When Heroes Flew: Where the Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder by H. W. "Buzz" Bernard

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MWSA Review

When Heroes Flew: Where the Dawn Comes in Like Thunder by H.W. “Buzz” Bernard continues the series about World War II aviators. In particular, this book picks up where Book 3 of the series, The Roof of the World, leaves off. It’s likely a good idea to read that book first, since many of the characters reprise their parts from the first book.

The book takes place in the India/Burma/China theater of WWII, as Major Rod Shepherd is eager to reconnect with nurse Eve Johannsen. They had shared harrowing experiences previously, and Shepherd thought they had an understanding. But amid the fog of war, Eve has disappeared and no one seems to know what happened to her. As he goes about his new duties after being grounded from flying by injuries, Shepherd searches surreptitiously for Eve. But he is not sneaky enough to avoid the attention of a certain general who seems to have it in for Shepherd.

Like The Roof of the World, the historically accurate book takes us into a little-known theater of WWII, keeping the reader interested as the Allies work to establish a base from which to bomb Japan. I recommend the entire series for glimpses into otherwise unknown aspects of the war.

Review by Betsy Beard (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Amidst the turmoil of World War II, a daring Army Air Forces aviator is swept into an odyssey that will carry him to the far corners of the earth. Military duty and personal quest converge in this tale of grit and perseverance.

Despite suffering grave injuries in the savage terrain of Burma, Major Rod Shepherd is returned to active duty to support war efforts against Japan. But his mission extends beyond official orders: Rod is determined to locate missing Army nurse, Eve Johannsen, even as top Army brass deny her very existence.

Rod’s primary mission sees him braving treacherous flight conditions and grappling with the horrors of the Japanese regime—all while he conducts his clandestine search for answers. In the end, Rod must risk challenging the highest levels of command if he has any hope of learning the truth…and finding Eve.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 235

Word Count: 75,500+

Some Angels Have Rotor Blades by Darcy Guyant

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MWSA Review

Based on a true story, Some Angels Have Rotor Blades by Darcy Guyant tells the tale of a boy named Dale, who ventures alone out in the ocean in his family’s boat. When the boat hits something underwater, it capsizes. Clinging to the overturned boat, Dale is rescued by Coast Guard HH-52 Seaguard helicopter number 1415. Years later, Dale takes his grandchildren to an aviation museum, where they discover the same helicopter that saved Dale on that fateful day.

This picture book allows children to see how actions can impact the lives of those around them. The book contains discussion concepts and questions at the back, along with information about the illustrator and the author, who retired after 25 years flying helicopters for both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard. The book’s reading level is above that which is normally used in picture books, so it will likely require reading by an adult to explain words and concepts as the child follows along by looking at the pictures.

Review by Betsy Beard (March 2025)

 Author's Synopsis

When Dale's plans for a fun day on the water turn into a struggle for survival, he is left clinging to his overturned boat, hope dwindling with each passing minute. Just as his strength begins to fade, a Coast Guard helicopter unexpectedly appears on the scene, its crew risking their lives to pluck him from the frigid water.

Fast-forward forty years, and Dale's world comes full circle. While exploring a museum with his grandkids, he stumbles upon the helicopter that once saved him!

This remarkable tale weaves together themes of survival, heartfelt gratitude, and the lasting impact of the rescuer’s bravery. It's a poignant reminder of how courage and compassion can transform lives in unimaginable ways.

Perfect for parents and educators, this inspiring narrative showcases the profound influence of one person's actions on another's destiny. This story powerfully illustrates that even the most minor acts of kindness can create ripples that echo through generations, potentially shaping the future and sparking inspiration.

Format(s) for review: Paper & Kindle

Review Genre: Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Number of Pages: 38

Word Count: 911

Maryland Sasquatch Massacre by Ethan Richards

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Maryland. Mercenaries. Sasquatch.

Ebenezer "Eerie Eb" Edwards is ready to hang up his rifle. After years in the military and security contracting, he's set on leaving his tactical profession behind and focusing full-time on podcasting. But when a lucrative final contract crosses his path, Eb agrees to one last mission—a search deep into the heart of Savage River State Forest for the missing sister of Cora Rhodes, a wealthy heiress with a fierce determination.

Cora's sister has disappeared into the remote, abandoned forest, and Cora will stop at nothing to find her. With Eb leading the way, they're joined by a band of mercenaries—each with their own specialties and reasons for taking on the job. Together, the team must navigate treacherous terrain, but it's not just the wilderness they have to survive. Something brutal and ancient lurks in the shadows—something far worse than they could have imagined.

This isn't just a search-and-rescue mission. It's a battle for survival against a creature long thought to be myth. As the team members fall one by one, Eb and Cora must rely on each other, pushing their limits as they confront a force of nature no one was prepared for.

