Historical

Title: In Green Sleep: A Tour of Duty
Author: Jerry Ackerman
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Reviewer: Bob Doerr

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1462002447

It is the late 1960s. Cold war tensions and the Vietnam conflict dominate the media. John Bluderin, a drafted, dejected nineteen-year-old army specialist, has been assigned to military intelligence in Germany. Fluent in German and absorbed into the social fabric of Schwäbisch Gmünd, no one would ever suspect him of doing anything out of the ordinary. Specialist Bluderin is about to prove everyone wrong.

As John begins his first assignment, he meets Leda Beschwörung, a petite, dedicated agent able to jump twenty yards at a clip and infiltrate the enemy seamlessly. Leda, a practitioner of Gestalt psychology, makes Bluderin feel worthy again and becomes the catalyst in his coming-of-age journey, changing his life forever. Under Leda's diligent mentoring, Bluderin's perception of human nature sharpens. He soon encounters Günter Mann, a clairvoyant shepherd whose advice leads him to a Norwegian goddess. Solveig Evensen introduces him to a new world of emotional, intellectual, and erotic passion where both learn to transcend their past barriers. But it is Bluderin's final assignment that places his life on the edge of death.

Title: The Consummate Traitor
Author: Bonnie Toews
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Reviewer: Rob Ballister

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1461015383

Historical Fiction: World War II spy story. One woman betrayed, the other sacrificed in a chain reaction of double crosses that alters the outcome of World War II. Loyalty betrayed... love lost... secrets buried... inhumanity at its worst. Is forgiveness possible in the turmoil of such tragedy? On the eve of World War II, American journalist Lee Talbot witnesses Hitler’s experiment in “total war,” the carpet bombing of Guernica in northern Spain. It’s a preview of the horrors Nazi Germany will unleash if Hitler’s nuclear labs develop the atomic bomb first. Lee joins Churchill’s secret operation to sabotage Hitler’s project, but ends up babysitting the king of England’s cousin, Lady Grace Talbot, a gifted pianist who fancies herself in love with an SS officer. When Lady Grace’s parents die in a London bombing, she joins Lee’s team as a ‘pianist,’ transmitting coded messages to British covert missions in Nazi-held territory. Soon, both women learn that, in the secret world of spies, they can trust no one. In a tale rich with historical detail, what happens to these two women exposes a secret England wants buried forever. REVIEWS “Riveting . . .” Gayle Lynds, NY Times best-selling author of Book of Spies “Compelling, disturbing and brutally honest . . .” Vicki Hinze, award-winning author of Acts of Honor and Deadly Ties “Historical fiction at its best.” Robert Gandt, best-selling author of the Brad Maxwell military thrillers “A concise, fast-paced twister . . . must reading for fans of spy fiction.” Harriet Klausner, Midwest Books reviewer. “The reader will discover that there is no greater love than for a man, or woman, to lay his or her life down for a friend.” Rita Gerlach, author of the Historical Romance Surrender the Wind. “In The Consummate Traitor, Bonnie Toews delivers an edgy, espionage thriller in a beautiful story that haunts the reader long after the book is closed. ” Laurie Foston, author of The Magi Chronicles and Just in Time for You. “In this brilliant novel, Bonnie Toews explores the spy world’s murky twists and cunning treachery. Although there is plenty of intellectual intrigue, Toews doesn’t forget the spiritual nature of her characters.” J. Carson Black, author of The Shop, Darkness on the Edge of Town and The Dark Horse.

Title: Wounded, A Novel Beyond Love and War
Author: Richard Gaines Graham
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Reviewer: Lee Boyland

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0982806361

History teaches that when incompatible visions of the world collide, young men die. For the generation that fought in Vietnam many did die, and many more were wounded—some physically, some emotionally, some even romantically. The combat scenes in Wounded are vivid and ugly; some show heroism, but they do not glorify armed conflict. On the other hand, war can reveal the human imperative to endure under life-threatening conditions. Such moments demand a counterpoint, a personal connection, and when survival is in the balance, human love triumphs. Some look back at that tumultuous time with sadness, some with pride, and some, still, in anger. But we are all compelled to look back.

Long Binh, Republic of Vietnam, 1970, Lieutenant Alexander Marwick, unlike his friends attached to combat units, is mired in a backwater of the Vietnam War, serving as an aide-de-camp to an irascible general and salvaging his self-esteem following a failed romance with Cléo, an American Red Cross volunteer. His eagerly anticipated return to the States is interrupted by the arrival of his stepfather, a powerful U.S. senator who comes to Vietnam with an assignment—a clandestine diplomatic mission to find the elusive Le Van Duc, a mysterious and immensely wealthy Vietnamese veteran with contacts in the North Vietnamese Politburo. Finding and then convincing Duc to relay a secret peace proposal is the most audacious of the U. S. government’s efforts to orchestrate an end to the war in Vietnam.

Marwick reluctantly accepts the assignment, which takes him to Duc’s lavish hidden residence near the Golden Triangle in eastern Burma, to the back alleys of Bangkok, to a reunion with Khanh, Duc’s exotic daughter—an intimate friend from Marwick’s college days in Paris—to a monastery in communist-infested Cambodia, and finally to the British hill station of Darjeeling, India.

Once a naive, frivolous junior army officer, Marwick becomes an adroit and resourceful player in a high-stakes and perilous game of international intrigue. In the course of his mission his honor and courage are put to an even more demanding test when he discovers that he is the father of a child.

Twenty-two years later, at this child’s college graduation, a reconciliation takes place, and the drama that was Vietnam is finally laid to rest.

Twelve years in the making and loosely based on the author’s eighteen months in Vietnam and Southeast Asia in 1969−1970, this coming-of-age adventure story unfolds amidst tense scenes of war, personal tragedy, and a turbulent love affair.

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.