Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

MYSTERY FORCE: Volume One by Ted Neill, illustrated by Suzi Spooner – Middle Grad Mystery, Fantasy Creatures, Picture Books

Set in a world where magical talking creatures are a normal part of society, the Mystery Force series by Ted Neill is a must-read for any animal-loving kid.

Book One, Mystery Force, Assemble!, begins with warehouses of previously unheard-of magical creatures being discovered and freed. Out of fear, these new creatures continue to hide, and a group of curious kids – Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo – decide to get to the bottom of the mystery!

In book two, The Case of the Stolen Horn, Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo are on the case after their unicorn drama teacher, Mr. Twinkles, is attacked, with their pegasus geometry teacher Ms. Weymont being arrested for the crime. The Mystery Force kids are determined to clear Ms. Weymont’s name by finding the real culprit.

Book three, Blazing Blizzards, confronts the Mystery Force gang with an unusual May blizzard. They waste no time in investigating the cause, trying to save their town and a newly discovered magical creature from the forces behind the terrible weather.

All three adventures contain exciting twists and turns, but also important lessons to learn.

In the Mystery Force world, well-known magical creatures have come out of hiding and live among people. When lesser-known creatures are discovered, the more popular creatures think themselves better. Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo think otherwise and do all they can to help the more obscure magical creatures; even though they haven’t heard of them before, these new creatures deserve love and acceptance.

Many characters have a disability of some kind, and the wonderful representation of the Mystery Force series goes a step beyond to include less visible disabilities. This inclusivity will resonate with those who deal with similar struggles, and reflects the need for more stories like this one.

Overall, Mystery Force: Volume One, is a fun and fast-paced collection of stories about helping others in danger.

In each tale, there are great examples of deductive reasoning for children that will strengthen their own critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Additionally, Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo’s determination will encourage readers to look out for others and stand up for what they think is right.

This is just the beginning of Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo’s adventures! A series not to miss, and much more to come!

Mystery Force: Volume One by Ted Neill, illustrated by Suzi Spooner, won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle Grade Fiction.

December 1, 2023
THE LAST LUMENIAN by S.G. Blaise – Science Fiction, Space Opera, Romance

Nineteen-year-old Lilla could have an idyllic life, but in The Last Lumenian by S.G. Blaise, she comes face to face with a rebellion and their just cause.

Lilla’s father leads the Pax Septum Coalition, a nineteen-planet confederation. As a princess in her own right, she should be enjoying the status and wealth that comes from living on Uhna, the richest planet in the coalition due to the diamond mines found by her pirate ancestors centuries ago. She most definitely shouldn’t be worried about the rebellion brewing right under her father’s nose. However, when Lilla meets rebels in a refugee camp, she thinks she has found her destiny, a true purpose.

Wanting to fight against the injustice and horrific treatment of the refugees, Lilla tries desperately to prove herself, especially after a disastrous first mission where she not only crashes her ship but also ends up in the hands of General Callum, leader of the Teryn Praelium.

With sparks of humor, the story grips the reader as the stakes are ever-rising with the demands on Lilla building relentlessly.

Known as the “brutes of the Seven Galaxies,” the Teryn army seems hellbent on destroying every world they encounter, but the more Lilla learns about Callum, the less she believes that to be true. When she discovers both she and Callum are concerned about recent murders on Uhna, she realizes their agendas may not be that different. The bodies pile up, and Lilla suspects there will soon be an Era War between the Archgod of Chaos and Destruction and the Archgoddess of the Eternal Light and Order, putting her planet in the middle of two terrifying conflicts.

Eventually, she learns of her identity as the last Lumenian, a creation of the archgoddess to fight the archgod. Lilla must decide which path will take to ensure her people’s survival, but as the rebellion, the Era War, and her love for the dangerous general escalate, she only grows more uncertain of her place amongst any of them. With the clock ticking down, she will have to choose, and the decision may cost her everything.

Lilla’s character is the star of this novel that will pull in readers who want to celebrate her as she proves her worth – to herself as much as anyone else.

Though Lilla’s mother died when she was only five, Lilla still remembers the fierce, beautiful woman who so valiantly fought to keep her only child safe and happy. When she discovers her mother’s secret heritage as a creation of the archgoddess, made to be a perpetual guardian of the light, Lilla fears she may never live up to such a standard. Constantly plagued by doubts in her abilities, Lilla fights like only youth and sheer bravado can to rise above the menial expectations of a contract marriage and a pretty showpiece of the palace.