In this action-packed thriller, will Eb's final mission be the one that costs him everything? Or will he and Cora survive The Maryland Sasquatch Massacre and uncover the truth about the horrors lurking in the forest?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Horror/Fantasy/Sci Fi

Number of Pages: 162

Word Count: 43217

Until Our Time Comes: A Novel of WWII Poland by Nicole M. Miller

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

American horse trainer Adia Kensington is living her dream of working at the famous Janów Podlaski stables in Poland, where they breed the best Arabian horses in the world. But her plans to bring the priceless stallion Lubor to the US are derailed when the German army storms into her adopted country in 1939. Little does she know this is just the beginning of six long years of occupation that will threaten her beloved horses at every turn.

Bret Conway is at Janów Podlaski under the guise of a news reporter, but his true mission is intelligence gathering for the British. That and keeping Adia safe, which is harder and harder to do as she insists they must evacuate 250 horses to save them from being stolen, sold, or eaten by the invading forces. What follows will test their physical, mental, and emotional strength, as well as their faith in God, humankind, and each other.

Drawn from true events of World War II, this epic story of escape, capture, resistance, and love from debut novelist Nicole M. Miller will thunder into your heart like a herd of beautiful horses across a raging river.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 372

Word Count: 95,000

Degrees of Intelligence by Miranda Armstadt

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MWSA Review

Degrees of Intelligence by Miranda Armstadt provides an entertaining spin through America’s evolving counterintelligence community, beginning with “Wild Bill” Donovan and the OSS of WWII, to the creation of the CIA and into the Cold War of the 50s and 60s. It culminates in the Kennedy assassination.

There are primarily two parallel stories with several sidebars. David Markoff, is a brilliant Jewish American, a Harvard graduate well versed in foreign languages, who follows the path of so many fellow Ivy Leaguers into a career at the State Department. His relationship with his wife carries its own deep mystery, as does his family’s backstory.

George Fernsby-Waite, is his wealthy British counterpart, who works for MI6. During WWII he is embedded with Yugoslav partisans fighting the Nazis. He works with the powerful Yugoslavian communist leader Tito, trying to keep him as a friend of the Western allies rather than a foe after the war.

During the 50s, Fernsby-Waite travels the world as a bon-vivant broadcaster and foreign correspondent who maintains his commitment to the British Intelligence organization.

Markoff becomes a Foreign Service officer whose ability to deal with high-powered political figures such as Roy Cohn is highly valued by his State Department superiors at Foggy Bottom. Their paths only cross occasionally as they deal with their own life tragedies.

Multiple characters are introduced in the first few chapters. The main spinoff is with Allen Dulles, the shrewd and long-serving director of the CIA.

There is much to like about this story told by an author whose family experienced real-life history. Armstadt stays true to history as she weaves a readable and entertaining tale.

Review by James Elsener (February 2025)

Author's Synopsis

A Gripping New Historical Fiction Geopolitical Thriller of WWII and the Cold War:

It’s 1943 … World War II is raging across the pond … and a shy but brilliant Jewish-American young man—whose own father grew up on the mean streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side—finds himself at Harvard … with no clue how he got in.

Miranda Armstadt’s new historical fiction geopolitical thriller—inspired by her own father’s time with the US State Department in 1950s Cold War Europe—takes readers behind the scenes of the early years of the CIA and how it unfolded into a powerful government arm, as America pushed back against Communism after the war.

Along the way, we meet the beautiful daughter of a TV news pioneer, caught up in a web of deceit her own family doesn't know about … a dashing British viscount who steps out of the world of wealth and prestige in which he was raised … and a teenage Holocaust survivor who’s determined to succeed, despite losing his entire family to the Nazis.

Five years in the making, Armstadt has used volumes of family letters and photographs—and researched hundreds of CIA, State Department, and government and military memos—to create a fascinating story about how high-level intelligence operatives were scouted, trained and used to glean information in a world before computers.

With incredible insight into the real life of a Foreign Service officer, Armstadt weaves a vivid tableau of America and Britain’s intelligence operations from World War II through to the Kennedy administration of the 1960s and their aftermath—and how a life of secrecy affects everyone it touches.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 350

Word Count: Approx. 93,000

The Spear and the Sentinel by J. L. Hancock

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

Voodoo and his team of special operators are thrust into the heart of a global conflict. The stakes have never been higher as China’s Belt and Road Initiative pushes into Central Asia, exposing dark ambitions and a secret lab advancing AI warfare.

Set against the vast steppes of Kazakhstan, this story unfolds in the shadow of the former Soviet Union. Tensions rise as Voodoo’s team embarks on a covert mission. New team members add to the friction as more troubles from Voodoo’s past return to the present.

