Book # 6, in the Warriors Shorts series
Mr. Patterson brought us once more a fast and furious and very captivating short story featuring Bwana and Roger, two of his most talented operatives. These two heavies are vacationing in Hollywood when an agent offers to cast them in a movie but instead ended up in a skirmish with the Mafia.
88 pages of never ending suspense and a lot is said in those few pages. Mr. Patterson knows how to entertain. The drama although short contains all the essential elements to make a good story: exciting plot, great characterization and everything neatly tied up.
When I have a few moments to spare I love Mr. Patterson’s short stories to fill in between his full length thrillers
Book #4 in The Air Combat Adventures of Hamilton “Hamfist” Hancock
The narrative is a vast memoir of everything that happened to the author during his tours of duty as a U.S. Air force pilot in Vietnam. Taken from actual events Mr. Nolly tells his story in his own words and has enhanced it somewhat to carries his readers along with him as if we were a co-pilot. If you like anything about flying fighters you certainly will devour this book.
1972, Hamfist is back in action and now flies an F-4 Phantom at the start of Operation Linebacker, the bombing offensive over Hanoi. The book contains a heavy load of information on how to fly an F-4 fighter and has a lot of acronyms to go along with the narrative (a glossary of terms is at the end of the book). The author does not mince his words in this meat and potatoes conduct of the air war in Vietnam. The Rules of Engagement put many restrictions and was terribly frustrating for the pilots. Flying over the most heavily defended area in the world, dodging Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) and dueling with enemy aircraft, the vaunted MiG-series fighters is what this book is all about. Hamfist was the last pilot to complete 100 missions over North Vietnam.
Mr. Nolly doesn’t have much respect for antiwar protesters, conscientious objectors, or for Jane Fonda, who gets a two-page rant in which she is called a traitor and compared to Tokyo Rose. I highly understand his point of view. At the time men had no choice, they were drafted into the war. The war dragged on and people ( parents, siblings, friends, wife and children) wanted their men back home…so they took to the streets…..I highly understood them also…..
Of course this book is not for everyone. I particularly liked the action, it is exciting and very well-done, I did feel being part in the daily activities of an ace pilot who flew airplanes in the Vietnam War.
Volume # 4, in the Blackwell Files
Although this book is part of a series it works quite well as a standalone. I haven’t read the previous books and I wasn’t lost or even thought that I had missed anything.
A simple blurb:
When Cryptologist Alton Blackwell and girlfriend, FBI Agent Mallory Wilson decide to take a trip to Italy for a nice romantic vacation their pleasure was soon squashed. While on a sightseeing tour the love birds witnessed a murder, turned out the victim was a rogue employee of a high tech company arranging to sell sensitive technology to a foreign country. They soon find themselves pulled into the murder investigation.
A few thoughts:
The story is interesting and intricately woven to keep us in suspense and involved for most of the book. We are kept on edge all through trying to figure who is the brain behind the conspiracy till the very end. The author has plotted his story leaving only drips of clues while we surf amongst the many players that crosses the protagonists’ path: Italian Inspector, the mafia, a mole in the police, killers for hire…etc. this is very well- done. This International intrigue is in most part a page-turner till you magically find out the whodunit…then the story changes into a mushy romance (one, definitely written by a man). “Havoc” is unrealistic and at times disconnected….Most characters are well developed but I couldn’t stand Mallory. Too often her depiction got on my nerves and I especially detested how she called Alton “Sweetie” after all he is a grown man not 8 years old....We have weak dialogue and the narrative could have used a good shove from time to time but in all this is a good story.
