Inshallah (God Willing) by Dana Catoe

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Author's Synopsis

Chaos and hope collide in this unforgettable book on the horrors of war, cultural tensions, and the development of a fledgling democracy during Bush-era Iraq. Authored by Interim Iraqi Head of Security Dana Catoe.

Step inside a tumultuous era of global history in this powerful memoir where Iraq’s former head of security, tells the true story of the Iraq War. As a pivotal player in Iraq’s interim democratic government from its inception in 2003 through the nation’s first free elections, Dana Catoe was tasked with protecting government officials, Iraqi employees, and civilians during a time of terror attacks and raging conflict. Catoe provides a rare, unfiltered perspective on the challenges of rebuilding a nation in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion.

Catoe draws on an extensive military background as a U.S. Marine, exposing us to the daily realities of life in the upper echelons of a provisional government—a perspective few have been privileged to experience. Beyond the halls of government, he also shares the struggles of ordinary Iraqi citizens caught in the tumult of change, terror threats, and political upheaval.

With vivid storytelling and an insider’s view on Bush-era Iraq, Inshallah: (God Willing) is a book of tremendous importance for history, offering a one-of-a-kind, behind-the-scenes look at the successes and failures of America’s intervention in the Middle East. For fans of military memoirs, political history, and stories of human courage, or for students studying this defining era of world history, it is a can’t-miss. Both harrowing and inspiring, Catoe’s story illuminates the complexities of global conflict, the painful realities of war, and the fragile hope of democracy.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 200

Word Count: 48,000

Chasing Money: A Marty and Bo Thriller by Michael Balter

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Author's Synopsis

Most investor pitch meetings don’t end in murder - but then Marty and Bo haven’t had a lot of luck lately. They’ve been struggling to keep their startup business alive. It’s not high-tech, it’s not highly successful and the pressure to find capital has strained their bank accounts and Marty’s marriage.

So when Nico Scava offered to invest they eagerly accepted. He had money, connections in the art world, and a creative idea, but maybe they should have asked more questions. Now Nico’s dead and they’re on the hook for whatever scheme he was running. The Russian mob is after them, and if they don’t find $10 million and a mysterious missing painting in the next few days they’ll be dead too.

Their frantic chase will lead them from a cabin in the Oregon woods to a Portland strip club, from an aging artist to a bogus baron, and deep into the history of a missing masterpiece that someone is willing to kill to obtain. As the bodies pile up, Marty and Bo will have some tough choices to make about how far they’ll go to protect their families, their company, and themselves.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 286

Word Count: 79000

Keeping it Lively: The Hunt for Edie Lama by Michael Lund

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Author's Synopsis

In 2015 Vietnam Army veteran Thomas Bragg wrote in his memoirs about the death of his friend and fellow platoon member, Eddie Lama, in South Vietnam. This was a project he’d always hoped to complete; but he had to wait for retirement to find the time. And the story didn’t stop there: two and a half years after he completed his memoir, his platoon leader from 50 years earlier sought him out, saying that he had visited the grave of their fallen comrade. That led to connections with the Lama family in Mundelein, Illinois, a moving unit reunion, and this revised edition of Keeping it Lively: The Hunt for Eddie Lama.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 55

Word Count: 8263

Nothing Here Worth Dying For: Task Force Lion in Iraq by Col Seth W.B. Folsom, USMC (Ret)

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Author's Synopsis

In this sharp, challenging memoir, Col Seth Folsom lays bare the complexities of modern military combat advisor missions at the twilight of America’s longest war. "Nothing Here Worth Dying For" tells the story of his command of Task Force Lion — a “purpose-built” combat advisor team — and his frenetic 2017 deployment to Iraq’s Al Anbar Province. Charged with the daunting task of advising, assisting, and enabling the Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Folsom and his team of Marines and sailors struggled to support their Iraqi partners in the Jazeera Operations Command while simultaneously grappling with their own leadership for their relevance on the battlefield.

 "Nothing Here Worth Dying For" is the jarring coda to Folsom’s nearly thirty years in uniform — the last twenty of which he spent deploying to the long war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Far from a jingoistic tale that celebrates Corps and Country, this work challenges many of the popular assumptions about military command, leadership, loyalty, and teamwork.

