympathetic and their reactions to Max’s reappearance understandable. Krotow blends in the service aspects of the story well, never overloading the reader with too many acronyms or arcane references. The title itself refers to the core of Winnie and Max’ dilemma, that Navy buddies don’t steal each other’s sweethearts, while they are still alive. But afterwards, that is another matter. All in all, Navy Rules is a satisfying and easy read. 

Reviewed by: Barbara Peacock (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

Wounded during a military rescue, Commander Max Ford returns to a naval base on Whidbey Island to recover. And part of his treatment involves working with a therapy dog. Max is surprised to learn that the dog's owner is Winnie Armstrong, widow of his closest friend. She and Max were close in those months following her husband's death. But they drifted apart, until that one night two years ago. The night friendship turned to passion…

Now he's even more shocked to learn that Winnie has been keeping a secret from him. A baby girl. His daughter. It's even more important he heal so he can be a part of his child's life—and Winnie's. Because all the attraction that pulled them together that one night is still there…only stronger.

The Donors, by Jeffrey Wilson

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MWSA Review

The Donors by Jeffrey Wilson is probably not a book that I would have picked off the shelf to read, but when presented the opportunity to read it for MWSA, I chose to “get out of my box” and try a genre outside of my comfort zone. The cover alone would have scared me away, however, I am glad to say that I accomplished the reading of The Donors. I found myself wanting to constantly get back to reading this book…it drew me into its pages—scary as they tended to be.

Jeffrey Wilson created believable characters that pulled me into their story. Nathan, a young boy, abused by his mom’s ex-boyfriend, ends up in the hospital where Jason works, and this is how these two are drawn into the action together. Nathan and Jason “are bound together by their common legacy, and they alone seem to share the ability to see the demons for what they are.” They must work together to stop the evil creatures.

If you have strong visual abilities, you might want to be careful where and when you read The Donors. Author Wilson does a fantastic job of describing scenes and events—however, readers beware! You will “see” things that you will want to forget and definitely won’t want to take them into your dreams. So if you enjoy the dark and scary, then The Donors is a book for you.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

An evil force is at work at the Hospital where Nathan is recovering from injuries he received at the hands of his Mom's abusive ex-boyfriend. Demonic looking men with pale faces and glowing eyes lurk in the shadows. Someone is harvesting skin and organs from living donors against their will. 

In his dreams, Nathan can see these demons in their true form -- evil creatures who feed on the fear and hatred they create in their victims. Nathan's only ally is the Doctor who cares for him. Bound together by their common legacy, they alone seem to share the ability to see the demons for what they truly are. 

Together they must find a way to stop these creatures before they, and their loved ones, become the next victims.

The Rendition, by Albert Ashforth

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MWSA Review

The Rendition explodes into action when Alex Klear, a veteran U.S intelligence officer, is captured, imprisoned, and tortured while attempting a rendition in Kosovo—all before the first chapter ends.  Rescued by his partner Buck, Alex eventually mends and retires from service, only to get sucked back in for a related op by those who had poorly planned the initial rendition. Alex consents to the new mission in Germany despite misgivings but bolstered by the thought of payback to those who had nearly killed him in Kosovo.

Albert Ashforth spins this yarn flawlessly, using his extensive background in the military, his tours of duty in the Balkans, and his experience as a NATO trainer overseas. The plot drives this international spy thriller and keeps you turning the pages. The action is fast paced and the story line is believable. Perhaps too believable… Suspenseful to the end, this book has the ring of authenticity.

Ashforth’s characters in The Rendition are well developed and forceful. Protagonist Alex Klear brings ingenuity, knowledge, and persistence to his job, as well as a romantic love interest to his life. His faithful former partner, deceitful superiors, shadowy underworld bosses, drug lords, freedom fighters, terrorists, and prostitutes keep you guessing about what will happen and who will do what to whom until the very end.

If you enjoy international intrigue, political skullduggery, and military mysteries, put this book at the top of your list.

Reviewed by: Betsy Beard (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

The brutal secret war to win Kosovo's freedom from Serbia is in full swing when The Rendition takes readers behind the headlines for an inside look at the United States' involvement. Alex Klear, a veteran intelligence officer, is sent to the Balkans on a hastily planned rendition which goes terribly bad. Alex decides it's time to retire. However, when he is persuaded to go to Germany as part of an operation connected to the rendition, he finds himself caught between two dynamic women, an old girlfriend and the female colonel running the 'op.' While there, he becomes a target of the Kosovo Liberation Army, a murder suspect to the German police, and for his superiors the perfect fall guy to take the heat for a badly botched secret operation. With Kosovo's independence declaration coming closer by the day, the secret war heats up and Alex comes to realize that he is at the center of a murky conspiracy aimed at making the United States an international pariah.

Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor, by G. Galdorisi & D. Couch

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MWSA Review

The shadowy worlds of drug cartels and terrorism collude in this fast past novel. Dick Couch, former Navy SEAL and Captain George Galdorisi, USN retired, bring together their considerable experience to craft a novel based on the motion picture of the same name.

In Coronado, California, Navy SEAL Lieutenant Roark Engel shares the news of his wife’s pregnancy with his platoon Chief, Dave Nolan. Across the world, an ice cream truck stops outside the Jakarta International School. As always, the students, children of ambassadors and the like, flock to it, including the son of the American ambassador and his father. Only today, the ice cream attendant is accompanied by Abu Shabal. With a remote device, Shabal detonates the explosives inside the truck, killing scores of children and the U.S. ambassador, then walks away. In Puntenaras, Costa Rico, Christo watches happily as his daughter Solano swims in his luxurious pool while his wife makes lunch. He cavorts with his daughter in the pool, enjoying the fruits of years of drug smuggling, all the while plotting his and his family’s disappearance.

Three separate instances, yet the players will meet. Act of Valor vividly depicts the SEALs in action. When a CIA operative is killed in Costa Rico and another kidnapped, Engel and Nolan and the Bandito Platoon are sent to rescue the kidnapped woman. They succeed, only to be briefed that the kidnapping and killing were part of something much more than the usual drug scene. The man responsible, one Christo, is involved in something even more sinister, terrorism. Couch and Galdorisi put Engel and Nolan through their paces as they track Christo and his old friend, Shabal. With a thorough knowledge of the weaponry and landing craft used, the authors present highly realistic scenes. The close bonds between the SEALS are compellingly shown, even to one man sacrificing his life to save the mission and what remains of his men. The ending, bittersweet and sad, serves as a reminder of the high cost of duty. Act of Valor is well done.

Reviewed by: Barbara Peacock (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

Behind the secret missions. Beneath the official stories. Beyond the brotherhood…
The Navy SEALs have been fighting terrorists around the world for more than a decade. And for all that time, the Bandito Platoon from SEAL Team Seven have been on continuous combat rotation. Now they have drawn a shipboard assignment off Central America—an easy day.
But for a Navy SEAL, the only easy day was yesterday.

Act of Valor goes deep into the secret world of today’s most elite and highly trained group of warriors. When the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the United States, a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt. As the men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitments to country, Team, and their families back home.

But each time they accomplish their mission, a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist to the plot, which stretches from Chechnya to the Philippines and from the Ukraine to Somalia. The widening operation sends the SEALs across the globe as they track a terrorist ring to the U.S.-Mexico border—where they engage in an epic firefight with potentially unimaginable consequences for America…

In a powerful story of global anti-terrorism—inspired by real-life missions, Act of Valor combines stunning combat scenes, up-to-the minute battlefield technology, and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate in action adventure.

The Renegades, by Tom Young

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MWSA Review

The Renegades by Tom Young takes the reader into the heart of Afghanistan after an earthquake ravaged the country. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Parson, an Air Force adviser to the Afghans, called in his interpreter, Sergeant Major Sophia Gold to assist him with the rescue efforts to deliver aid and attempt to reach the trapped and injured.

Tom Young shares the story behind The Renegades to let readers know the realities of how our service members handle the issues they have to face on a daily basis within a war zone. My personal opinion is that this book might be too realistic for readers who have experienced the impact of IEDs and suicide bombers, or for readers who can’t handle the realities of war. I would give a word of warning to anyone dealing with flashbacks/ PTSD. Young is graphic with many details of war. He doesn’t sugarcoat the story, and gives the reader a real picture of just what those fighting for freedom experience. Some will praise him for this, others will shudder…I wouldn’t call it “easy” reading.

Learning some about the female military team known as the Lionesses was interesting. Sgt. Major Gold portrays a brave woman who works with two of the Lionesses. In a conversation with one of the pararescue jumpers, a discussion ensues regarding being able to make peace with what he does, and doing all that he can do in any situation presented to him. Gold wonders if she has spent so much time in Afghanistan that a part of her won’t ever leave…that it has taken hold of her. That reminded me of the answer a Vietnam vet gave when asked when he was last in Vietnam. His answer: “Last night.” Gold’s mind absorbed the language, the customs, and the history to the point of it all becoming a part of her. She proved that in her service to both her country and the country of Afghanistan. And she acted on her internal beliefs to the point of putting her life at risk, which brings one of the most intense parts of the book.  