She fearlessly confronts the archgoddess, telling her that she must earn Lilla’s respect despite the power pouring from the deity. After being tasked with hunting and killing the dark archgod and his minions of destruction, Lilla is rightly terrified, but she refuses to let that stop her. She risks treason, death, and the corruption of her very soul.

However, as much as her passionate fire of youth drives her forward, that passion draws ever more danger towards her.

She plunges into the rebellion after seeing firsthand the cruelty of the overseers and soldiers when one of her friends, a young servant, is taken to the camp and badly beaten for simply being a refugee. Once “inside” the rebellion, she discovers that her mother supported the cause, which cements her resolve.

Lilla doesn’t take the time to investigate whether she truly shares this group’s values. Xor, the leader, uses Lilla’s guilt and self-doubt over her position as the king’s daughter to bully her into deadly situations. And Lilla nearly misses out on an amazing partner in General Callum, as she initially shuns him for his bloody reputation. She even steals from him to aid the rebellion – all the while, Callum has her back, literally and figuratively.

The world of Uhna will entirely transport the reader.

A mixture of magic and science, this place creates an unbelievable environment, where fanged warhorses exist alongside floating elevators and transmitter necklaces that will put the newest smartphone to shame. The magical elements of earth, air, fire, water, and animal will feel both familiar and novel. The past and the future seem to collide here and coalesce into a unique spin on the space opera genre.

The Last Lumenian by S.G. Blaise won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Cygnus Awards for Science Fiction.

November 26, 2023
THE SPILL by Keith Abbott – Terrorism Thriller, Techno-Thriller, International Crime

In Keith Abbott’s thriller, The Spill, an intelligent, well-funded, politically connected organization of Arab Terrorists precipitates an environmental catastrophe meant to have world-shattering consequences – in their favor, of course.

But the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. Their plans are uncovered, giving their opposition a chance to mobilize all of its forces. Those terrible consequences may be too late to completely thwart, but there is just enough time to channel the disaster in a way that could save the world rather than end it.

All it will take is one lawyer who refuses to let the villains win and one crackerjack scientist willing to go where no one has gone before – and come back to tell the tale.

The gripping story of The Spill begins with a well-planned and thoroughly executed environmental disaster – along with a couple of less well-planned actual executions. From there it’s a breakneck race, as American oil company executive Jesse Ford struggles to contain the oil spill itself, the political and economic fallout, and dig deeply into the causes that set this whole mess up in the first place.

Set against Jesse and his colleagues is a hidden cabal of scientifically-minded terrorists who plan to take the West down by a combination of stealth, bioterrorism, and fanaticism. The first stages of their plan go almost flawlessly, but it begins going off the rails once Jesse and company start digging into their network of secrets.

The characters on the two sides of this conflict, Jesse Ford and Aran Lassiter, are forceful and driven, and yet opposite in every way.

Much of the story is told through Ford’s first-person perspective. From inside his head, we see a pragmatic man, but one who cares about his people and has lines he never thought he would cross.

Aran Lassiter is his perfect foil, a man broken and reforged in pain. He has been molded into a weapon, willing to cross any line and break any rule – or person – to share his pain with everyone in his path – friend and enemy alike.

The Spill is a techno-thriller that’s compulsively page-turning from the very first word.

The plot to destroy the West is chilling in its execution – all the more so because it feels entirely too plausible. Readers will get close to Jesse and his team, to the point where each victory is a moment to cheer, and each loss heartbreaking.

To thwart the villains, these heroes turn to a solution so far out of the box that it’s sourced in science fiction – but the story is so riveting that even non-SF readers will be pulled along to the conclusion.

The ending manages to plant the seeds of later destruction in its victorious moment, leaving readers hungering for more of this absolute thrill ride of a read!

November 20, 2023
SAINTS And SOLDIERS: Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege by Rita Katz – Journalism, Terrorism, Modern Communication

To many, atrocities such as mass shootings and violent counter-protests seem to appear out of thin air, undertaken by independent actors. But Rita Katz, in her groundbreaking exploration of internet-age terrorism Saints and Soldiers, reveals a sinister ecosystem of violence multiplying worldwide, visible yet largely ignored.