They soon find themselves on the brink of a perilous future the Western world is unwilling to face: a world where AI reigns supreme, and there's no turning back. Fans of Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy, and Clive Cussler will snatch this thriller and refuse to let go.

Will Voodoo’s team succeed? Or has his luck finally run out?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 340

Word Count: 80,000

Distant Dreams - Standby At Tay Ninh by Randy Millican

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MWSA Review

Distant Dreams by Randy Millican reads like a personal account of a young medic assigned to an unarmed Army helicopter crew, racing in to evacuate wounded soldiers, often under intense enemy fire. I was on the edge of my seat while reading about the “The Milkman” and the DUSTOFF crew’s heroic actions. Through every harrowing mission, the thoughts expressed by the main character are riveting. The emotion that I felt as a reader came from author Millican's explanations of desperate actions to stabilize a young woman who had just given birth and was hemorrhaging, or a young man with horrific battle wounds and the efforts to keep him alive long enough to make it to the hospital.

Over their deployment, "The Milkman" and his crew mates pull the broken bodies of hundreds of war-fighters out of the jungle and into the helicopter, and feverishly work to stabilize their critical wounds until reaching the Evac Hospital. As a nurse myself, I was astounded by the medic's incredible skill and knowledge. Faced with atrocious scenes of blood and gore, he prays as he does what he was taught to do: “Dear Lord, please guide me. Let my hands become your hands.”

Upon returning stateside, these veterans were greeted with hate and derision. They were not welcomed. They never received recognition for their heroism. Years later, when visiting the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, the author writes: “The huge majority of us simply blend in, and function anonymously in their world, working at our… insignificant jobs, providing for our families, all the while unashamedly loving the nation that sent us to do its bidding. The stories are suppressed, and we never mention our experiences, unless it’s to another vet…

The author claims his book is Historical Fiction, but it sure reads like a narrative from the guy who lived it. Welcome Home, Randy!

Review by Nancy Panko (March 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

In those frightening minutes after being wounded in combat, the soldiers were expertly attended by the company medics, and a helicopter evacuation was called in. That call went out to the DUSTOFF crews. Racing to the coordinates of the unit requesting help, the helicopter crew locates the troops by the colored smoke marker, then swoops in for the pick-up, most often under withering enemy fire. The bright red crosses painted on the unarmed ship offer a beacon of hope to the wounded as well as a point of aim for enemy gunners. The pilots skillfully settle the helicopter into an area that without the emergency nature of the call would never be considered as a landing zone.

Once on the ground, the medic leaves the helicopter and races toward the wounded-gathering them up and delivering them to the waiting crew chief who helps them aboard while watching for enemy soldiers and hazards to the aircraft. Only when the last wounded man is aboard do the pilots lift-off, fighting the unforgiving force of gravity, desperate for the altitude necessary to avoid the dense jungle foliage and trees.

Assisted by the crew chief, the medic attends to the wounded: slowing the life draining flow of blood and replacing IV fluids, performing airway preserving maneuvers, and too often, CPR. As the pilots expertly coax the helicopter beyond its limits for speed, triage is performed while enroute and the most appropriate medical facility is selected. The wounded are finally handed off to the doctors and nurses for surgery and more definitive care.

This was the scenario replayed hundreds of thousands of times during the Vietnam War. The DUSTOFF crews were few, and the missions were many. Each one was carried out with skill, bravery and dedication to the mission—Saving Lives.

This is the story of a medic who flew those missions.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 485

Word Count: 51,673

Crucible 1972: The War for Peace in Vietnam by J. Keith Saliba

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

By early 1972, America’s long struggle in Vietnam was nearing its end. President Richard Nixon’s policy of “Vietnamization” had seen U.S. troop strength plummet to its lowest since 1965, even as military planners ramped up efforts to train and equip South Vietnam to stand alone. In an effort to kickstart peace negotiations, Nixon that January revealed that for more than two years his administration had been in secret talks with North Vietnam to end the war. Nixon proposed a withdrawal of all foreign military forces from South Vietnam and the release of prisoners held by all sides. After which, the president intoned, the people of South Vietnam would be free to decide their own fate through peaceful, democratic means. All that remained was North Vietnam’s acceptance. But Hanoi said no. General Secretary Le Duan, seeing that the United States was already on its way out and calculating that Vietnamization had failed, decided war not peace would bring final victory.