The intensity of this book comes from the fact that Author Young doesn’t keep his characters, hence his readers, out of harm’s way, which gets complicated by the fact that knowing just who to trust is a major problem in the war in Afghanistan. They are trying to fight a Taliban group, called the Black Crescent, which is attacking medical workers, shooting down helicopters, and killing those who are accepting aid. Without enough troops, supplies, or information, Parson, Gold, and Parson’s crews do the best possible to fight what seems to be an invisible evil force.

Young states that he had two goals in writing The Renegades: 1) to write an entertaining story, and 2) “to convey something about the motivations and mind-sets of American servicemen and –women.” As a reader of The Renegades, I feel that Tom Young has definitely met both of his goals.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

A catastrophic earthquake ravages Afghanistan, and American troops rush to deliver aid. In his new role as an adviser to the Afghan Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Parson faces one of the biggest challenges of his career, aided by his interpreter, Sergeant Major Sophia Gold. The devastation facing them is like nothing they've ever seen--and it's about to get worse.

A Taliban splinter group, Black Crescent, is conducting its own campaign--shooting medical workers, downing helicopters, slaughtering anyone who dares to accept aid. With the U.S. drawing down and coalition forces spread thin, it's up to Parson, Gold, and Parson's Afghan aircrews to strike back. But they're short of supplies, men, experience, and information--and the terrorists seem to be nowhere...and everywhere.

Hamfist Down, by George Nolly

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MWSA Review

Hamfist Down picks up where Hamfist Over the Trail left off, with Hamilton “Hamfist” Hancock trying to survival and escape after being shot down over Laos. We follow Hamfist as he makes it to safety, only to experience new dangers as he takes to the sky again as a forward air controller. On every mission, he worries about his true love waiting for him in Japan and whether or not he’ll ever see her again.

G.E. Nolly's writing kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. The author’s experience as a pilot shines through every page. The language is authentic, which is to say occasionally there are expletives. If you like a good action-packed adventure tale, this one is for you.

Reviewed by: Ed Cox (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

It's August, 1969. Hamilton “Hamfist” Hancock has been shot down over Laos, and must use all his skill, and luck, to avoid capture and certain, violent death. To facilitate his rescue, he must become a ground FAC and direct airstrikes against North Vietnamese targets on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. And, to survive, he must engage in hand-to-hand combat. But Hamfist may face his greatest battle after his rescue. Back in Vietnam, while recuperating at the hospital at Cam Ranh Bay, he experiences a sapper attack. And, following his return to the air, Hamfist is tormented by a flying error, an error which may have cost a comrade his life. Only time will tell if Hamfist can regain his self-respect and passion. On his final flight, Hamfist faces a brutal enemy in a life-or-death duel that will determine if he will be shot down once again or return home to his soul-mate. The rescue, the airborne mistake and the final battle force Hamfist to reevaluate his priorities in his career, in his flying, and in his life.

The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis, by Elle Thornton

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MWSA Review

“The Girl Who Swam To Atlantis” is well written story of a twelve-year-old losing the naivety and insecurities of childhood as she struggles to find her mother, succeed as a competitive swimmer and win the confidence of her father who wants to send her back to a boarding school.

Gabriella lives a sheltered life until the summer of 1957 when she spends the summer from boarding school with her father, a rigid Marine general at a base in North Carolina.  Her mother is away until, the young girl is told, “she’s ready to come home.”

p; Hawkins, a black NCO and house steward for the general, befriends the pre-teen and helps her develop greater self confidence and swimming skills in the river bordering her home, but that relationship with Hawkins is frowned upon by some neighbors. During the course of that summer, Gabriella begins to recognize and question the racial bias that exists among some of the families living in the officers housing area. She also becomes obsessed with the murder of Emmett Till who was lynched in Mississippi two years earlier. Thinking of the bravery displayed by young Emmett when he faced his killers motivates her to go to extra lengths to prove her worth to the general who seems to only tolerate her.

Gabriella struggles to understand what has happened to her missing mother who her father repeated says ‘has some problems,’ but will nott explain what those problems were. Without her father’s or Hawkins’s knowledge, she sets out on the river to find her mother.

Ideal for teens, “The Girl Who Swam To Atlantis” will delight anyone who enjoys a heartwarming story of a self-willed girl who doesn’t shirk from challenges and treasures the value of friendship and family love.  