Katz– executive director of the counterterrorist organization SITE Intelligence Group– uses a strategic blend of primary media sources, personal narrative, and research analysis to unearth the haunting truths of internet-age terrorism. Although SITE once focused mainly on monitoring the actions of Islamist terrorist groups, Katz describes how it began applying the same tracking methods to white supremacists and neo-Nazis over a decade ago. As Katz writes, “the internet is more than just an asset for today’s new breed of terrorists. It is a necessity.”

Throughout Saints and Soldiers, Katz uses her decades of intensive experience to describe how a new generation of internet-born white supremacist movements followed the same trajectory as ISIS. She exposes the network of threads that link white supremacist violence such as the Christchurch massacre of 2019 to their origins on messaging platforms such as 8chan, Discord, Stormfront, and Telegram. Indoctrinating vulnerable minds with extremist neo-Nazi ideology, these violent groups use a “screw your optics” mantra that celebrates gruesome violence and the “saints ” and “martyrs” that drive their hateful cause.

Katz reveals her first-hand experiences with neo-Nazi organizations that have targeted her and her community for their counterterrorist work and her vulnerable identity as an Iraq-born, Jewish woman. Saints and Soldiers cements Katz’s commitment to creating a safer future for her loved ones and the world at large.

While the truth of this violence may seem hopeless, Katz urges readers to keep reasonable goals toward change in sight.

Katz faults the US government and tech companies with responding too late and neglecting the warning signs pointing toward future violent actions. While any internet posts connected to ISIS are treated with immediate action, white supremacist violence is largely ignored or dismissed with an excuse of “free speech.” As a result, responsible actors miss obvious signs pointing toward real danger. Katz implores tech companies to extend the digital walls that they have created to block ISIS terrorism to white supremacist platforms whenever possible, halting their ability to attract and radicalize more people.

Katz’s intense storytelling does not shy away from reality, however grim.

Graphic descriptions of terrorist attacks tied to antisemitism, racism, sexism, and xenophobia will resurrect fresh mourning in readers. However, although shocking, Katz’s writing is widely accessible. Rather than relying solely on written text, Katz incorporates images, screenshots of social media posts, tweets, and extremist artwork, creating a multimedia project that allows readers to deeply invest in and connect with the truth of her research. Similarly, Katz carefully deconstructs the process SITE uses to investigate possible terrorist concerns, bringing ethical transparency into a conversation often concealed from the larger public.

Saints and Soldiers is eloquent, eye-opening, and timely. Katz compares and contrasts white nationalist neo-Nazi internet terrorist groups with the declining presence of ISIS extremist organizations, searching for solutions to violence. Threads of true stories weave together a chilling portrait of white supremacist terrorist threats proliferating in plain sight, while offering steps toward safety.

Saints and Soldiers by Rita Katz won Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Nellie Bly Awards for Longform Journalism Non-Fiction.

November 15, 2023
THINKING ABOUT THINKING: America’s Yeomanry and Cognoscenti by Thomas Christ – Comparative Politics, United States Politics, Social Theory

Thinking About Thinking is a literary endeavor by Thomas Christ to inform, educate, and bridge the clashing ideological trench in the United States.

Thomas Christ commits to a theoretical exploration that serves as both a political and social commentary – a mission to untangle the intricate web of ideologies that have driven American politics.

The twelve comprehensive sections of this work provide explicit responses to ideological polarization. Beginning with an exploration of interweaving technological, social, economic, and political constituents, Thinking About Thinking offers a theory of ideology in early twenty-first-century American politics. Drawing on Karl Marx’s core concepts, Christ offers an in-depth breakdown of how these constituents interact to have a substantial impact on society.

As the work further ventures into the intricate terrain of ideologies, a profound effort unfolds to discover their elusive origins. Demonstrating technology as a powerful catalyst for change, it explores the concept of “cultural lag” – the challenge cultural norms face in keeping up with technological advancements.

By disassembling the myriad forces that mold one’s convictions, Christ unveils the processes of belief generation, propagation, and assimilation. This leads to a profound quest into the realm of human psychology, to find the incentives that drive individuals to embrace broader ideas.

The next discussion focuses on ideologies as symbols of affiliation, examining two opposing worldviews in American culture: the Yeomanry (traditionalists) and the Cognoscenti (intellectuals). Following sections delve into the time of Donald Trump’s administration and its connection to the Yeomanry, revealing a nuanced view of the ideological shift in modern America.