As with the author’s previous books, "Nothing Here Worth Dying For" focuses on individual Marine actions at the tactical and operational levels while also addressing regional events that contributed to the overall narrative of the U.S. war in Iraq. Folsom describes his unpopular decision to prioritize his team members and their mission to support the Iraqi army above the desires of his own military service branch. As the final operation against ISIS in western Al Anbar gained steam, he questioned the wisdom of the military leadership to which he had dedicated his entire adult life. Despite his disillusionment, he committed himself to the men and women under his command who fought against the odds to accomplish a crucial mission. At its core, this is a story about teamwork and the bonds that develop when men and women risk their lives and reputations together. As the United States struggles once more to extricate itself from Iraq, this book will be a timely addition to the existing body of work about the war.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 336

Word Count: 100,795

The Very Last War by WH Hawthorne

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Author's Synopsis

#1 Amazon Bestseller, Political Fiction

A pivotal election revives freedom and self-governance in America, sending shockwaves across the globe and rattling four rival powers—European socialists, Chinese communists, Islamic radicals, and avaricious Russian leaders.

With dreams of world domination fading, they set aside differences and forge an alliance. Not to simply defeat America, but—with the help of a devastating new weapon—to erase it from the earth.

Outnumbered and alone, America answers with its own revolutionary weapon. But machines, no matter how intelligent, won’t be enough. Once again, survival will depend on something older. Something deeper.

The unbreakable American spirit.

In dimly lit halls of power, shadowy intrigues unfold. On sunlit battlefields, selfless heroism burns bright. Across North America, war rages from the frozen tundra of Alaska to the red clay of Alabama, from the mountains of Montana to the scorching deserts of Mexico.

If America falls, the free world falls with her.

A great generation will be needed. But can America still produce greatness?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 543

Word Count: 153,790

Note: Audiobook version coming out by April 2025

Rescue Run: Capt. Jake Rogers' Daring Return to Occupied Europe by John Winn Miller

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Author's Synopsis

Author's Synopsis: In an exciting new adventure, Capt. Jake Rogers returns to the North Atlantic as commander of a U.S. Liberty ship with some of his crew from the sunken Peggy C. But disaster strikes, and they end up shipwrecked in Ireland. There Rogers learns from Dutch sailors that the Nazis have arrested the father of the love of his life, Miriam Maduro, and are about to deport him to a concentration camp.

They sneak back into Holland aboard a gun-running ship from neutral Ireland and make contact with a resistance group to help them. Everything goes according to plan until a shocking discovery leaves them stranded in Holland and forces them to flee for their lives across Nazi-occupied Europe.

They struggle to find other resistance groups and escape organizations to help them. But informants, imposters, and double agents are everywhere. And with a huge reward on their heads, they can never be sure who to trust. 

To make matters worse, a giant Dutch bounty hunter is in hot pursuit. The utterly ruthless, one-armed, former detective is desperate for the reward. He has no qualms about beating information out of people or working with–and sometimes double-crossing–Nazi officials, French gangsters, and even a suspected serial killer. 

In this deeply researched thriller, full of real historical figures, Rogers and crew make one breathtaking escape after another. Using disguises, fake documents, subterfuge, and sometimes force, they slowly make their way toward safety in Spain. But as they get close to their goal, another shocking surprise blocks their way. 

As they are backed into a corner, Rogers comes up with one more crazy scheme to save them. It is one that has almost no chance of succeeding.

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 426

Word Count: 117000

Healing Veteran Moral Injury: Using Metaphor and Story to Foster Hope and Connection by Pat Pernicano and Kerry Haynes

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Author's Synopsis

Healing Veteran Moral Injury highlights the importance of story and metaphor in the change process and in trauma-related work.

Grounded in evidence-based practice and replete with clear, down-to-earth examples that foster empathy and understanding, Healing Veteran Moral Injury illustrates the ways in which building a sense of community can help restore trust and meaning-making. Chapters illustrate the power of stories and metaphors and help Veterans identify strategies for healing moral injury and posttraumatic growth. Clinicians and Veterans will come away from this book with tools for building connections, accepting what they cannot change, and developing a more accurate perception of responsibility.

Healing Veteran Moral Injury is intended both for mental health professionals and Veterans themselves as a tool for breaking the silence, pointing other Veterans toward hope and healing, and telling stories of moral pain with fortitude and courage.

