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Mac Wingate: Mission Code: Symbol #1 by Bryan Swift

Brian Spross — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:06:37 +0000

Mission Code: Symbol is the first book in the Mac Wingate series by Bryan Swift. Mac Wingate is pulled from his mission in Northern Africa for a special task for General Patton in Casablanca. There is a group of high level Nazi’s meeting in Casablanca with the Vichy French secretly. Mac Wingate must attempt to take them out.

I am certainly going to pick up more of these books when I find them.

Mac Wingate Series by Bryan Swift

Brian Spross — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:02:31 +0000

I picked up the first book in the Mac Wingate Series by Bryan Swift at my local used book store. This is one of those early 80s paperbacks so it stinks (not the content, the actual book). The cover price is very low on this book so the store just threw it in with my other books. Mac Wingate is a special operations warrior in World War II. He is a man that gets things done so he is given difficult tasks by Allied leadership.

Books

Mission Code: Symbol #1

The Gunsmith: Crime of Passion #169 by J. R. Roberts

Brian Spross — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:49:23 +0000

Crime of Passion is the 169^th book in the Gunsmith Series by J. R. Roberts. Clint Adams, the Gunsmith, has been commissioned to build a gun for a wealthy Montana rancher, Lawrence Dain. Unfortunately, the rancher’s wife is jealous of her husband’s fondness for guns. The Gunsmith has no idea what kind of trouble building a gun can cause.

The Gunsmith: The Hanging Tree #269 by J. R. Roberts

Brian Spross — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:25:15 +0000

The Hanging Tree is the 269th book in the Gunsmith Series by J. R. Roberts. In this book, Clint Adams, the Gunsmith, comes across a rustler that has been hung by vigilantes, without a trial. This does not sit well with the Gunsmith and he connects with a Texas Ranger, Jack First, to hunt down the vigilantes. This book has a lot of short chapters and it is interesting because there are blank pages before each chapter. I’ve heard that publishing has some odd number of pages where it is possible to publish a longer book cheaper than a shorter one.

The Zone: Overkill #5 by James Rouch

Brian Spross — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:05:15 +0000

Overkill is the fifth book in The Zone Series by James Rouch. In this one, the team heads through the dangerous Elbe region to Hamburg, Germany as part of a relief force; however, when they get there they have been decimated. They join the defenders of a surrounded Hamburg trying to beat back the Russians. This is the standard post World War III apocalyptic book and it was a good read.

Matt Jensen: The Last Mountain Man: Savage Territory #4 by William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone

Brian Spross — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:28:41 +0000

Savage Territory is the fourth book in the Matt Jenson: The Last Mountain Man Series by William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone. In this book, Matt Jensen grants a dying friend, Lee Marcus’, wish to take a bankroll to Marcus’ brother in St. Louis. Jensen must head to the Arizona Territory when Marcus’ brother has moved. During his travels tracking down Marcus, Matt runs into a rich Easterner, Jay Peerless Bixby, and his wife, Cynthia Bixby, who are land prospectors. Cynthia is grabbed by Apaches and Matt must get her back before they kill her. Oh and during all of this, Matt has to take out Lee Marcus’ killer, Pogue Willis.

Casca: The Assassin #13 by Barry Sadler

Brian Spross — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:26:05 +0000

The Assassin is the 13^th book in the Casca Series by Barry Sadler. This is the first of the Sadler Casca books that I have read. These things are pretty hard to find, but I won an eBay auction for one at a reasonable price. This book was pretty good, but I’m a reader not a collector so I do not want to pay crazy prices for paperbacks. In this book Casca is in the Middle East and is captured to become an assassin. After a failed assassination attempt Casca is to be taken back to his Master, but on the way he is pushed to certain death. Since it is Casca, we all know death will not come and it may take him years but he will have his vengeance.

The Last Mountain Man: Violence of the Mountain Man #36 by William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone

Brian Spross — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:36:01 +0000

Violence of the Mountain Man is the 36^th book in the Last Mountain Man Series by William W. Johnstone. This one was written by J. A. Johnstone. Reece Van Arndt just can’t get any luck. He is an outlaw so he doesn’t deserve any. Smoke Jensen has put Van Arndt in jail before and now Van Arndt is out and looking to continue his evil ways. Unfortunately for Van Arndt, Smoke always seems to be in his way. After another botched robbery attempt by Van Arndt, he hatches a plan that will surely bring down the wrath of Smoke. Van Arndt kidnaps Sally Jensen, Smoke’s wife, and “violence” is the appropriate word for what Smoke is going to do to Van Arndt.

The Last Gunfighter: The Drifter #1 by William W. Johnstone

Brian Spross — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:33:06 +0000

The Drifter is the first book in The Last Gunfighter series by William W. Johnstone. The Last Gunfighter is Frank Morgan. Frank was pushed out of Colorado and his ranch by a rich man. Now Morgan is a drifter with a reputation as a lightening fast gunman. Frank has drifted to Barnwell’s Crossing, New Mexico Territory just in time to stand for the town against two gangs of outlaws. It is up to Frank to stop him. Frank is cut from the same cloth as Smoke Jensen in The Last Mountain Man series. This is an entertaining series by Johnstone.

Wit and Wisdom of the American Presidents, A Book of Quotations edited by Joslyn Pine

Brian Spross — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:47:57 +0000

I have always loved quotes. Ben Franklin has the best, but there are also good ones by Mark Twain, Yogi Berra and a slew of other folks throughout the United States. Some of the best quotes on leadership, government and responsibility come from United States President. Wit and Wisdom of the American Presidents, A Book of Quotations edited by Joslyn Pine covers many great quotes from ex-Presidents. It has at least a few quotes from each of them. One of my sections of my blog is quotes so you will find quotes from a variety of folks in that Section. I enjoyed this little book and you should pick it up if you are a quote fan.