Presenting a roadmap for overcoming ideological divides and promoting a reasonable, evidence-based approach to sensitive matters, the final section of this work is dedicated to discussing strategies to bridge this ideological rift.

In its presentation of ideas, Thinking About Thinking displays a graceful unity of coherence and clarity. The concepts it details are succinctly described, easily digestible despite their complexity.

A thoughtful perspective emerges, drawing from historical context and our own time’s challenges. Thinking About Thinking serves as a comprehensive resource for intellectual and sociopolitical dialogue. It encourages analytical thought and facilitates a thorough understanding of America’s ideological situation.

This venture into the convoluted realm of American political beliefs encourages empathy and understanding across ideological lines, empowering readers with a profound understanding of contemporary American politics. Thinking About Thinking is a call to action – a road map for a more united and peaceful America.

November 13, 2023
A SPYING EYE: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox – Historical Mystery, Women Sleuths, 20th Century

Brooding Château du Freudeneck, just outside Strasbourg, France has villains in the drawing rooms, stolen art hidden in the cellars, and bats in the belfry – all the best elements for a 19th-century Gothic mystery.

However, in Michelle Cox’s novel, A Spying Eye it’s the 20th century. The Great War is passed, but the next war already looms on the horizon. The people of Strasbourg feel the growing conflict sharply, at the heart of Alsace-Lorraine, a fertile region that has been contested between France and Germany since time immemorial.

Which means those bats are in the unfortunate head of the elderly Baron Von Harmon, the current lord and master (as much as he’s still able to be, at least) of the Chateau, while the stolen art is pursued by both the villainous Nazis and the only slightly-less villainous agents of Britain’s MI5.

Amongst this strife, Clive and Henrietta Howard visit the Chateau, at the behest of both his mother and his country. They’re filled with conflicting hopes about a second honeymoon after their disastrous first attempt in A Promise Given, while conducting a wild goose chase for a missing occult art masterpiece in the home of Henrietta’s long-lost relations.

The game is afoot from the very first page of this sixth entry in the award-winning series – long before Clive and Henrietta even know that they are being played by both sides, neither of whom intends for them to survive.

While Inspector Clive Howard is certainly the more experienced investigator of this pair, the focus in A Spying Eye is firmly on Henrietta, particularly in contrast to the trials and tribulations faced back home by her sister Elsie and her sister-in-law Julia.

The Strasbourg troubles in which Henrietta finds herself mired combines a search for the roots her family left behind generations ago with an utterly riveting and thoroughly researched investigation into the early years of the Nazi movement, Hitler’s seemingly endless search for mystical and mythical artworks to feed his obsession with the occult, and a real-life mystery wrapped around just what happened to the panel of the Ghent Altarpiece that the Howards oh-so-briefly managed to hold in their hands.

The pace of the story is relentless on both sides of the Atlantic, as Henrietta, Julia, and Elise all face personal, professional, and even criminal crises, in a world marching towards World War II.

Readers who have fallen in love with the detective duo of Howard and Howard will be in rapture over this latest entry. Fans of the bestselling Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear or the Elena Standish series by the late Anne Perry will find just the kind of character-driven, meticulously researched historical mystery that they are craving, set in the fascinating period between the wars.

As A Spying Eye ends, Henrietta gets her hat on the way out the door to her next adventure, A Haunting at Linley, scheduled for release in late October 2023.

A Spying Eye by Michelle Cox won the Overall Grand Prize in the 2022 CIBA Book Awards.

November 10, 2023
ACTS Of SUPREMACY: A Cautionary Indictment of America’s Military Justice System by Walter Francis Fitzpatrick III – Military Justice System, Military Memoirs, Military History
Acts of Supremacy: A Cautionary Indictment of America’s Military Justice System by Walter Francis Fitzpatrick III, edited by Dominic McFarland Martin, is a unique treatise about one man’s court-martial in the spring of 1990.

This work details how an admiral set in motion the events that would lead to his subordinate’s court-martial, and how that subordinate – the author – fought to be exonerated. The author, now a retired naval officer, explains to readers how the current system of military justice came to be, claiming it to be beyond the laws and constitution of the United States, and what can be done to start fixing it.

“A central idea advanced in this work is that America’s military discipline system is extra-constitutional (unconstitutional, or outside the constitution) and extralegal (outside the law), and that it is purely a function of command wherein military commanders practice absolutism, giving them a free hand to treat their underlings as ‘so many chickens,’” Fitzpatrick says.