Reviewed by: Joe Epley (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

Nearly everything important in twelve-year-old Gabriella's life that summer of 1957 can be traced to the river. On the North Carolina military base where she lives, she meets the African-American Marine Hawkins by the river's brown-green water. Hawkins, a servant in the kitchen of her father's quarters, becomes her swim coach and a person she can talk with--even about the tragedy of the youth Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old was lynched two years earlier, his body thrown into Mississippi's Tallahatchie river. But this river, her river, isn't a place of death. Emmett's spirit is alive in its waters. It's a place of magic.

At the river Hawkins helps her find her strength and her place in the world. Emmett helps her find her heart.

Emmett had been murdered for whistling at a white woman. Could her friendship with Hawkins endanger the tough Marine? It doesn't seem possible. Until a sudden storm on the river changes Gabriella's life--forever.

Pass in Review--Honor, by Brain Utermahlen

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MWSA Review

A compelling, well-written and thoroughly enjoyable World War II yarn

“Pass in Review—Honor” is the second book in Brian Utermahlen’s “Pass in Review” trilogy. Having finished reading this book, my only regret is that I didn’t start with the trilogy’s first installment: “Pass in Review—Duty.”

The book is centered on the lives of the members of the fictional Nolan family—all of whom were drawn into the maelstrom of the Second World War. The story begins to unfold before the US entry into the war. Family patriarch, Dave Nolan (a West Point graduate and combat veteran of the First World War), is asked to leave his highly-successful job in industry to once again don his Army uniform in service to his country. This presents the senior Nolan with many challenges—both in his new job and on the home front.

The two Nolan sons, Mitch and Glenn, also serve in the military; but each of them begin—and eventually end—their service in very different ways. Utermahlen weaves together a fascinating and detailed description of each of the Nolan boy’s combat experiences—lasting from before the war, through the D-Day invasion, all the way to the final Allied victory.

Utermahlen will bring you along for the terrifying ride from bases in England and eventually parachute drop you deep behind enemy lines as part of the D-Day invasion. Again, the author’s description of the fighting is intense, realistic, and gripping. If you enjoyed the classic movie, “The Longest Day,” you’ll definitely appreciate the author’s expanded treatment of these iconic battles.

Depictions of air combat are riveting and realistic, likely due to author’s background in military aviation. So are the portrayal of behind the scenes in-fighting and friction between military and political figures (both amongst Americans; as well as between Americans and their wartime allies—especially the British).

Through it all, the author skillfully and seamlessly combines fictional and real characters and world events into his storytelling. The reader will enjoy the interactions with historical figures such as: Winston Churchill, Omar Bradley, George Patton, “Wild Bill” Donovan, and Chuck Yeager. You can just feel the detailed research that Utermahlen has done in every chapter... but “Honor” is much more than a retelling of history. Characters are well-developed and totally believable—so much so that you'll find yourself completely immersed in the story. It’s only after you finish reading, that you begin to wonder which part was fiction and which historical fact.

Highly recommend this book—especially for World War II enthusiasts—but also for anyone looking for well-written and action-packed storytelling.

Reviewed by: John Cathcart (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

This is the second book of the 'Pass in Review' Trilogy - a saga of the Nolan family spanning the 20th Century. HONOR follows on the heels of Pass in Review - DUTY. This second book covers the WW II years as the son of DUTY's protagonist takes center stage militarily as a fighter pilot in Europe. Pass in Review - HONOR is primarily, though not exclusively, the story of Mitch Nolan, the first born of the second generation. To him the Army and flying Air Corps fighters over North Africa, Italy, and Germany are a grand and glorious adventure, though not his entire life or existence. He is a symbol of the Greatest Generation to whom winning was everything, and who effortlessly made the transition from winning the victory on the battlefield to winning for themselves in the economic boom and the tenuous peace of the Cold War. The second generation protagonist is a young man different in many ways from his father. He is more the adventurer and less the committed soldier and family man compared to his father. His passions for excitement and adventure revolve around flying fighter planes and conquering the hearts of many women. Interwoven with the fictional characters are historical figures including: Wild Bill Donovan, FDR, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, George Patton, Donald Bennett and many others whose paths the Nolan famiily and their friends cross during WW II.

Tullykillane, 1943 by David Andrew Westwood

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MWSA Review
Missing In Action
MWSA Reviewer: 
 

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Author's Synopsis

A young American, who only signed on as a seaman to forget the humiliation of his football career's disastrous end, is shipwrecked in neutral Ireland three months before Pearl Harbor. He soon becomes entangled with the IRA and the Nazis, but he's determined to get his revenge.