And so on 30 March 1972, the first terrible wave of 30,000 North Vietnamese infantrymen, armor, and heavy artillery rolled across the DMZ separating North and South Vietnam. Within a month, that number would grow to more than 225,000 troops and hundreds of tanks pressing South Vietnam on three battlefronts. But what Le Duan did not calculate was the ferocity of the U.S. response. American airpower—now unshackled by a president determined to win an “honorable peace” in Vietnam—would rain destruction unlike anything the North Vietnamese had experienced. Before it was over, Washington, Hanoi, and Saigon would be pushed to the brink—and toward a deeply flawed peace that merely sowed the seeds of further war. Drawing on archival research and interviews with veterans who were there, J. Keith Saliba tells the tale of America’s last fateful year in Vietnam…and its desperate attempt to achieve an honorable peace.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 444

Word Count: 95,000

SAMs and Night Carrier Landings by Roland McLean

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MWSA Review

SAMS and Night Carrier Landings offers a thrilling, insightful view into the lives of US Navy pilots during the brutal early days of the ten-year air war against North Vietnam. The three-year period from1965 through 1967 saw the heaviest losses of Navy aircraft and crews. More than half of Navy airmen killed or captured in the entire war met their fates in those years.

Author Roland McLean, a Navy veteran who flew the F-8 Crusader fighter jet during the war, tells the stories of the aviators of a fictional Crusader squadron as they go through the crucible of combat amid the challenges of flying off an aircraft carrier.

McLean populates his squadron with seasoned, senior officers and first-time “nugget” pilots as they forge the unique bonds of a Navy fighter squadron at sea. In the course of the narrative, readers experience the raw excitement and fear felt by a pilot alone in the cockpit of a fighter jet in the months spent on Yankee Station. Colorful details take readers into the personal lives of aviators on board ship and on shore at Far East liberty ports.

The author uses his own intimate knowledge as a former F-8 pilot to add vivid realism to his flying scenes. He has drawn on the combat experiences of his flight training instructors for their first-hand accounts of flying against the relentless anti-aircraft defenses over North Vietnam. He also highlights the deadly challenges of carrier aviation. The inevitable volume of technical terms and acronyms can be daunting for a non-military reader, but the author largely decodes these as part of the narrative without seriously impeding the story flow.

This is a riveting account of the little-known but tragic early years of the Vietnam air war, seen through the eyes of courageous aviators who fought down their fears to face danger on a daily basis.

Review by Peter Adams Young (March 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

On Yankee Station, some 110 miles east of Dong Hoi, NorthVietnam

Latitude1730North,10830East

3 March, 1967

Somewhere below, in the darkness, the giant old warship thundered along, firing into the dark night its lethal payload of fighters and dive-bombers. In calm seas, it churned at more than thirty knots, making its own wind to help the flight of the planes off the twin catapults mounted on the bow. Phosphorescence glowed white in its wake. Old boilers were pushed to the maximum to drive four massive propellers.

The third combat deployment of Navy Fighter Squadron VF 188 to Yankee Station and the raging air war over North Vietnam. The young replacement pilots known as nuggets are forced to quickly adapt to flying in the most deadly anti-aircraft environment ever known.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 251

Word Count: 83,454

Persons of Interest by Mark Fleisher

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MWSA Review

Mark Fleisher's Persons of Interest offers appealing autobiographical stories interspersed with poems that provide thoughtful moments of reflection on the author's past experiences growing up in Brooklyn, going to college in the Midwest, and working as a combat journalist in Vietnam. There are a number of memorable characters in the stories ("persons of interest"), including Mrs. Narinsky, a neighbor who yelled at young Fleisher and his friends to "Stop making such noise, you nogoodnicks. If you don't I'll pour hot water on you", and Baby Blue, the author's second car bought on his return from Vietnam, a 1968 Pontiac LeMans which soon began spilling pools of rust-colored liquid then spewing flames reminiscent of Puff the Magic Dragon, the Air Force AC-47 that bombed enemy forces in South Vietnam.

But the most interesting and appealing character is the author himself, the narrator with his wry humor, evident even in troubled times. For example, when Fleisher is struggling with PTSD and is offered hypnosis, he gamely thinks, "Why not?" and is then able to laugh at his first conversation with his comrade Rick, later killed in action in front of Fleisher (and perhaps the most crucial reason for Fleisher's PTSD): after Rick had mentioned that he was Mormon and had never met a Jewish person before, Fleisher counters with, "Well, Rick, I've never met a Mormon."

Of the 13 stories and 13 poems in the collection, most—according to the author—are autobiographical, but others are fictional. The protagonist and his experiences seem to be the same throughout, but the other characters are fictionalized, and it is difficult sometimes to tell who is a real-life character and who is fictional. But on the whole, the collection presents a companionable glimpse into the mind and heart of a fellow traveler on this up-and-down road of life.