He continues, “If a given military rule bears any resemblance to the scope and operation of the US Constitution, it is simply a matter of that commander’s passing whim.”

Fitzpatrick goes into the history of military justice in this country, even to how it was formed with the Founding Fathers:

“ ‘John Jay told George Washington this much: “Let Congress legislate. Let others execute. Let others judge.” The bedrock foundation of the Constitution was a separation of powers in times of peace and tranquility. Little known, though, and terribly unappreciated is that the founders further provided that in times of national emergency or dire threat, all power must migrate to and reside in an ‘energetic executive.’ In other words, the Constitution is situational, and its structure and power are tied directly to particular levels of threat that the country may face.”

“Therefore, there is nothing particularly ‘judicial’ about America’s military government under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ),” Fitzpatrick explains, holding that the code is nothing more than “flimsy artifice” and indeed, that it is used to “hide in total darkness the very serious real-world abuses visited upon US servicemen.”

“A country’s character is measured by the way it treats its veterans.” —Unknown

Fitzpatrick concludes, “It follows that those not bound by constraints of the Constitution and those who deny constitutional protections to others cannot be trusted to defend the Constitution. Individuals and groups who deny these protections are most certainly suspect and represent a greater danger to the country than America has ever faced.”

Fitzpatrick’s unique, deep-dive work is an eye-opening look at the military justice system and how it has been used and abused throughout the years.
November 8, 2023
AIR BOAT: Love is an Adventure (Book 1 of the Special Forces Connection) by Jacek Waliszewski – Romance, Action & Adventure, Suspense

For readers interested in a unique romance, Air Boat: Love is an Adventure by Jacek Waliszewski offers a distinctive cast of characters and tense excitement in the sky.

Air Boat brings together a former Special Forces soldier, Luke, who prefers to keep to himself, an independent and sarcastic female pilot, Stella, and a three-legged Husky named Saint who marches to the beat of his own drum. These captivating characters embark on a fast-paced, page-turning tale.

Author Jacek Waliszewski starts this romantic adventure with a suspenseful scene of a vintage plane barreling towards the Twin Cities, accompanied by two F-16 fighter jets, before setting the stage for the two main characters to meet. The mystery of this scene will stick in the reader’s mind, drawing them forward with stark curiosity that only grows in excitement.

Saint, the wandering Husky mix, brings these two together, with sparks quickly flying between their strong personalities. Luke is not one to share much about his personal life or history, but the wounds Stella sees on his shoulder indicate trauma from his time deployed with the Green Berets. Unlike some common counterparts in a romance, Stella is a strong, competitive woman who is not likely to fall for anyone – nor give them the last word.

After the two spend some time together (axe throwing at a local bar), Luke takes Stella up on an offer to learn to fly the small commuter planes that Stella and her father, Pierre, use for their airboat business of ferrying people across the west (Montana, Alaska, and Minnesota are some of the locales). As the attraction between Luke and Stella grows, an opportunity to fly together turns into a terrifying situation which brings the story full circle.

This adventure romance has fine detail and intrigue, as the author draws from his own time as a Green Beret.

Air Boat is an exhilarating and fast-paced adventure that romance and adventure fans will love.

The story will continue, as Air Boat is the first in a five-part Special Forces Connection series, two of which will be coming out in 2024. Readers will eagerly await more by Jacek Waliszewski.

November 6, 2023
PETALS by Anna Casamento Arrigo – Poetry Collections, Family Life, Memory

Anna Casamento Arrigo tells of longing, memory, and lingering pain through verdant imagery and mythological metaphor in Petals, a poetry collection.

Poems such as “Life Speaks Loudly” and “Time Too Quickly” establish a focus on the ever-changing seasons, and the power of time to both take away from someone and transform them. Arrigo’s work here is a remembrance of those things gone to the past, both the beautiful and the awful. “A Slow Dance in the Summer Rain” shows the weight of loving memories, while “Treading” reaches for the dreams of childhood, before they were stamped out by the struggles of life.

These poems use vibrant sensory descriptions – especially of the natural world – which ground the heightened emotions to allow readers to connect with them. In fact, readers can listen to some of these poems in musical form on Arrigo’s YouTube channel.