For God and Country, by Mark Bowlin

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MWSA Review

New readers of Bowlin will find this third installment of the Texas Gun Club series to be strongly reminiscent of the best of W.E.B. Griffin - and every bit as satisfying. For God and Country tells the story of the 36th Division’s tragic assault across the Rapido River in January, 1944 - a bitter and controversial episode in American military history that resulted in Congressional hearings over Lt Gen. Mark Clark’s (Commander of Fifth Army in Italy) conduct of the battle.

Closely following the actual history of the “Texas Army” during the Allied advance through Italy, For God and Country begins as the 36th Division halts at Monte Cassino to recuperate from their epic battle at San Pietro - having taken 1400 casualties, and providing the subject matter for John Houston’s Academy Award-winning documentary, “The Battle of San Pietro,” (almost censored because of its graphic illustration of the plight of the ordinary infantryman). While the rest of Fifth Army prepares to resume its advance towards Rome, Captain Perkin Berger and First Lieutenant Sam Taft are sent to the Adriatic for a week, where they quickly become involved in a covert battle between the German Abwehr and a secret Vatican network evacuating Allied troops out of Italy (also based on historical events). After considerable adventures, the two officers find their way back to their unit in time for the Rapido River assault.

The German retreat through Italy was methodical and punishing for the Allies, who now waited behind the Gustav Line - considered by both sides to be an impregnable last line of defense. The brilliant German commander, Feldmarschall Albert Kesselring, had more than twenty dug-in and prepared divisions, many of them elite and hardened units, including the Herman Goring SS Division and the First Parachute Corps. The Germans occupied the high ground and commanded the flat open plains of the Liri Valley, traversed by three fast-flowing rivers (all mined) and dominated on both sides by sheer mountains from which the Germans fired preregistered artillery on all Allied movement.

Knowing the futility of trying to break through such a formidable defensive line by frontal assault, the Allies planned a flank attack with an amphibious landing at Anzio, to the north of the Gustav Line - an operation considered so important that it postponed the D-Day invasion from the first week of May until June so that the Anzio invaders would have enough landing craft available.

However, despite the knowledge that a frontal assault would be a slaughter, the Supreme Allied Commander in Italy, British General Alexander, ordered an assault across the Garigliano and Rapido rivers by Fifth Army as a method of holding the German forces in the Liri Valley and preventing them from reinforcing the relatively light defenses at Anzio. The crossing of the Rapido River was given to The Texas Gun Club, with predictable, and devastating results.

Bowlin handles the seriousness of his subject with alacrity. There is no romance in his retelling of the slaughter, but neither does he turn this book into a tale of carnage. Rather, he humanizes the characters and pulls us into the story, making the reader hope against hope (and history), that this time the boys will somehow manage to break through. Moreover, the lighter tone of the first half of the book and the Vatican subplot ensure that the book doesn’t get overly heavy or morose. Bowlin’s characterization is outstanding, and we can forgive him for making his heroes larger than life -- both physically as well as in their embodiment of the best qualities and values of military service. The real villains in the story aren’t the enemy forces, rather, they are the usual weaknesses and incompetencies found among servicemen and women whenever a nation fields an enormous force to fight wars of such magnitude on short notice.

Bowlin is a fine writer and For God and Country is an enjoyable, engaging, and enlightening read. You won’t want to put it down, and when you do, you’ll want to do more research on the 36th Division and the Battle of the Rapido River. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Robert Schaeffer (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

In Mark Bowlin's third installment of the award-winning Texas Gun Club series, the chronicle of Sam Taft and Perkin Berger's journey into the hell of the Italian campaign continues. The Fifth Army remains stalled before the formidable German defenses at the Gustav Line, and the prospect of reaching Rome has never seemed as remote. In an attempt to break the stalemate, and against all sound military judgment, the exhausted and under-strength Gun Club is ordered to cross the Rapido River and breach the Gustav Line...alone.

