Review: Mortal Men, Immortal Warriors

Mortal Men, Immortal Warriors by Steven London
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

A snapshot and insights of modern-day “warriors”

Author Steven London takes readers into the hearts and minds of modern-day warriors of the Army’s 4th Infantry. He captures the history of the unit’s time in Afghanistan through the personal experiences of those who served—not just officers, but an over-all good cross-section of soldiers that served there during these current times of war.

There is an intensity and honesty in the simple telling of what these young warriors did while there. Some of it highlights events of their tour of duty in a diary form, while other stories are shared in a more reflective narrative including some of the emotional hardships endured after they returned home to divorces, PTSD, and TBI issues, among other things.

This book makes a good snapshot of what life was like for these troops and also shares an important piece of military history told from those with their boots on the ground. It makes for an interesting read for both military people and for those who never wore the uniform but who may wish to understand a little deeper what happened to these warriors once upon a time.

London doesn’t try to sell everyone as heroes but shows them as very much human, and that makes this a very honest look at how war feels and looks like to those who have served in combat zones.

Review by Bill McDonald (June 2019)

MWSA's evaluation of this book found a number of technical problems--including some combination of misspellings, grammar, punctuation, or capitalization errors--which indicate that further editing would lead to a much-improved final product.


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Review: Vietnam's Valleys of Darkness

Vietnam's Valleys of Darkness by H J Thomas
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

In his book Vietnam's Valleys of Darkness, author H.J. Thomas spins a tale of intrigue, combining combat with spies and smugglers. Never sure who is the good guy or gal and who isn't, Thomas's protagonist, Chief Warrant Officer Ray Bryant is simply trying to survive his third tour in Vietnam. When a fellow American soldier tries to kill him with a grenade, Bryant's worst suspicions become reality. When a Vietnamese waitress at the club on base warns him about an upcoming mission that she shouldn't know anything about, Bryant's faith in the system is again shaken. The author's own experience in the military intelligence and aviation can be felt and adds to the authenticity of the story, I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam war and /or military history.

Review by Bob Doerr (June 2019)

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Review: Karl's Last Flight

Karl's Last Flight by Basil Sands
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Karl’s Last Flight by Basil Sands is a fast-moving book that tells Karl’s current story as a space tourism pilot and accidental infantryman in Iran in addition to his 1985 experience as a Marine Harrier pilot in Burma. Both stories are well told with many believable plot twists and turns. There is both action and intrigue as it reflects history, the present, and the future. Well worth reading.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (June 2019)

MWSA's evaluation of this book found a number of technical problems--including some combination of misspellings, grammar, punctuation, or capitalization errors--which indicate that further editing would lead to a much-improved final product.

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Review: The Batter's Box: A Novel of Baseball, War, and Love

The Batter's Box: A Novel of Baseball, War, and Love by Andy Kutler
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

The Batter’s Box is a tour de force—a riveting tale of baseball, war, and the human spirit. Many writers are skilled at conveying one particular niche or historical period. Andy Kutler does it all. The book begins with the story of an elderly woman. Her body is frail but her mind still sharp. She has reached that point at the end of life when she is secure in her own identity, satisfied with the experiences life has brought her, and needing nothing more than a sympathetic ear to hear her story.

Then quickly, the scene shifts, and the author is taking the reader on a nostalgic trip to a baseball diamond. The air is thick with the smells of dust, sweat, peanut shells, and hotdog grease. It’s 1941. Baseball is the national pastime, and playing ball is the dream of little boys everywhere. Talented players are heroes, and their names resonate with those of us who lived through the forties and fifties. The sports enthusiast might be content to follow Will Jamison and his baseball career to the end of the book.

But the author has much more in store for his readers. It’s now 1944, and our hero finds himself in Belgium, headed into a confrontation that will eventually become known as The Battle of the Bulge. Kutner spares the reader nothing as he describes in gruesome detail the sights, smells, and deafening sounds of battle. Irrational men and hulking machines of death confront each other and leave only ruin behind.