Review by Nancy Arbuthnot (March 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

Persons of Interest is a law enforcement term to describe someone who is involved in an incident, not yet a suspect but may become one. In Mark Fleisher’s work entitled Persons of Interest, he investigates, follows up clues and names names. Fleisher, who enjoys dabbling in the kitchen of his Albuquerque homecooks up a Baker’s Dozen each of poems and stories, fiction and nonfiction alike. The menu ranges from tales of his childhood, through college days and Air Force experiences to more contemporary times.

From a misbehaving car to a scary plane ride to his first paying job Fleisher weaves his way through wistful and humorous tales as well as portrayals of loss and grief, all reflecting the author’s ability to give readers a buffet of emotions. The poems found in Persons of Interest often relate directly or indirectly to the stories told.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Other—Anthology/Collection

Number of Pages: 115

Word Count: 22,000

Swift Boat Skipper by Robert H. Bradley III

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MWSA Review

Reading military memoirs can be a roll of the dice. Some are suitable maybe as a record for future generations of family members, some you encounter are great stories but poorly written, some are great stories with great writing, and many are somewhere in between. Swift Boat Skipper has the arc of a great story and is very well written.

As the title implies, the author commanded a Patrol Boat Fast (PBF), or Swift Boat, as a young Navy officer during the Vietnam War. Without stating so, I believe one of the author’s main purposes was to write his story for those to whom the Vietnam War is now history, while also seeking to tell the story of one facet of the often-overlooked naval war in Vietnam.

Much of the information in the book will be familiar to those who served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The author does a great job of overlaying the story of his small boat unit with the macro issues affecting the overall conduct of the war, emanating from Saigon, Washington D.C., college campuses, and main streets across America, all far from the combat zone.

The mission of the Patrol Boat Fast sailors and their comrades operating other rivercraft was to deny the interior waterways of South Vietnam to communist insurgent Viet Cong guerrillas and soldiers of the army of North Vietnam. Like their ground combat and aviation counterparts, they were hampered and frustrated by onerous rules of engagement that their enemies took full advantage of to both evade and ambush U.S. forces.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of the book is the author’s deft explanations of the motivations of the communist enemy and the often-reluctant South Vietnamese forces, and his ability to enable the reader to walk in their shoes (or barefoot).

This book will interest those interested in the Vietnam War, naval combat, and any story of men in combat in a unique environment.

Review by Terry Lloyd (February 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

This book is a memoir based on letters I wrote and the diary I kept in Vietnam.

I started writing in 1979 to counter the despicable depiction of the actions of sailors on Swift Boats and River Patrol Boats in the movie, Apocalypse Now. It was my attempt to tell about the Vietnam War that I knew while serving in DaNang in 1969-1970.

This book is a coming-of-age story of a callow college graduate whose service, first as an officer on the USS Savage (DER-386) and then as skipper of a Swift Boat turned a boy into a man.

Coastal Division 12 Swift Boats patrolled mostly along the coast, but one of our key missions in 1969 was the perilous patrols in the Cua Dai River Basin. Many men were wounded there in the firefights; one of our officers died.

The book recounts the great professionalism and courage of Swift Boat sailors but also the gradual disillusionment that many of us felt, as the Vietnamization of the War supplanted our original mission of winning the war.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 338

Word Count: 162,000

Crow Wisdom: A Seasonal Journey by Wanda W. Jerome and Jasmine Tritten

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MWSA Review

This is a book of poems about the subject of…crows! I’ve read and written many books of poetry, but nothing extensive about crows until this book. Overall, the book is a blend of poetry, photography, and artwork, which collectively create a vivid portrait of the spiritual power of crows. This power is heartwarming, hopeful, and reflective of the human experience. The community of these birds underscores the importance of community in our lives, too.

The story that opens the book, Community of Crows, captures the storyline and potential impact of the spirituality of crows on our lives, if we but pay attention to crows around us and others around us. We can learn we are linked in life in good ways: “They can teach us if we will stop a moment, watch, and listen” (p10-11).

The poetry is tight, using as few words as possible, which underscores the overall impact. Here’s a brief example in the haiku, Soul-itude, on p. 15: “morning light is here/punctuated with crow caws/now is time for prayer.” There are at least 10 traditional haiku in the book, plus longer poems, and prose poetry. One of my favorite poems was Snow on Ashes (p. 72). This is a moving and musical story about memories of, and love for, the poet’s mother and her spirit. This book may help drive our own self-reflections.

Review by Bruce Berger (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Crows have symbolic meanings in many cultures. Incredibly smart, these birds carve a unique place between the natural and spiritual worlds. They fly into our lives and communicate important insights as harbingers of change to come. In homage to the family of corvids – especially crows – we compiled this collection of uplifting poetry, photography, and artwork to shed light on their unique contributions to our human experience here on earth. We hope you enjoy this book and crows find their way to you when you need them.