Format(s) for review: Paper & Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—How to/Business

Number of Pages: 202

Word Count: 73288

The Gangs of Santa Fe by A. Michael Hibner

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Author's Synopsis

Life in Santa Fe in the late nineteenth century for young Nazario Alarid is interesting to say the least. His dad, Canuto, a political force in Santa Fe, introduces Nazario to Billy the Kid in the Santa Fe jail. Nazario decides to walk the strait and narrow, to not be like Billy, but things don’t always go the way one plans…

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 247

Word Count: 63,099

Red Lines by James Bultema

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From seven-time award-winning author James Bultema, Red Lines is the third explosive installment in the Sea of Red series, plunging readers into the heart of a modern military war between the United States and Iran.

After a devastating attack on a symbol of American freedom by radicalized domestic Hezbollah terrorists, the US finds itself on the brink of war. Tensions escalate as retaliatory strikes lead to a high-stakes confrontation that reverberates across the globe.

In a game of cat and mouse, submarines prowl the depths, fighter jets streak across the skies, and warships clash in an epic struggle for dominance. With advanced weaponry and strategic cunning, both sides push the boundaries of warfare, drawing the world's superpowers into a conflict that threatens global stability.

With the future of international order hanging in the balance, Red Lines takes readers on a relentless journey through the complexities of modern warfare and the far-reaching consequences of a single, violent act.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 410

Word Count: 75,765

Author's Synopsis

The Black Raven's Song by Macklin Grey

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Author's Synopsis

An anonymous threat, a catastrophic explosion, and a deadly race against time all collide at once.

After a nuclear bomb devastates St. Petersburg, Russia, killing hundreds of thousands and plunging the global economy into chaos, the world teeters on the brink of disaster. Amidst the turmoil, Chase Harper is sent to Singapore to salvage his company’s future. But fate has other plans for the former mercenary haunted by the recent loss of his wife and daughter. When North Korean assassins kidnap his closest friends to use as leverage in an attempt to seize mysterious cargo traveling across the Indian Ocean, Chase is dragged back into a world he desperately tried to leave behind. Intent on rescuing those he holds dear, Chase must confront his buried demons and reawaken his deadly skills.

Teaming up with an unlikely ally, he is thrust into a high-stakes operation to stop a madman intent on unleashing a catastrophic attack that could kill millions. Together, they must navigate a treacherous web of international intrigue and deadly conspiracies. With everything on the line, Chase faces a harrowing choice: become the killer he once was or risk losing all that he holds dear. If he fails, the last remnants of his shattered family will die, along with countless others.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 349

Word Count: 116,000

Broken Shadows by Patrick J Hughes

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Author's Synopsis

Haunted by his past, former intelligence officer Dolan Keane finds himself at the heart of a deadly conspiracy in Broken Shadows. After a failed mission in the Middle East leaves his SEAL team dead and his career in shambles, Dolan retreats to the small, sleepy town of Onancock, Virginia, hoping to escape the weight of his failures and the memories that refuse to fade.

But the past never stays buried. When his son Kevin is drawn into a global web of deceit orchestrated by the enigmatic Rami Al-Mahdi—a notorious terrorist leader—and Slater, a corrupt insider with ties to military intelligence, Dolan is thrust back into the shadows. His search for answers reveals that the catastrophic mission he barely survived was not a failure of circumstance, but part of a larger scheme with far-reaching implications.

With the clock ticking, Dolan must navigate a world of betrayal, uncover hidden truths, and face his darkest fears to save Kevin and unravel a conspiracy that threatens to ignite chaos in the Middle East. The journey takes him from the tranquil shores of Virginia to the harrowing depths of enemy strongholds, forcing him to confront not just the external forces working against him but the inner demons that have long consumed him.

In a breathtaking climax, Dolan must rely on his wits, skills, and the strength he didn’t know he still possessed to face Al-Mahdi and bring his son home. Yet redemption does not come without sacrifice. As Dolan wrestles with the cost of his choices, he discovers that healing is not found in revenge but in the enduring bonds of family and the hope for a future unshackled from the shadows.

You will be captivated by this intense military thriller that masterfully weaves themes of resilience, redemption, and the unyielding power of love. Broken Shadows is a story of a man’s fight to protect what matters most in a world where every step closer to the truth could be his last.

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 459

Word Count: 104272