Enough? No. It’s now 1946, and Will Jamison is back from the war. Peace is settling over the land again, the baseball diamonds are calling, and relieved young men are leaping toward a chance to be a hero with a bat rather than a gun. Will wants to join them, but two invisible wounds hold him back —one deep in a thigh muscle and the other burrowing deep in his brain. In those post-war years, no one knew or understood the term PTSD, and it was certainly not clear to those most affected. A loud noise—a flashing light—almost anything could trigger an emotional outburst the sufferer was helpless to withstand.

At the end of the book, the author brings us back to the present, with a surprise ending that echoes and wraps the entire package into one satisfying conclusion. This is an amazing story—well-written, beautifully designed, and emotionally satisfying. It stands head and shoulders above most of the books I have read this year.

Review by Carolyn Schriber (June 2019)

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Review: Borderline Decision

Borderline Decision by Hugh Simpson
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Borderline Decision is a fun read. I read it twice. The first time, I read it at a fast, exhilarating pace that matched the story. The second time, I read it at a slower, more leisurely pace that allowed me to better experience the unfolding of the story. 

The character of LTC Hap Stoner is a glorious action figure, living true to what he says, "Doing what is right and letting the man upstairs sort the bullshit." The Scorpion character starts out as a memorable bad guy, but does not live up to his potential evilness. Stoner is a strong, powerful character and deserves strong, powerful adversaries, perhaps more powerful. 

Helicopter jargon is delightful and adds strength to the story even when the reader doesn't always understand it. The remaining military jargon is pervasive and sometimes distracting. Thank goodness for the Cast of Characters and the Glossary. 

The plot line was energetic and suspenseful and surprises us when the story does not end when we think it will. To soften some of the military hardness, there are elements of affection presented through the Carla character and touches of the perverse through the Senator character. 

Overall, the strength of the story is Hap Stoner. I look forward to his next adventure.

Review by Gail Summers (June 2019)

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Review: Midnight Blues

Midnight Blues by Robert. D. Kidera
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Robert Kidera weaves a fast-moving story around Gabe McKenna on his first assignment as a private investigator. Midnight Blues is a suspenseful yarn—twisted in horrifying circumstance and sprinkled with humor—that starts with the kidnapping of the young son of an Indian friend.

Gabe and his partner Onion misread the kidnappers, losing the ransom money and the boy. Gabe gets shot, and his client is murdered. This leads them on a chase through New Mexico’s backcountry that reads like a travel log on out-of-the-way places not on the top of any places you want to visit. As they pursue the bad guys, they pick up a strange posse of a 90-year-old hermit driving a 70-year-old motorcycle, a dwarf toting a Tommy Gun, a female archaeologist, and a Native American big truck driver.

What started as two suspects grows to a human trafficking cartel that had abducted young girls, most of them Indian, from small towns. As Gabe and his crew play tag with the bad guys in running gun battles, they learn the cartel is headquartered in an old village that time forgot: Midnight. They find a back road to the ghost town. That task becomes more urgent with the news that the gang is leaving Midnight and taking their captives to another location. 

The FBI is called, but don’t arrive until after Gabe and friends engage the heavily armed cartel in a fierce battle that leaves most of the bad guys dead or wounded and their leader, improbably called Angel, trying to flee in an airplane. Gabe has to stop him as the others free the young prisoners.

This is the fourth in a series of Gabe McKenna action-packed novels that grabs your attention and doesn’t turn you loose until the last sentence of the last page.

Review by Joe Epley (June 2019)


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Review: Notes from the Other Side of the Mountain: Love Confronts the Wounds of War

Notes from the Other Side of the Mountain: Love Confronts the Wounds of War by J Allen Whitt Ph D
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

The novel, Notes from the Other Side of the Mountain – Love Confronts the Wounds of War, by J. Allen Whitt, spans the central years in the life of Gary Reed. This thoughtful young man spends his younger years in New Mexico and Texas, when he falls in love with the beautiful Kristi Preston. Losing Kristi’s affections, he joins the Navy in time to take part in the Vietnam conflict and experiences the horrors and losses of war. Vietnam comes home with him in the form of PTSD. However, he rekindles his romance with Kristi, only to lose her once more. Finally, decades later, Gary returns to New Mexico to reflect on his life there, the embers of his love for Kristi, and the lessons and perspectives life has granted him.