Solo Vietnam, by Jeanette Vaughan

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MWSA Review

When an author creates characters that pull you into the story and the reader finds himself/herself wanting to continue to turn pages to keep up with the events, all occurring while history is being brought forth in such a way that makes it come alive, then we have a winner in this historical fiction book. Jeanette Vaughan has done just that in SOLO Vietnam. I enjoyed Nora Broussard as she traveled her life’s journey, making some decisions that I wouldn’t have chosen as a mother, but Nora took the road that led her in the direction she felt she needed to go. Her journey takes readers into the heart of the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. I always love a great love story, but also appreciate the research that Jeanette Vaughan needed to accomplish making the realities of war so vivid to her readers. SOLO Vietnam will take the reader through a range of emotions, which truly is the strength of each character presented. I have discovered an author whose books are going to find their way into my reading basket in the future.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

Information provided by the author. A French Cajun Aviatrix. An A-4 Skyhawk pilot. Vietnam. Nora Broussard dares to earn her wings gaining liberty. Despite the heroics, her heart remains unrequited and broken. When she finds out her star-crossed lover is now free, yet thousands of miles away from New Orleans flying bombing missions in Vietnam, nothing will keep her away. The U.S. government won’t let her fly combat in a war zone, so she uses her next best assets – her vamp and her voice. Traveling with Bob Hope as a torch singing USO girl, she is thrust into the perils of the 1968 Tet Offensive. As mortar attacks and napalm shake her to the core, she quickly realizes the short-sightedness of her decision to stay and manage a USO club. The shocking realities of a senseless war catapult her values into place. But is it too late? When Steve is shot down over Laos and listed MIA, Nora is forced to accept one of life’s greatest lessons.

Wedded to War, by Jocelyn Green

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MWSA Review

Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green is the first book in a series titled: Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War. This book was “inspired by one Sanitary Commission nurse, Georgeanna Woolsey, whose letters and journals, written 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering women nurses endured during these turbulent times.” Reading books based on good research helps to put readers right into the life and times of the characters. Jocelyn Green is a gifted writer who created characters that show the difficulties of living during Civil War times. One can only imagine the struggles these women faced…not just with the casualties of war, but with the attitudes of the men serving in the army hospitals, believing that women should not be allowed in these situations.

Charlotte Waverly is a woman of privilege who makes the decision to serve the Union Army by caring for the sick and wounded. Throughout the entire trauma of war, two men want Charlotte to be a part of their life. One is Phineas Hastings, a man of privilege, with secrets and behaviors that the reader knows about, but Charlotte does not. The other is Caleb Lansing, Charlotte’s childhood friend, who became a military doctor. The tension between characters and events keeps readers turning pages and “pulling for” Charlotte…wanting her to be happy after all that she has given up to serve others via her support of the war efforts.

Readers who appreciate well-researched historical fiction, Civil War stories, women’s rights, early medical history, and romance will all enjoy Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green. I, for one, certainly enjoy learning about aspects of our country’s history through the eyes of such compelling characters. Thank you, Jocelyn Green, for your great efforts to share this story with your readers.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2013)

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Author's Synopsis

It's April 1861, and the Union Army's Medical Department is a disaster, completely unprepared for the magnitude of war. A small group of New York City women, including 28-year-old Charlotte Waverly, decide to do something about it, and end up changing the course of the war, despite criticism, ridicule and social ostracism. Charlotte leaves a life of privilege, wealth-and confining expectations-to be one of the first female nurses for the Union Army. She quickly discovers that she's fighting more than just the Rebellion by working in the hospitals. Corruption, harassment, and opposition from Northern doctors threaten to push her out of her new role. At the same time, her sweetheart disapproves of her shocking strength and independence, forcing her to make an impossible decision: Will she choose love and marriage, or duty to a cause that seems to be losing? An Irish immigrant named Ruby O'Flannery, who turns to the unthinkable in the face of starvation, holds the secret that will unlock the door to Charlotte's future. But will the rich and poor confide in each other in time?

Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured.

Dog Soldier Moon, by Mike McKendree Long, III

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MWSA Review
This sequel to "No Good Like It Is" continues the story of Dobey Walls and Jimmy "Boss" Melton. The writing style, dialogue and historical imagery carry on with the same "you-are-there" intensity. As with another series I read where the full-length story was split into two, I wish publishers today weren't against letting a saga be a saga. Can you imagine "Gone with the Wind" split into two books? I know the movie did it with intermission between, but the satisfaction of that great book -- or "North and South" -- is because the entire story is told intact. I believe these two novels fall into the same category. Everything that made McKendree Long's first novel great carries on in this one as more tragedy befalls the two men between 1866 and 1869. Two Pinkerton men continue to hunt them down for stealing a Yankee payroll at the end of the Civil War while roaming buffalo hunters defile Canadian Fort and rape their women when the two men are away trading or selling hides along the Sante Fe trail. Once Dobey and "Boss" return, their purpose turns to retribution and vengeance as they hunt the raiders. Their journey introduces readers to such historical figures as Chief Black Kettle and General Custer, who massacred Black Kettle's Cheyenne camp, along with the famous Bill Hickock. This second novel rounds out this intensely lifelike western series with a wonderful Christmas surprise. For fans of western history, you have to read both books to enjoy the continuity.