Format(s) for review: Paper only

Review Genre: Poetry—Poetry Book

Number of Pages: 137

Word Count: 6,385

The Bridge by George Encizo

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MWSA Review

The Bridge by George Encizo is appropriately dedicated "To fathers, daughters, and dog owners everywhere." This is a book about relationships between teens, teens and their parents, and people with their dogs.

JD Pickens is a sheriff in a small rural county in Central Florida, and he is the father of 16-year-old Sarah and owner of a dog named Bailey. He and his daughter have a very good relationship with trust on both sides.

At various points in the story, there is a murderer in the area, who adds to the pressures on the sheriff as he deals with his daughter's new interest in boys and with the death of their beloved dog Bailey.

While the back cover blurb describes the sheriff's portion of the book rather than giving a more holistic picture, it’s not as much a mystery/thriller/crime story as it is about relationships with people as well as with dogs.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Sheriff JD Pickens had never experienced such turmoil in his personal and business life as he did now. Whenever he thought he had the situation under control, something new would crop up. But Pickens forged on undaunted, yet the enormity of the conditions rolled over him like a giant bolder and threatened to crush him like a cockroach. Pickens felt like giving up, but he wasn’t one to surrender without a fight. The problem was whether Pickens could win.

Format(s) for review: Paper Only

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 287

Word Count: 65,720

Cherry Blossoms in Winter: A Riveting Soldier's Story of the Korean War, Friendship, and Love in Post-War Japan by Michael J. Summers

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MWSA Review

First-time author Michael J. Summers has crafted a readable and entertaining debut novel that takes place during America’s post-World War Two occupation of Japan leading up to the disastrous start of the Korean War.

It’s both a love story and a war story. Jack Pierce, an American expatriate, relates his tale of love and combat to a journalist half a century after he lived it. Though the plot is familiar—lonely GI falls for the “good” dance hall girl in a romance challenged by an unpopular war—it is still a touching story with new twists. In a note to readers, Summers states that 45,000 marriages occurred between American soldiers and Japanese women during that time.

The dialogue captures the rough sex talk of young soldiers. The descriptions of men looking for love occasionally borders on soft porn. But the relationship between Pierce and Michiko seems genuine.

The plot shifts quickly from love to war. The combat scenes are a bit confusing but real. Pierce’s unit, soft from peacetime duty in Japan, is thrust into the opening weeks of America’s Forgotten War—Korea. Pierce emerges as a natural leader who overcomes his inexperience and fears. The scenes highlight instances of courage, cowardice, and violence.

Summer's strongest writing occurs in the last two chapters when the plot returns to the current time, previous story locations, and a twist to a touching reconnect. The end is satisfying and leaves the reader with a smile.

Review by James Elsener (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

In a world scarred by conflict, can the tender beauty of cherry blossoms withstand the winter of war?

Manila, Philippines, 2003.

Dane Chandler is on a writing assignment in Manila, where he meets Jack Pierce, a tough-talking Korean War Veteran. Their chance encounter leads Dane into Jack's past, beginning in 1949 Tokyo, where Jack, stationed at Camp Drake, meets Michiko Okura at Club Florida. Their budding romance is cut short by the outbreak of the Korean War, which transforms Jack amidst the brutal fight for "Rat Mountain."

As Dane listens to Jack's story, experiencing his hellish battlefield encounters and tremendous loss, he witnesses Jack's undaunted outlook on life and discovers newfound maturity in himself.

Cherry Blossoms in Winter is a masterful blend of historical fiction, multi-cultural romance, and military adventure, exploring the bonds of brotherhood, the harsh realities of war, and the enduring power of love, highlighting the unyielding strength of the human spirit.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 259

Word Count: 82,000

Courage on the Mountain by George Reischling

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Author's Synopsis

Projecting skyward ominously 3200 feet above the surrounding flat jungle terrain towered a solitary goliath of a mountain shrouded with an ancient mystical legend and now an enemy stronghold. Nui Ba Dien or the “Black Virgin Mountain” served as a major staging area for the last finger of the infamous Ho Chi Minh trail as it crossed the Cambodian border just a few miles to the West. Honeycombed with hundreds of caves and fortified with elite NVA and Viet Cong soldiers, she stood as a “Thorn in the Side” of American military control of the region. The 25th Infantry Division held a communication site on her highest peak and also the land encircling her base, but her slopes were voraciously defended by large numbers of elite enemy soldiers. Anytime any American unit undertook to engage her slopes, a hellacious battle was guaranteed with the “Angel of Death” always hovering near!

These memoirs illuminate more than just the courage of battle but also the courage and inner strength that the soldiers of Vietnam had to shoulder upon their return home. Courage and dignity qualify all Vietnam Veterans such that the country that at one time turned their back on them now holds them in high esteem. This is my story, start to finish and it was written to enlighten the reader to a greater understanding of the American men and women and their struggles for survival in America’s most unpopular war!