This novel is part coming of age, part romance, and part call to action in the cause of PTSD treatment, but primarily it’s a memoir in the form of a novel. Whitt’s voice is consistent throughout, and particularly strong in Part 4, when the text switches to present tense. It’s in this final phase of the novel that it gains its strength and emotional impact. His narrative depictions of scenic views in New Mexico are inspired, particularly for a first novel, and are testimony to a writer’s eye, ear, and nose for the surrounding world. Balancing crisp dialogue and narrative is an art in itself, and this one is certainly ripe for growth in that regard. Whitt has a talent for surprise and drama in creating his story arc, but there are issues here. Unresolved or unexplained episodes with his school friends in New Mexico—particularly the crumbling of his teen romance with Kristi—create an early disconnect from the story’s overall impact. There are repetitive scenes, layout problems with the book, typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors.

Review by Bob Mustin (June 2019)

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Review: Edison 64

Edison 64 by Richard Sand
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

There are some history facts that just cry out for someone to personalize and share with the world. This book is one of those chronicles history that begs to be told. Edison High School in Philadelphia—which is now no longer standing and was replaced with a shopping mall—was home to the most former students killed in Vietnam of any school in the entire USA. There were sixty-four young men killed who had attended Edison, and they later became known as the Edison 64. A plaque and a flag now mark the old location of their high school. This book takes memories and stories of people who knew them and who went to school with them. Some family members, some high school friends—but all have been damaged emotionally in some way. In fact, the whole community of Philadelphia has suffered in some form. This book allows the rest of the nation to know these young men. The author shares photos of them along with the emotional remembrances of fellow alumni who also went to Nam and survived the war. The book is a written tribute and memorial to the sixty-four and to the community where the young men grew up and went to school: a moving reading experience. You cannot but feel some pain for all of us as a nation. Those at Edison High School gave more than their fair share. We can all be proud and grateful that such young men lived. This is author Richard Sand's best book to date.

Review by Bill McDonald (June 2019)

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Review: Gambit

Gambit by Karna Small Bodman
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Gambit is the second book in Karna Small Bodman’s White House National Security Series. In this installment, Dr. Cameron Talbot, a brilliant young American scientist takes on the mystery of American civilian planes being shot down with no warning on radar and no claims of responsibility from any terrorist group. The result is panic for pilots, flight attendants, and potential flyers as well as the airlines and a falling stock market. Talbot continues to struggle with lack of support from her boss who is overridden by a request from the White House to solve this problem. As usual, she has an idea. She is once again paired with Lt. Col. Daniels, who left her without explanation after a romantic interlude in India, causing her much personal stress. When her name is leaked to the media as working on a solution, someone tries repeatedly to kill her.

Relevant details from the first book are nicely woven into this story so that it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Bodman’s knowledge of the White House, as a result of serving in the Reagan administration, allows her to include details of not only the buildings but also the complexities faced by any administration. The book would profit from a final proofreader as there are many typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors. However, these do not interfere significantly with this well crafted story.  

Review by Nancy Kauffman (June 2019)

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Review: Lions of the Sky

Lions of the Sky by Francesco Chierici
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Paco Chierici’s first novel, Lions of the Sky, is an expertly woven story about the determination, sacrifices, and camaraderie of the fighter pilot community. The author, an accomplished fighter pilot himself with over 3000 hours and 400 carrier traps, puts his experiences, both good and bad, into the characters and action, and tells a story like only one who has “been there” can.

“Slammer” Richardson has seen it all as a Hornet pilot, and now he’s training the next crop of stick jockeys. But he has a secret, and survivor’s guilt, and issues with women combat pilots; and all of those will be challenged when he trains his final class, which features two female pilots, “Quick” and “Dusty.” Are they the real deal? Can Slammer keep his demons in check long enough to teach the class what they need to know, despite the distractions and his personal feelings?