Reviewed by: Bonnie Toews (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

In this sequel to his novel, No Good Like It Is, McKendree Long continues the saga of Dobey Walls and Jimmy Boss Melton during the three years following the Civil War. In Dog Soldier Moon, a great crime decimates the tiny Panhandle community of Canadian Fort, twisting relationships and putting Dobey and the Boss on a trail of retribution and frontier justice, yet unaware that they are targets of two Pinkerton teams. Black Kettle, Meotzi, the 'Boy General' Custer, and J.B. Hickok flesh out the cast in this all new classic tale.

Chosin File, by Dale Dye

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MWSA Review

Dale Dye is the author of Laos File, Peleliu File, and his latest Chosin File, which is the first book that I’ve read of his…and it definitely is a “stand alone” book, not needing to have read the first two in the series, but this reader wants to catch up on the first two. He writes in the forward that he has a “sorely missed buddy, who told him what the Frozen Chosin in the Freezin’ Season was really like.” He is referring to the Chosin Reservoir where a decisive 17-day battle took place during the freezing weather in the Korean War. Author Dye takes us to this place, and through his characters, we experience the same snow-blown mountains that surrounded the Korean War battle site.

The book begins with retired Gunner Shake Davis testing out some weapons at a firing range, enjoying his time with younger Marines, feeling the need to prove himself due to the fact that he had shot his mouth off during a beer session with guys from the Marine Special Operations Command. This was as close as he figured he’d get to any “action,” now that he wore the distinguishing title of “Retired Gunner.”

But what gets Dale Dye’s characters to the Chosin Reservoir? Do the topics of nuclear weapons, North Korea, international partnerships, communists, and war bring about some thoughts? The CIA calls on contacts in China to run a mission over North Korea from a top-secret drone base. Mike Stokey has been involved with running an investigation into North Korean nukes. Then it becomes known that Mike Stokey goes missing in the Chosin Reservoir area, while checking out a tip that the North Koreans were up to something there. His best friend, Marine Gunner Shake Davis comes out of retirement to search for his buddy.

The tension comes through with the death of the North Korean Supreme Leader, which sets the whole world on high alert, not knowing what will happen because of his death. The fact that the North Koreans have a weapon that threatens all other societies…will not make this rescue mission an easy one for Davis. How does one just sneak into North Korea? Davis is asked to go because he can go in there as both “unofficial” and “deniable” if he were to get caught.

Dale Dye does a great job of taking the reader between the people pulling the strings back in the U.S.A., Mike Stokey in a real mess in North Korea, Shake Davis having to somehow find a way to track Mike down, their families having to live through not knowing what is happening to either of them, and those in the governments trying to cover up various operations. It becomes a very complicated (in a good way) story with a lot of tension, which keeps readers turning pages. Personally, I enjoyed the fact that there were short scenes, and the book kept taking the reader to different perspectives of what was happening on all sides, which culminated in a deadly confrontation in the midst of a howling storm. Readers will appreciate the action and tense drama in Dale A. Dye’s Chosin File.

Reviewed by: Joyce M. Gilmour (2012)

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Author's Synopsis

Nuclear saber-rattling in North Korea has created international palpitations and some unlikely partnerships in an effort to keep communist loose cannons from causing a war that no one wants and everyone fears. The CIA calls on clandestine contacts in neighboring China to run a dark—and wholly unauthorized—reconnaissance mission over North Korea from a top-secret drone base along the Yalu River. All is well and under international radar until Gunner Shake Davis’ best friend goes missing on a mission near the infamous Chosin Reservoir to check on a tip that the North Koreans are up to something sinister around the infamous Chosin Reservoir. That brings Marine Gunner Shake Davis out of retirement once again to locate his buddy on a risky trek through the snow-blown mountains surrounding the Korean War battle site where an earlier generation of Marines fought a classic withdrawal that became an iconic chapter in military history. While Shake is on his risky mission, the North Korean Supreme Leader suddenly dies and the entire world goes on high alert to see what might happen next in Pyongyang. That puts serious pressure on Shake and his South Korean allies who have discovered—and must deter—a potentially world-shattering North Korean weapon that threatens the very fabric of modern computer-based societies. It’s a high-stakes game and the clock is ticking as an international team of technical experts and military special operators launch a desperate search that culminates in a deadly confrontation in the Korea Straits in the midst of a howling storm.