The Gunsmith: The Old Whistler Gang #71 by J. R. Roberts

Brian Spross — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:23:30 +0000

The Old Whistler Gang is the 71^st book in the Gunsmith Series by J. R. Roberts. In this book the Gunsmith must stop Gage Striker, an outlaw who busted out of prison, from bringing the wrath of his old gang down on Bone City, Wyoming. As you can imagine, Clint will stop the outlaws one at a time or in groups.

Deep Fathom by James Rollins

Brian Spross — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:18:44 +0000

Deep Fathom by James Rollins is one of the most farfetched books I have read in a long time. It is a combination of Atlantis (in the Pacific) with a little bit of Bermuda Triangle rolled in with some Navy Seals, revenge, dark matter, crystals, and archaeology thrown in for good measure. The hero, Jack Kirkland, must solve the mystery of what happened to Air Force One. While in a submersible investigating the wreckage, Jack uncovers an ancient mystery. I must admit I didn’t put this one down and pick it up later, but if you are looking for a logical read, this is not it. I am a big fan of Rollins books however.

Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon

Brian Spross — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:38:33 +0000

Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon is a murder mystery. This is decent read, but not Sheldon’s best. A couple of young women get involved in a murder trial with lots of medical twist and turns. If you like CSI (which I do), then the medical mystery stuff is pretty interesting.

Mack Bolan: Rebels and Hostiles #59 by Don Pendleton

Brian Spross — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:46:32 +0000

Rebels and Hostiles is the 59^th book in the Mack Bolan Series by Don Pendleton. In this book, Mack Bolan, posing as Jack Vance, must infiltrate the militias of the Pacific Northwest (Brotherhood of Patriots) in order to stop foreign interests from helping the militias with bigger terrorist actions. Bolan goes undercover and becomes a trusted militia operative while undermining the efforts and eliminating part of the foreign influence. This is another good Mack Bolan series read.

The Zone: Sky Strike #4 by James Rouch

Brian Spross — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:19:47 +0000

Sky Strike is the fourth book in the Zone Series by James Rouch. In this book the team heads behind enemy lines for a surgical strike on the Soviet supply lines. Things go horribly wrong and the team gets stuck with the only way out being through the Zone. The guys do get lucky when they steal a Soviet General’s armored personnel carrier (APC), but now the general looks bad and he will spare no expense in capturing or killing them or it is a death penalty for him.

The Chase by Clive Cussler

Brian Spross — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:17:18 +0000

The Chase is a Clive Cussler book that is not Dirk Pitt or Kurt Austin related. I must admit, I enjoy the Pitt and Austin novels better; however, this is a good read. This book follows the Butcher Bandit and his spree of bank robberies and murders. Isaac Bell who works for the Van Dorn Detective Agency is on the case and will “chase” the Butcher Bandit until he runs him to ground.

Sharpe Series: Sharpe’s Eagle #8 by Bernard Cornwell

Brian Spross — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:38:24 +0000

Sharpe’s Eagle is the eight book in the Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell. This book takes place during Wellesley’s Peninsular Campaign. Richard Sharpe makes a couple of enemies on his own side, one of which has a lot of political clout. Sharpe achieves a battlefield promotion to Captain, but the only way Sharpe can avoid a billet to the West Indies is to capture a prized Napoleon Eagle. Sharpe and his trusty Sergeant Harper are going to lead a charge during the battle at Talavera.

Historical Note: I learned about something called the Battalion of Detachments that the British army used during the Napoleon campaigns. During a campaign as battalions lost more and more men, replacements were unavailable so they were put together into a new battalion. The problem was that a lot of men had pride in their battalion because many times they were mustered from the city the men lived. As a Battalion of Detachments, they were thrown together and no longer had that connection.

The Gunsmith: Wagon Train to Hell #99 by J. R. Roberts

Brian Spross — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:01:28 +0000

Wagon Train to Hell is the 99^th book in the Gunsmith Series by J. R. Roberts. This might be the worst book I have read in this series. Every once in a while there is a clunker in the series. This is one of them. Clint Adams, the Gunsmith, meets up with a wagon train heading west and acts as its scout. Number one, this is not really what the Gunsmith is good at. There is a bit of intrigue in this one around selling guns to Indians, but really don’t bother with this book.

The Gunsmith: The Stagecoach Killers #122 by J. R. Roberts

Brian Spross — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:09:58 +0000

The Stagecoach Killers is the 122^nd book in the Gunsmith Series by J. R. Roberts. In this book, Clint Adams, the Gunsmith, must go to the aid of an old friend Marshal John McIntyre. McIntyre runs a stagecoach line in Sacramento and there is a rich local who wants to buy him out. He will use anything in his power, legal and illegal, but mostly illegal, to own the line. Clint is not about to have one of his friends railroaded.

USA vs. Militia: Force 10 by Ian Slater #4

Brian Spross — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:53:34 +0000

Force 10 is a book in the USA vs. Militia series by Ian Slater. This was a pretty tough read for me. I was bored through all but the last third of this book. The militia in the Northwest part of the country has stolen a super secret super computer and they must get it to their handlers (Chinese and Russians working together). This book involves General Freeman and his group of mercenaries who can be called on to solve any problem. All in all, this is not one of the better Slater books in my opinion.