Format(s) for review: Kindle Only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 422

Walking on the Sea of Clouds by Gray Rinehart

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Author's Synopsis

Before permanent lunar encampments such as Clarke’s Clavius Base (in 2001: A Space Odyssey) or Heinlein’s Luna City (in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress) could be built, there would have to be the first settlers—the first people to set up shop and try to eke out an existence on the Moon. Walking on the Sea of Clouds is the story of such lunar pioneers: two couples, Stormie and Frank Pastorelli and Van and Barbara Richards, determined to survive and succeed in this near-future technological drama about the risks people will take, the emergencies they’ll face, and the sacrifices they’ll make as members of the first commercial lunar colony. In the end, one will decide to leave, one will decide to stay, one will put off deciding … and one will decide to die so another can live.

Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy/Sci Fi/Horror

Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook

ISBN/ASIN: 978-0-9982092-6-5, 978-0-9982092-7-2, 978-0-9982092-8-9, B07P682ZJW

Pennies from Vietnam: A Sister at home, a Brother at war by Tracy Smith and Larry Smith (deceased)

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MWSA Review

Pennies from Vietnam is the story of seventeen-year-old Larry Smith who joined the U.S. Army to serve his country and to help himself grow up. He achieved both goals, but at great personal cost. His story is told by his little sister Tracy Smith, who was three and four years old during his eighteen months in the Vietnam War. He served as a crew chief on attack helicopters from 1967 to 1969, the height of U.S. involvement, so his story is one of combat, bravery, and self-sacrifice.

But this story is about more than that. It's about the effects of the war on his family at home, how his absence was felt and how his family dealt with it from day to day. Larry wrote ninety-nine letters home during his first tour. These form the structure of his story in his own words, but his sister Tracy Smith expanded on these through tireless research to provide a nearly complete narrative of his Vietnam service and beyond. The book is recommended for those interested in the Vietnam War and for those who want to learn the largely untold story of how that confusing war affected servicemen's families who struggled to make sense of it in neighborhoods across America.

Review by Jamie Thompson (February 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

“It didn’t matter that we were in New Jersey in 1967 and 1968. Vietnam invaded us all.”

In this family story, over 70 letters from one homesick soldier tell the truth and trauma of a teenager in combat. When Larry Smith enlisted, he promised to send pennies for his little sister Tracy in his letters, and promised his mother to return home safely. But as Tracy started kindergarten and learned of war from the family television, Larry turned 19, battles intensified and his letters darkened. His promises were harder to keep.

For 12 months as a 1st Cavalry Crew Chief during the height of the war, Larry writes home with tales from his latest mission on his Huey helicopter ("I never had a new car, but I do have a '67 UH-1C"). Larry grows from a naive boy ("War is hell but the girls over here sure are nice") into a hardened man. He is silenced by the end of his tour of duty, and letters stop arriving.

Decades after the war, as her brother lay in a coma, Tracy Smith began to study the old letters, and found a boy she didn’t recognize. After years of research and finding her brother’s Army friends, she is honoring him in this bittersweet story of love in the middle of war. Pennies from Vietnam: A Sister at Home, a Brother at War is a parallel memoir, offering a unique dual perspective. Larry speaks for every soldier, and Tracy speaks for those left behind, waiting for answers.

Pennies from Vietnam makes a case for generational trauma: children don’t belong in combat, nor should they watch it unfold on television.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 229

Word Count: 80,000

Best Year of Our Lives by Robert Lofthouse

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MWSA Review

The Best Year of our Lives is the story of a small high school’s quest for the 2015 Pennsylvania football championship. The team, Saucon Valley Panthers, was only moderately successful in the past and were rarely considered a threat within its own district.

The author, Robert Lofthouse, takes the reader through each of the games of that season, highlighting the significant plays, the players, and the community support. Unique to this football tale is the emphasis on the community’s involvement from the players’ families to the local townspeople, who rallied to the team games and events.

Insights into the team members and their families during that season and after added depth to the story. Additionally, an account of the head coach’s mental struggles was very moving.

The author was the statistician for the team during that season. He was able to provide accurate details about the team and the events of that year. Included in the book are numerous excerpts from local newspapers as they followed the growing success of the team. Numerous photographs of game plays, players, and families provide a more intimate look at the events and characters in the book.

This book will appeal to anyone who is interested in high school football or someone who is familiar with the Saucon Valley area of Pennsylvania.