The Adventures of Gopher Piddington; by David Michaelson

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MWSA Review

Gopher Piddington loves the railroad, much to his parents' dismay. In this fast-paced coming of age story, Gopher leaves Santa Fe determined to make his own way in the world. Relying on his wits and his fists, Gopher finds his way through odd jobs and even an accusation of murder on his way to make his dream come true.

The author's research comes through in the details he weaves into this story. His descriptions of cooking are an added bonus that show his culinary background. All in all, this is a pleasant and entertaining read even if you don't like trains. History buffs and railroad enthusiasts will particularly enjoy this story.

Reviewed by: Edward Cox (2014)

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Author's Synopsis

Refusing to follow in his father's footsteps, young Gilbert (Gopher) Piddington rebels at every turn only to find himself in hot water. Through his many adventures he carries his father's natural boxing ability and his mother's keep shooting eye, both of which get him into trouble. Gopher's fascination with steam engines is ignited on his tenth birthday when his English grandparents shipped a miniature model of the popular Double Fairlie workhorse locomotive. He learns a real Fairlie steam engine is working somewhere on a Denver & Rio Grande line. At fourteen, Gopher makes plans to run away to Colorado and become a railroad man, much to his parents' dismay.

No Surrender Soldier; by Christine Kohler

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MWSA Review

Christine Kohler has written a fascinating story of a teenager's emotional plight in her book, No Surrender Soldier.  She has mixed together a stew of emotional stimuli and showered them on her main character, fifteen year old Kiko. The story flows smoothly and is an easy and enjoyable read.  Based on actual facts, a Japanese soldier did in fact hide out in the jungles of Guam for decades after the war, one can actually believe Kiko and his family might have been one of the many subplots that played out on Guam at the time of the Japanes soldier's discovery.  A great read for the Young Adult audience and for the older reader as well.

Reviewed by: Bob Doerr (2014)

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Author's Synopsis

Growing up on Guam in 1972, fifteen-year-old Kiko is beset by worries: He's never kissed a girl, the popular guys get all the attention at school--but the worst part is the serious problems at home. His older brother is missing in Vietnam, his grandfather is losing it to dementia, and he just learned that his mother was raped by a Japanese soldier during World War II. It all comes together when he discovers an old man, a Japanese soldier, hiding in the jungle behind his house. It's not the same man who raped his mother, but, in his rage, Kiko cares only about protecting his family and avenging his mom--no matter what it takes. And so, a shy, peaceable boy begins to plan a murder. But how far will Kiko go to prove to himself that he's a man? Based on a true incident in history, No Surrender Soldier is the story of a boy grappling with ancient questions of courage and manhood before he can move on.

Believing in Horses, Too; by Valerie Ormond

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MWSA Review

Inspiration and Motivational! These two words and more best describe Ormond’s sequel to “Believing in Horses” titled “Believing in Horses, Too.”

A country whose children are engaged has a future. Sadie, the main character is the poster child for engaged. 

Thirteen going on 30! Wise beyond her years, focused, goal oriented, she will become a hero to all who read about her.

In a time where children are dismissed as unimportant, lazy or simply overly attached to their electronic world, Sadie demonstrates page after page what hard work and relentless effort can attain.

Parents, if your child’s school does not have this in their library, does not make it required reading you need to be “Sadie” at the next school board meeting.

Reviewed by: jim Greenwald (2014)

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Author's Synopsis

Horse-crazy Sadie Navarro moves for the sixth time to Bowie, Maryland, only to find out her Navy dad is deploying to Afghanistan for a year.  To ease the transition, Sadie's parents reward her with her dream of a lifetime, her own horse.  “Lucky,” her beautiful tri-color pinto, quickly becomes her best friend and equine learning partner.  Via the internet, Lucky and Sadie come across ten horses in a holding pen waiting to be sold at auction, and Sadie commits to saving them before harm comes to them.

With the help of her new teacher and classmates, a Maryland State Delegate, a local Washington TV reporter, a mounted policeman, her family and other colorful characters, she pursues her mission and faces unexpected roadblocks, some very dangerous for both her and her horse.  Sadie faces head-on the challenges experienced by military families and demonstrates how young people can act to bring about change if they believe in what they are doing.  In just a few short months, Sadie meets both good and bad people, and experiences joy, fear, disappointment, self-doubt, lost horses, and a level of responsibility she has never known before.