Book Reviews

Title: Traces of a Lost War
Author: Richard Barone
Genre: Fiction, Literary
Reviewer: John Cathcart

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0975471120

During the height of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army resorted to a bait-and-switch scam that recruited thousands of unsuspecting college graduates into its combat ranks. This is the story of two of its victims--Drew and Eliot--who join the Army to become signal officers but instead are reassigned to the infantry, a misfortune that treats their beloved diplomas as one-way tickets to the jungles of Vietnam. Finding uncertainty in a certain war, they manage to avoid the most dreadful duty--point man in an infantry company. Their misadventures--Drew lugging a 25-pound radio on his back, and Eliot writing military propaganda in Saigon--lead them down different paths, one becoming a war hero, the other a casualty of war. Written from a diversity of perspectives--fictional, historical, and autobiographical--this book is about survival, not only on the battlefield, but in the mind of an artist caught between his pursuit of a masterpiece and his allegiance to the men fighting to stay alive.

Title: The Texas Two Card Hold 'em Heist
Author: Karl Boyd
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Reviewer: John Cathcart

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0557541239

Roger Booth, Carl James and their gang of ex-military troops are at it again - this time they're back in Las Vegas, where they plan to steal the first prize of twenty million dollars right off the final table at the Universal Poker Tour.

As usual, Roger's plan is unique, deceitful and amazing in scope. Along with the FBI and law enforcement agencies of Nevada, you'll wonder how they did it and where the money is. You be awed by who actually makes off with the money and how Roger, Carl and the gang retrieve it for themselves. It's a feat of daring-do.

As a bonus, fans of Karl's previous books, especially the two others that make up this trilogy of lighthearted crime tales, learn what one of their previous victims; Richard Murdock wants them to do in repayment for swindling him so many years ago.

Although the pair of con men agrees to do Richard's biding, as always, with Roger, Carl and their nefarious assistants, nothing is as it seems.
Be prepared for more double crosses and a story that keeps you guessing until another unexpected conclusion.

Long time fins of Karl Boyd's novels wonder if this third part of the trilogy is actually the last adventure they'll share with Roger and Carl. But, fear not; there is a fourth episode being written as we speak.

Title: Terror In Teutoburg Forest
Author: John Rothdiener
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Reviewer: Carmen Stenholm

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1438955146

An evil empire is determined to enslave them and take their land. I feel we have an obligation to stand and fight. Sergeant Matt Taylor, United States Army Teutoburg Forest, 2009 The Terrorist Assault Team's orders were clear. They were to storm the house, capture the terrorists, free the hostages and contain the bomb. None of the twenty-six member, highly trained TAT team was prepared for what would take place on that hot August night. Through a bizarre chain of events, these GI¿s lives would change forever. They would be forced to choose between a new life or fight for freedom in a way they never imagined. ¿Varus, Varus give me back my legions.Caesar Augustus, 9AD Teutoburg Forest, 9 AD One of the greatest battles of all time took place in Teutoburg Forest in 9AD. When it was over, more than twenty thousand seasoned Roman Soldiers were dead. How could a poorly armed, undisciplined group of Germanic warriors defeat this mighty foe? What happened to Varus, the general of the Roman army and his famous soldiers is revealed in this thrilling plot. This is the unknown story of how the battle is fought and how it became a turning point in history. Terror in Teutoburg Forest Relive the battle that helped shape the world, as we know it today. This gripping account of how the onslaught occurred is skillfully captured in this exciting historic novel, Terror in Teutoburg Forest, related by author John L. Rothdiener.

Title: The Day Before the Berlin Wall
Author: T. H. E. Hill
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Reviewer: Joyce Gilmour

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): ISBN / EAN

The plot is based on a "legend" that was still being told by U.S. Army soldiers in Berlin in the mid-1970s. According to the legend, we had advance knowledge of the wall, and we knew that the East-German troops who were going to build it had been told to halt construction if the Americans were to take aggressive action to stop them. In Hill's version of the tale, a young American sergeant is the one who gets this piece of intelligence, but he is in East Berlin and has to get back to his unit to report it. The Stasi (the East German secret police) are prepared to kill to keep him from reporting it. They have killed his postmistress, and framed him for her murder. Now it is not only the Stasi, and the Vopos (the East-German "People's" Police), but also the West-Berlin municipal Polizei and the U.S. Army MPs who are after him. It's the day before construction is scheduled to start, and time is running out, so the sergeant is running as fast as he can. The key question of the novel is "even if he is lucky enough to make it back across the border, will anybody in the West believe what he has to say and take action on it before it is too late?" History says that he either didn't make it, or they didn't believe him.

Title: Silent Enemy
Author: Thomas W. Young
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Reviewer: John Cathcart

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0399157794

Four years after the events of The Mullah's Storm ("an irresistible adventure story"-USA Today), jihadists strike the Afghan National Police training center in Kabul, killing many and wounding others, including Sergeant Major Sophia Gold. The injured are hurriedly loaded onto a C-5 Galaxy bound for Germany, but once airborne, the commander, Major Michael Parson, receives a message. The jihadists have placed bombs on some planes leaving Afghanistan, and the Galaxy is one of them. If Parson tries to descend-the bomb will go off.

Parson, Gold, and everybody else aboard are trapped at altitude, until either they or someone on the ground can figure out what to do. They can refuel in midair, but not indefinitely. The aircraft is deteriorating, the condition of the patients is worsening, the crew is tiring-and their biggest challenges are yet to come.