Review by Walter Walkow (March 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

Saucon Valley High School, a small school in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, wasn't historically known as a football powerhouse. Having to rely on homegrown talent, they'd often lose out to bigger schools with larger recruiting bases. But 2015 would prove to be different. Digging deep and pounding out their final year as Saucon Valley Panthers, cocaptains Zach Thatcher, Evan Culver, Mike Kane, Christian Carvis and their teammates embarked on a quest for a Pennsylvania state football championship that would defy the odds. Fielding the school's best team in decades, Head Coach Matt Evancho brought a group of determined young men together for a journey none of them will every forget. With local roots but universal appeal, The Best Year of Our Lives uses recent interviews, personal stories, and media accounts from the time to paint the picture of everything the players, coaches and local community experienced that storied year - the unity, the disappointments and the triumphs.

Format(s) for review: Paper only

Review Genre: Nonfiction—History

Number of Pages: 228

Word Count: 58,859

Two Stitches and a Patch by Dr. Terry Megli and Robert Lofthouse

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MWSA Review

Two Stitches and a Patch by Dr. Terry Megli and Robert Lofthouse offers a Christian faith-based approach to navigating the deep and often overwhelming journey of grief. The book is rooted in biblical teachings and aims to provide believers with a roadmap for managing grief and suffering, using God's divine plan as a foundation for healing. Through a thoughtful exploration of grief, the authors guide the reader to understand how faith can offer restoration, peace, and hope.

Drawing from the Bible, the book highlights the stories of individuals who endured immense pain from grief, with particular focus on the life of Job, whose story in the Old Testament is used as a lens to explore the complex relationship between suffering and faith. The authors present grief as an inevitable part of life, but one that can be endured with faith in God's ultimate plan of restoration.

The structure of the book revolves around seven "Movements" designed to help the reader cope with end-of-life grief. These movements provide a framework for understanding the emotional and spiritual stages of grief, with each section offering valuable insights and reflections. The emphasis is on accepting suffering as part of God's plan and trusting in His promise to restore peace in the midst of pain.

Two Stitches and a Patch could be a valuable resource for those seeking to navigate the emotional and spiritual complexities of grief. The unique blend of biblical wisdom and original metaphors offers readers a faith-based perspective on healing. However, some of the more abstract concepts may be difficult to fully grasp without additional explanation, and the best use of the book may be in a group or instructional setting, with a teacher or leader to help clarify the more complex theological ideas. Overall, this book will be a helpful companion for those who wish to find solace and strength in their Christian faith during times of loss.

Review by Frank Taylor (February 2025)
 

Author's Synopsis

We are witnessing a crisis in the Christian community of unresolved grief and pain. Not acknowledging the truth of death holds us back from fully enjoying the divine gifts of hope and happiness. If anyone can model the ability to live with joy after life's struggles, it's Job. Two Stitches and a Patch builds on the seven movements of Job's restored happiness while filling in the pieces of the divine action physics that lead to life after death. Build confidence by leaning in and listening to those who are at the end of life, and reboot your life in the embrace of the changes that create a life well lived.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Religious/Spiritual

Number of Pages: 109

Word Count: 25,304

The Master Chief's Sea Stories: Volume I USS Manitowoc (LST 1180) by Johnny J Moye

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MWSA Review

In his book The Master Chief's Sea Stories, Vol 1, Master Chief Johnny J. Moye, USN retired, has given us a large dose of career and leadership advice captured inside a memoir focused on his first four years in the Navy. Chief Moye kept a daily journal while at sea. Now, retired from the U.S. Navy, the author has taken a look back at that journal and has elaborated on what he wrote. He does so in the same day by day fashion.

At first, I found it an interesting way to write a memoir. However, as I got into the book, I realized the author was commenting on what was in the journal in a way that points out the lessons he learned as a young man from those experiences. He also explains how the lessons he learned affected his own leadership style later on. The book is a long one and not the fastest read I've picked up, but by the time I finished it I had developed a great respect for the lessons that were in it.

Review by Bob Doerr (February 2025)

 

Author's Synopsis

Everyone loves a good story…try a thousand! Master Chief Moye masterfully shares his memories of the events that inspired his transition from a timid boy from the hills of southern Indiana into a battle-ready Cold War sailor aboard one of the U.S. Navy’s most battle-efficient ships.

For millennia, sailors have told stories of the sea. Moye’s stories are an autobiographical account based on comprehensive journals he maintained while aboard the USS Manitowoc. This factual account details experiences ranging from tragic to euphoric…sometimes on the same day.

This recounting shares not only the master chief’s life but the lives of his shipmates, capturing an unmatched historical rendering of Navy life in a bygone era. This book is required reading for anyone interested in the Navy, personal growth, happiness, failure, and success. Those stories are all here.

This is the first of a series of books telling the Master Chief’s Sea Stories that detail his 27-year U.S. Navy career during a time when much was expected and accepted.

Hey—listen to this one, it’s a no-shitter.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 520

Word Count: 179223