Petals grapples with family and identity in “Who Am I” & “Nonno’s Orchard”, grief over a lost father in “Daddy’s Flower”, and a yearning for connection in “Wrapped in Your Heart”. These themes meld with one another to give a complete sense of loss. Certain intimate details, such as a specific jacket or kind of flower, recur throughout the book. Readers will begin to recognize these motifs, creating a familiarity that will open them to deeper sorrow and joy.

Arrigo explores a sense of being adrift in the world, unsure of even one’s own self.

“Hey Child!” and “More than Now” insist that, even while adrift, there is a powerful urge to act – to take in the world. “My Naked Soul” dalliances with the very cosmos, while “Hollow Men” and “The Reality” use mythology to interrogate how people see themselves, and whether their eyes are clear when they do so.

This sense of interrogation continues, growing into the biblical reckoning of “The Gatekeeper” and the menace of “The Red Knight”. Greed, injustice, and faith intertwine in these poems as Petals sets its sights on those who have used and abused their fellow people and the world around them.

A strong rhythm carries Petals along, with a back-and-forth of long lines and short, as well as comforting and tumultuous emotion.

Arrigo uses occasional formatting changes to make poems such as “The Night Warrior” striking while maintaining a broadly consistent style.

The likewise consistent through-line of reminiscence lends itself well to stark tonal shifts, as these poems hold tight to memories of love, fear, and grief alike. “Sounds and Silent Seas” calls out to the past, asking it to open a path of reunion while indulging in the beauty of what once was. “TOO!” speaks instead of escape, flying away from the darkness of childhood.

And yet, a person can’t let memory consume them, not while they have a present. “Now” stands as an answer to the past – for all of its wonderful and terrible power, it only exists through the lens of what is now.

Through careful description and dedication to the impact of memory, Petals creates a cohesive and affecting collection of poems.

November 3, 2023
WAGES Of EMPIRE by Michael J. Cooper – Historical Fiction, WWI, Action & Adventure
Michael J. Cooper’s latest historical fiction novel, Wages of Empire, draws readers into the perilous journey of sixteen-year-old Evan Sinclair and his father into WW1. On this path, their lives will intersect with such historical figures as TE Lawrence, Gertrude Bell, the Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, the Arab nationalist Faisal ibn Hussein, the proto-Nazi and advisor to the German kaiser Guido von List, and Kaiser Wilhelm II himself.

Set in the summer of 1914 we find Evan living in the American southwest where his father moved the family from England for his Oxford sabbatical. Evan struggles to cope with his mother’s death in childbirth and yearns to escape his father’s controlling grip. As war breaks out in Europe, Evan decides to leave home and join the fight, without telling his father.

By the time Clive realizes Evan is missing, the war is in full swing. Clive returns to England to search for Evan and reactivates his commission at the War Office in London. There, Clive uses every means available to find Evan. Meanwhile, Evan has made his way across the Atlantic and into France with the hope of joining the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), but instead he is arrested by the Paris police as a possible German collaborator. He escapes, but by mistake, crosses into occupied Belgium where he barely survives a German artillery barrage with poison gas. Joining the Flemish resistance, he is badly wounded after helping to flood the lowlands, a deciding factor in stopping the German army. After recovering in a BEF hospital in France, Evan begins a romance with a beautiful young nurse just before he is discharged to return to England by hospital ship.

Cooper masterfully weaves a compelling narrative that includes fictional and historical characters with high stakes in the conflict. Wages of Empire takes us from Whitehall in London to the Western Front in Flanders, where we glimpse a world of imperial power where massive casualties result from outdated military tactics in the face of new wartime technologies. Cooper also provides an intimate look into the German Kaiser’s machinations in the conflict and his intentions for the Holy Land.

The Kaiser, who anticipates victory in the war, has sent his agents to facilitate his rule in Jerusalem as Holy Roman Emperor with dominion over Arabia’s rich oil reserves and control of the Suez Canal. And from his throne on the Temple Mount, he plans to extend a vision of German-Nordic racial supremacy throughout the world. Woven into this challenge, we glimpse a covert fellowship of Guardians of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. This mysterious and clandestine community is aware of the Kaiser’s intentions and dedicated to stopping him.

With gripping tension, Cooper keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the stakes are raised with each turn of events. Will Evan and Clive be reunited? Will they survive the war? These questions and more are left echoing in the reader’s mind long after the story’s conclusion.

Michael J. Cooper’s Wages of Empire is a must-read blockbuster for history buffs of all ages. The novel’s masterful storytelling will leave readers wanting more. Available for pre-order now.
November 1, 2023