Things don’t get any better when by a twist of fate Slammer, Dusty, and Quick are all in the same squadron a year later when rising tensions between Vietnam and China put them smack in the middle of a powder keg waiting to go off. Mettle will be tested and lives will be lost, but who will come out still standing when the showdown is over?

I particularly liked how well the author weaved in his personal experience into the characters. He used parts of his later career, when he was a seasoned aviator, in developing Slammer, and did an excellent job. The trepidation and uncertainty from the earlier part of his career, as he was training for a difficult and dangerous job, is apparent in the more junior aviators. Finally, I was impressed with how the intricate movements of aircraft in combat—second nature to a fighter pilot—were easily and clearly explained to the lay reader. You don’t need to be a pilot to understand the action so well written here.

Fans of air combat action or former tactical pilots from any service will appreciate and enjoy this book. Chierici hit a home run his first time at bat.

Review by Rob Ballister (June 2019)


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Review: Saga of a Lesser War

Saga of a Lesser War by Emmett Slake
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Author Emmett E. Slake spins a tragic tale about the interwoven lives of a handful of Americans and Japanese thrown together in Japan at the outbreak of the Korean War. Private Dave Ricksen is one of these soldiers who falls in love with a Japanese woman. He is selected to be in the first wave of American soldiers to be sent to Korea to stem the North Korean invasion. Ill prepared and ill equipped, his unit is slaughtered, and Ricksen narrowly survives the encounter. Barely alive, he evades the North Koreans and finally makes it back to the American lines. Flown to a military hospital in Japan, he slowly recovers, only to learn he has been charged with treason. Meanwhile, the life of everyone he left behind has been disrupted. He struggles to prove his innocence only to find the woman he loved has disappeared, and he is being thrown back into the conflict. This is an interesting and realistic account of the impact of war, not only on the battlefield, but on those left behind.

Review by Bob Doerr (June 2019)


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Review: The History of Human Space Flight

The History of Human Space Flight by Ted Spitzmiller
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

The History of Human Space Flight by author/historian Ted Spitzmiller sets the gold standard for history books about space flight. This book gives the reader a true education in its 600+ pages of great storytelling. It might be "history" but the author makes the book feel like you are getting a personal tour of the space program from all the experts. Not only does he give us a great inside look at our own space program (NASA) but also some inside information on what the USSR was doing and what Germany contributed to both space programs. Insightful and informative.

I found the book to be more than I had expected or hoped it might be. It left me satisfied that I had gotten a full picture of what transpired: the early efforts to get rockets into space, the first daring men to ride rocket ships into space, and the moon landings. This is truly an adventure story witnessed by the world, but until now it was not documented so we could all fully appreciate and understand. This book has filled that gap of knowledge with abundant information and data and stories about real people who had courage.

This book is on my personal bookshelf and I will have my grandchildren read it. I salute the author's efforts. Well done!

Review by Bill McDonald (May 2019)


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Review: Interview with a Terrorist

Interview with a Terrorist by James Rosone
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Interview with a Terrorist is an interesting and provocative firsthand account of author James Rosone’s time in Iraq with the United States Army. In 2006, Rosone trained for human intelligence gathering and deployed to Camp Striker in Iraq. From the training on how to stay within the letter of the law to his homecoming trip, the book details the eighteen months that affected his life in ways that could not be imagined. Daily contact with some of the worst members of terrorist groups as well as living conditions the American military endured as a matter of course produced a determination to make a difference to our fighting forces, our country, and the world at large.

Most members of the American public know little of the day to day grind of our military men and women who interrogate terrorists for human intelligence. Instead we have all too often relied on the sensationalist media and Hollywood’s version of the truth. This book provides an unvarnished antidote through the eyes of someone who actually spent time doing the work.

