Book Reviews

Title: Forty Missions and Home
Author: Maurice "Vic" Duvic and Lisa Uzzle Hadden
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewer: John Cathcart

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1605940461

It was a gutless, unprovoked attack on the United States and all it stood for. The hatred shattered the early morning calm and moved a nation from a time of peace to years of war and hardship. It prompted young men to offer their service, and many their lives, to defend their country and everything it stood for. It was a time of great uncertainty and fear. It was the original "day that will live in infamy."

Maurice "Vic" Duvic remembers it well. He lived it. He was twenty-two years old, standing on a Florida beach with his buddies the first time he heard the words "Pearl Harbor." He had no idea what those words would come to mean, but the uniform he wore assured him he would get a front row seat.

He went on to become a pilot in the Army Air Corps, traveled across the world and became a part of the Allied forces that would prove too much for Italy and Germany. While the words "Pearl Harbor" had a life-changing meaning for him, there was a number that would prove to be even more important: forty.

That was the number of combat missions he had to complete before he could get back home. While that sounds simple enough, he learned there is much truth to the saying, "It's not about the destination, but the journey." And what a journey it was.

Title: Inherited Freedom: A grandson's reflection on World War II through his grandfathers' experiences, and the translation of their service to the ... responsibilities of later generations
Author: Tim Drake
Genre: Non-Fiction, History
Reviewer: Bill McDonald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1438958919

A grandson's reflection on World War II through his grandfather's experiences, and the translation of their service to the privileges and ultimate responsibilities of later generations.

My reason for writing this book is multifaceted. First, it is a contemplative look back into a distinctive time in America's history through the lives of my two grandfathers, Maurice Elmer Drake and Archibald Vance Houston; and an examination of their service to our great country during World War II. My life intersected these two men as a result of my parent's loving choice to adopt me as their son at the time of my birth. Second, it is a critical look into our present situation as a nation, as compared to and contrasted with our past, which I undertook with a burning desire due to the personal impact of my grandfathers' service. Lastly, this book is a consideration of the future of this great country as it lies in the hands of my generation and outlines our responsibilities: to protect it and to provide our descendants with the inherited freedom that was earned in blood by the Greatest Generation over sixty years ago. Please visit www.inheritedfreedom.com for more information.

Title: Cold Winter's Kill
Author: Bob Doerr
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Reviewer: Kathy Rodgers

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1590957628

A fast paced thriller that takes place in the scenic mountains of Lincoln County, New Mexico. It was one of those phone calls former Air Force Special Agent Jim West never wanted to receive -- an old friend calling to ask if West could drive down to Ruidoso to help locate his daughter who has disappeared while on a ski trip with friends. Jim found himself heading to Ruidoso even though he believed, much like the local authorities, that if she had gone missing in the mountains in December, her chances for survival were slim. He didn't want to be there when they found her but still he drove on.

Once in Ruidoso, Jim discovers a sinister coincidence that changes everything. It appears that someone is abducting and killing one young blonde every year around Christmas. The race is on -- can Jim locate his friend's daughter on time? Jim can't wait for the local authorities to raise the priority of their search, or for the pending blizzard to pass. In his haste he puts himself in the killer's sights. Will he, too, suffer from a cold winter's kill?

Title: Dead Men Can Kill
Author: Bob Doerr
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Reviewer: Mary Sullivan

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1590957598

When Jim West, a former Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, moves back to New Mexico, his goal is simple: start an easy going second career as a professional lecturer on investigative techniques to colleges and civic organizations. He never envisioned that his practical demonstration of forensic hypnosis on stage with a state university student would stir up memories of an 18 year old murder mystery. When the student is murdered three days later, West finds himself ensnared in a web of intrigue that pits him and the small town's authorities against a ruthless, psychotic killer.

Title: My Air Force Mom
Author: Mary Lee
Genre: Children, Under 12
Reviewer: Richard Barone

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1602473412

A winner in the Children's Fiction Category of the 73rd Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition, My Air Force Mom is unique. This picture book explores customs and courtesies of military culture through a child's eyes. Author Mary Lee takes your child along with her fictional character Susie on a journey of discovery. From military uniforms through a military child's 'rite of passage' full circle to Susie's development of a sense of pride and patriotism in our country. My Air Force Mom shows children that the military offers careers to women as well as men. It gives military moms and dads a book to help their young children begin to understand military life. My Air Force Mom gives civilian parents a tool to explain mysteries of military life to their children. Answers to a child's curiosity are found in My Air Force Mom."