Book picks similar to
Gone For a Soldier by Jeffry S. Hepple


historical-fiction
historical
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Isolation


Robert Paine - 2013
    It turned out to be the complete opposite...A camping trip in the mountains of Vermont is interrupted when a group of friends discover there has been a zombie outbreak. Having been disconnected from the world for the past week, and one of their group already bitten, the friends have to make their way down the mountain and find safety. Can the group cover miles of dark woods on foot while trying to avoid getting overtaken by the undead? What caused the outbreak? Are there any other survivors?Read on to find out...Warning: Volume 1 is a 11,000 word story that contains gritty action, bad language, violence, and the Undead. Read at your own risk.

Killer Instincts


Jack Badelaire - 2012
    For a hundred thousand dollars, Richard offers to train the college student in the ways of the killer-for-hire, giving him the skills he needs to seek vengeance on his own terms.As William matures under Richard's tutelage, he never counts on what happens when he awakens the killer within him...(Source: Back Cover Description)

Isle Royale


John Hamilton - 2010
    Living in a lighthouse can be murder.SYNOPSIS:The year is 1924. The place: Isle Royale, a remote island on Lake Superior. Clarence MacDougal, keeper of Wolf Point Lighthouse, stands ready to guide sailors through treacherous waters.One storm-tossed night, French-Canadian smugglers arrive. The gang’s leader is Sean LeBeck, a former lover of Collene MacDougal—the lightkeeper’s wife. LeBeck is determined to rescue Collene from her dreary life and rekindle their old passion, even if it means taking her off the island by force.The lightkeeper’s son, Ian, escapes during the storm, only to stumble upon a hidden cove, home of the last remaining members of the Coast Guard cutter "Chippewa." A dark secret forced the crew to banish themselves on the island. Given one last chance at redemption, the ancient mariners set out on stormy Lake Superior in a desperate attempt to save the day."Isle Royale" is approximately 72,000 words.AMAZON READER REVIEW -- 5 STARS"A rip-roaring historical adventure set in the delightfully unusual setting of Lake Superior's Isle Royale. Hamilton's love for the locale comes shining through; Lake Superior at times seems one of the characters in the drama. A carefully-researched Great War flashback is almost a novella within a novel, while providing crucial motivation for the story."ABOUT THE AUTHOR:John Hamilton is a bestselling author and journalist. His work includes books about fantasy & folklore, science fiction, the national parks, and pirates. "Lewis & Clark: Adventures West" (Sparrow Media Group) was a finalist at the 17th Annual Minnesota Book Awards in 2005. He is a two-time Golden Duck Award winner for excellence in children’s science fiction literature. John can be found most summers hiking along Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. He is also an award-winning photojournalist and nature photographer. Connect with John online at: www.johnchamilton.com.

Pirates of Savannah: The Complete Trilogy


Tarrin P. Lupo - 2011
    It takes place during pre-Revolutionary War age, truly a fascinating time in history that has been greatly ignored by other authors. At its heart, it is a tale of prisoners, refugees and society’s casts offs all joining together to escape from government tyranny and discover a path to liberty. Find out how a group of oppressed colonists gain the courage to start defying authority and begin planning a revolution from British control. It is a gritty, vivid account of what life was like in the 1700's and is loaded with real, obscure historical events that time erased and buried. Follow the group of freedom seekers as their adventure takes them through Savannah, the Florida Keys, St. Augustine, Charles Towne and Cape Fear, as well as many other towns of the Low Country. Most importantly it is a fun read loaded with action. Please note: There are two versions of this novel, one for adults and one that has been adapted to be the first in a trilogy of novels for young adults. If you spend your booty on this, you're buying the adult version, yarrr.

The Ragtime Kid


Larry Karp - 2006
    It’s destiny calling. Asking for ragtime lessons, he’s told, “No, Ragtime is colored music.” So Brun runs away from the family farm to Sedalia, Missouri, to persuade Joplin to take him on as a pupil. What Brun doesn’t expect is to trip over the body of a young woman. He thoughtlessly picks up a couple of items before he rushes away from the murder scene.When Edward Fitzgerald, a man who befriended Brun his first night in town, is arrested for the woman’s murder, Brun is certain he’s innocent. But if the boy shows anyone the things he pocketed at the scene—things he now knows belonged to Scott Joplin—he’ll point the finger at the composer...and himself. Brun decides to get Fitzgerald, Joplin, and himself off the hook by finding the real killer, but for that he eventually needs some help from Dr. Overstreet, the alcoholic town mayor; and John Stark, a man pushing sixty, who’s been employing Brun at his music store.Sedalia is rife with suspects, some of them opportunists bent on stealing Joplin’s music. And then there are the girls and women—mysteries to Brun—like a teenager seized with religious fever, a couple of mischievous prostitutes, and an attractive, ambitious young woman with a hint of scarlet in her past, who further complicate his pursuit of the killer.