Review by Betsy Beard (June 2019)

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Review: Interview with a Terrorist

Interview with a Terrorist by James Rosone
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Interview with a Terrorist is an interesting and provocative firsthand account of author James Rosone’s time in Iraq with the United States Army. In 2006, Rosone trained for human intelligence gathering and deployed to Camp Striker in Iraq. From the training on how to stay within the letter of the law to his homecoming trip, the book details the eighteen months that affected his life in ways that could not be imagined. Daily contact with some of the worst members of terrorist groups as well as living conditions the American military endured as a matter of course produced a determination to make a difference to our fighting forces, our country, and the world at large.

Most members of the American public know little of the day to day grind of our military men and women who interrogate terrorists for human intelligence. Instead we have all too often relied on the sensationalist media and Hollywood’s version of the truth. This book provides an unvarnished antidote through the eyes of someone who actually spent time doing the work.

Review by Betsy Beard (June 2019)

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Review: Job 2.0: God and Lucifer battle again for a single soul

Job 2.0: God and Lucifer battle again for a single soul by Del Staecker
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Patterned loosely after the Book of Job, which was written three millennia ago, Job 2.0 by Del Staecker is a charming and engaging tale of the struggle between “good” and “not good.” Using contemporary language and situations, Lucifer asks God for a rematch after failing to compromise Job’s faith so long ago. Choosing Jake, an ordinary man, Lucifer unleashes all hell into Jake’s life and leaves him with nothing. His friends from his fast-pitch softball team, the Misguided Saints, rally around Jake to expound on their own versions of truth. From the book, Lucifer’s response is: “I love these guys. They focus on my kind of stuff—half-baked ideas born out of copious alcohol consumption.” Jake does not slam the door on God, but continues to question and search. In an interesting twist, Lucifer brings Jake relief and his heart’s desires in an effort to distract him from seeking God. 

The deceptively breezy dialogue and cleverly simple situations contain nuanced truths that I found to be, quite simply, mind-boggling. Somehow Staecker manages to couch theological concepts in words that we humans can contemplate and—dare I say?—enjoy. Of particular note, God’s “character” was enlightening. Whether you are a spiritual person or not, this book will tug at heartstrings you may not even know you have.  

Review by Betsy Beard (June 2019)

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Review: Job 2.0: God and Lucifer battle again for a single soul

Job 2.0: God and Lucifer battle again for a single soul by Del Staecker
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review

Patterned loosely after the Book of Job, which was written three millennia ago, Job 2.0 by Del Staecker is a charming and engaging tale of the struggle between “good” and “not good.” Using contemporary language and situations, Lucifer asks God for a rematch after failing to compromise Job’s faith so long ago. Choosing Jake, an ordinary man, Lucifer unleashes all hell into Jake’s life and leaves him with nothing. His friends from his fast-pitch softball team, the Misguided Saints, rally around Jake to expound on their own versions of truth. From the book, Lucifer’s response is: “I love these guys. They focus on my kind of stuff—half-baked ideas born out of copious alcohol consumption.” Jake does not slam the door on God, but continues to question and search. In an interesting twist, Lucifer brings Jake relief and his heart’s desires in an effort to distract him from seeking God. 

The deceptively breezy dialogue and cleverly simple situations contain nuanced truths that I found to be, quite simply, mind-boggling. Somehow Staecker manages to couch theological concepts in words that we humans can contemplate and—dare I say?—enjoy. Of particular note, God’s “character” was enlightening. Whether you are a spiritual person or not, this book will tug at heartstrings you may not even know you have.  

Review by Betsy Beard (June 2019)

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Review: The Council: Acquiring The Great Orbs

The Council: Acquiring The Great Orbs by Javier Berrellez
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

MWSA Review
The strength of this story is the story itself. It is a mix of aliens, alien tech and human military agencies that are sometimes the good guys and sometimes not. The plot is simple: acquire the orbs. Yet the plot is complicated and takes many turns, sometimes so fast and so exhilarating, you need to re-read the last section to catch your breath and figure out what’s happening.

Characters are not well developed, but may not need to be because the storyline is well developed.

The conclusion is superb and lends itself to future installments of The Council. The story does suffer from technical difficulties that are easily fixed, such as voice, tense and word choice.

Review by Gail Summers (June 2019)


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