Book Reviews

Title: Staff Monkeys
Author: Peter Clark
Genre: Non-Fiction Sub-Category: Humor
Reviewer: jim greenwald

ISBN (for Amazon store): B004Q9TBQU

Staff Monkeys is not a typical military war journal; it is a chronological and humorous accounting of a former stockbroker's observations during his military deployments from April 2005 through September 2009. After being recalled to the Army, Peter Clark served in East Africa as well as numerous Middle East hot spots.

After his deployment to Africa, the fun and games were just beginning for Peter and over the next few years found himself in Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kyrgyzstan. What the Army didn't know, or overlooked, was that Peter had a sharp sense of humor and wasn't afraid to use it.

War is a very serious business, yet strange and comical events do occur and US Army Staff Monkey, LTC Peter Clark, a modern day Bill Mauldin, tells about them in a most entertaining way.

Title: King of Hearts
Author: Tom Seligson
Genre: Fiction Sub-Category: Thriller/Mystery
Reviewed by: Lee Boyland

ISBN (for Amazon store): 1453851372

The world’s most wanted man
A billion dollars in stolen cash
Elite soldiers turned professional killers

Those are the elements behind this new hard-to-put down thriller by long time author and television producer Tom Seligson. The story begins on a quiet suburban street. A mother is murdered while jogging. Called in to investigate the homicide is Ric Hill, a former New York City cop and veteran of the Iraq war. Murder is uncommon enough in the suburbs, but discovering that the killing has all the signs of a professional hit, Ric realizes he’s dealing with something bigger.

In fact, what begins as a simple case leads Ric back into the underbelly of the war he left behind, a world where honor and patriotism are for sale, and the difference between a fellow soldier and the enemy is not always so clear. With the help of Sharon, a beautiful fellow veteran rebounding from a devastating combat injury, Ric draws on his New York City street smarts to find an elusive killer, a quest that ultimately involves a pursuit of the world’s most wanted man, one of the biggest bank robberies in history, and an international conspiracy ranging from the streets of Baghdad to the back rooms of our nation’s Capitol. To solve the case, Ric and Sharon must both confront the demons they brought home with them from the war.

Title: Tales Mark Twain Would Have Loved to Steal [Revised Edition- 2010]
Author: Glenn Wasson
Genre: Fiction Sub-Category: Short Story Collection
Reviewer: Robert Ruehrdanz

ISBN (for Amazon store): 0971043558

Revised edition of a colorful collection of stories from the author's years in the military during the Viet Nam War, as well as anecdotes from the Gold Country.

Title: One More Sunrise
Author: Curtis P. Gay
Genre: Military Sub-Category: Army
Reviewer: jim greenwald

ISBN (for Amazon store): 1456754424

After spending a year in Germany as a security guard with the 50th Ordnance Company, Curtis Gay went to Viet Nam as a Private First Class. Six months later he was a Sergeant in the 25th Infantry Division and experienced some of the most intense fighting of the war. This book is his story.
Curtis spent a year as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Dix, New Jersey before leaving the Army in 1968. After a long career in the electrical industry, he is retired and lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife.

Book Title:Write Soon, Love Fran
Author: L.E. Starks
Reviewed by: Edward Cox
Genre: Non-fiction Sub-Category: Biography/Memoir

ISBN (for Amazon store): 1456083805

The Army career of Corporal Frances M. Bushey, now retired, began on April 28, 1949 and lasted until she was honorably discharged on September 7, 1951. This book is based on the letters written by Corporal Bushey, now known as Mrs. Frances M. Wissner, to her mother throughout her military career as well as her personal remembrances of the events. Mrs. Wissner is my mother-in-law and the actual writer of these letters, which have been edited for clarity and brevity. The personal experiences of this Korean War WAC are shared with you, the reader, and include her opinions and thoughts on her relationships, friendships and her work as a cook in the Army. The reader will be privy to all the intimate details of daily life as recounted by a woman in the Women’s Army Corps who started her army career as a Private and ended it as a Corporal.