The Bright Blue Sky


Max Hennessy - 1982
    Dicken Quinney never forgot that first flight in a fragile contraption of sealing-wax and string, the start of a lifelong obsession with aviation. He was to spend the next four years in the deadly cut-and-thrust of aerial dogfights over France and Italy, collecting a chestful of medals, and a reputation as one of the Great War’s leading aces.He would hone his skills in an array of aircraft – the BE2, the 1½-Strutter, the Camel –  and as the war reaches its climax, Dicken is maturing into a daring pilot. But then he must undergo one final test in order to emerge victorious. And with his life intact… The Bright Blue Sky is a love letter to aviation, a brilliant read, perfect for fans of Thomas Wood, Wilbur Smith, and Mark Sullivan.

The Whiskey Rebels


David Liss - 2008
    Now Liss delivers his best novel yet in an entirely new setting–America in the years after the Revolution, an unstable nation where desperate schemers vie for wealth, power, and a chance to shape a country’s destiny.Ethan Saunders, once among General Washington’s most valued spies, now lives in disgrace, haunting the taverns of Philadelphia. An accusation of treason has long since cost him his reputation and his beloved fiancée, Cynthia Pearson, but at his most desperate moment he is recruited for an unlikely task–finding Cynthia’s missing husband. To help her, Saunders must serve his old enemy, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, who is engaged in a bitter power struggle with political rival Thomas Jefferson over the fragile young nation’s first real financial institution: the Bank of the United States.Meanwhile, Joan Maycott is a young woman married to another Revolutionary War veteran. With the new states unable to support their ex-soldiers, the Maycotts make a desperate gamble: trade the chance of future payment for the hope of a better life on the western Pennsylvania frontier. There, amid hardship and deprivation, they find unlikely friendship and a chance for prosperity with a new method of distilling whiskey. But on an isolated frontier, whiskey is more than a drink; it is currency and power, and the Maycotts’ success attracts the brutal attention of men in Hamilton’s orbit, men who threaten to destroy all Joan holds dear.As their causes intertwine, Joan and Saunders–both patriots in their own way–find themselves on opposing sides of a daring scheme that will forever change their lives and their new country. The Whiskey Rebels is a superb rendering of a perilous age and a nation nearly torn apart–and David Liss’s most powerful novel yet.

The Shut Mouth Society


James D. Best - 2008
    Their research launches them into a dangerous struggle with a secret society formed during Reconstruction. Before they can solve the mystery surrounding the Lincoln manuscript, a shocking murder forces them to run for their lives. As they race across the country, they discover a Civil War secret that could upset the balance of power in North America. Now Evarts and Baldwin must unravel the 150-year-old conspiracy before it’s too late … and before they are silenced for good.

The Fort


Bernard Cornwell - 2010
    But Massachusetts was determined to expel the British, and they sent a fleet to 'captivate, kill and destroy' the enemy. Told from both sides of the battle, this story features real figures from history.

The Hand of Christ


Joseph S. Nagle - 2010
    Another is discovered. Middle East peace talks at the Umayyad Mosque in Syria are attacked and CIA Officer Dr. Michael Sterling is caught in the middle. Along with the ambassadors of each nation in attendance, a Syrian agent is fatally wounded but, before dying, passes shocking intelligence to Michael - intelligence that outlines the planned assassinations of the Ayatollah of Iran and of the Pope and more: the intelligence outlines the history of an esoteric organization that traces their lineage to the truth of the Crucifixion – to Christ himself. Known only as the Order, their charter and goal throughout history has been to infiltrate governments with pawns of their own; to reclaim their right to rule. To make matters worse, the Order has framed Michael for the Ayatollah's assassination and a Presidential backed, but botched CIA mission – codenamed Merlin – made Iran nuclear capable and they want revenge for the killing of their beloved leader. Iran has aimed its full nuclear arsenal at the United States and has issued an ultimatum: hand over Michael in forty-eight hours or it will be war – exactly as the Order had planned. Attacked by his own agency, manipulated by the Order, and wanted by the Iranians, Dr. Michael Sterling carries the reader on a mesmerizing and fast-paced journey through Syria, the US, and Rome to stop the Pope's murder and to avert a manufactured war.About the Author:JS Nagle began his career in Intelligence as an Interrogator and was cross-trained in Counter Intelligence. A Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, JS Nagle spent many a night preparing to jump into the darkness with only a parachute strapped to his back and his weapon at his side. JS Nagle has received training at the prestigious Defense Language Institute for both the German and Spanish languages, and he holds an expert qualification with a number of weapons. In his private life, he has earned degrees in Economics and an MBA in Organizational Management; he spends his spare time training for Ironman triathlons, chasing his entirely too fast toddler-daughter; loving his brilliant, clinician wife whilst bragging incessantly about his son who is a cadet at an unnamed private University in Washington DC.Follow the Author:Twitter: @SterlingNovelsBlog: SterlingNovels.blogspot.comEmail: JMScott@SterlingNovels.com

The Siren of Paris


David LeRoy - 2012
    Marc joins in the ex-pat scene as his new friend Dora introduces him to a circle that includes the famous Sylvia Beach, owner of the bookstore Shakespeare & Company; and he accepts a job with William Bullitt, US ambassador to France. At art school, he finds himself further enchanted by the alluring model Marie.A year later, his fiancée goes south with her family, Americans scramble to escape Paris, and he is soon running with 10 Million other refugees from the advance of the German Army. After Marc is pulled from the sea on June 17th 1940, when the RMS Lancastria sinks, he decides to return to Paris in hopes of reconnecting with other trapped Americans, and his fiancée. His smuggling of Allied airman through the American Hospital to the Paris Resistance comes undone as a profound betrayal leads him into the hands of the Gestapo and onto Buchenwald. "The Siren of Paris" mines the human dilemma of revenge versus forgiveness. The historical story, based upon true events and real people during World War Two is set inside of an allegorical journey of the soul of the departed seeking passage to eternal peace from the worst war ever known to man.

The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington


Brad Meltzer - 2019
    Washington trusted them; relied on them. But unbeknownst to Washington, some of them were part of a treasonous plan. In the months leading up to the Revolutionary War, these traitorous soldiers, along with the Governor of New York William Tryon and Mayor David Mathews, launched a deadly plot against the most important member of the military: George Washington himself.This is the story of the secret plot and how it was revealed. It is a story of leaders, liars, counterfeiters, and jailhouse confessors. It also shows just how hard the battle was for George Washington—and how close America was to losing the Revolutionary War.Taking place during the most critical period of our nation’s birth, The First Conspiracy tells a remarkable and previously untold piece of American history that not only reveals George Washington’s character, but also illuminates the origins of America’s counterintelligence movement that led to the modern day CIA.

An Act of Self-Defense


Erne Lewis - 2010
    It was ranked #1 political thriller by Amazon reader reviews for 8 months in 2012-2013. It has been favorably compared to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged many times, but also to George Orwell’s 1984, Michael Chrichton’s State of Fear and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. In this novel the U.S. is nearing economic collapse as a result of political corruption, an un-repayable national debt, the selling of legislation by members of Congress, central command of the economy and devaluing of the national currency. Power hungry members of Congress have made democracy and the Constitution a sham with legislation making it almost impossible for a challenger to defeat an incumbent and absolutely impossible for a third party to compete. In a dramatic and very public manner the libertarian TLR accuse Congress of having “increased your powers far beyond the constitutional limits of your offices. You have become a political aristocracy taking our property and our production as if we are your serfs.” They give Congress “three days to approve a proposed Term Limits Amendment to the Constitution or, unless you first resign, the long-term incumbents will be term-limited in the only way you leave us.” If the amendment passes and is then approved by the people, it will prevent professional politicians from ever again serving in Congress. They announce to the nation, “Ours is the only form of revolution now possible in the United States. But our revolution has this advantage: If lives must be taken, it will be those that have stolen the lives and rights and property of the people, or, perhaps it will be our own.” In a brutal hunt for the TLR, the Department of Justice wrongly targets term-limit supporters and those who have opposed the administration or the Department of Justice. But it is clear the TLR will not be easily found or stopped when the first senator is “term-limited” in spite of all that federal authorities can do to stop them. The TLR are inside the federal law enforcement agencies that are hunting them. The characters on both sides in the struggle are as realistic as I could make them. Brave souls who defend liberty and family, lovers and cowards and even NSA, FBI and CIA agents confront their consciences and make their choices to aid the TLR or smash them. The novel examines a critical issue: If our liberties—our right to own ourselves and make our own choices in life—are diminishing with every year, is deadly force justified as a self-defense issue? If not, will we ever regain our individual rights? Erne el@ernelewis.com

Orders is Orders


L. Ron Hubbard - 1937
    Japan’s war machine was pounding wreckage into ashes—wiping out a city that had thrived since the time of Genghis Khan. One of the few buildings still standing is the American consulate where one hundred and sixteen US refugees are facing almost certain death, either from high explosives, the ravages of starvation or Asiatic cholera. Unbeknownst to the refugees, their fate rests in the hands of one Marine-- Gunnery Sergeant James Mitchell--and his ability to negotiate two hundred miles of occupied territory in order to bring desperately needed gold and medicine, while overcoming bullets, dive bombers, butchery and his own personal nemesis—alcohol. Add to these seemingly insurmountable odds, a seductive American fan-dancer who hitches along for the ride and saving the lives of the hostages is far from a fait accompli.As a young man, Hubbard visited Manchuria, where his closest friend headed up British intelligence in northern China.  Hubbard gained a unique insight into the hostile political climate between China and Japan—a knowledge that informs stories like Orders Is Orders. In addition, he served as a First Sergeant with the 20th United States Marine Corps Reserve—giving him first-hand knowledge of what it means to be a Marine. “Demonstrating his unique ability to relate even to the most complicated story with a keen eye for detail and realism, Hubbard’s stunning writing ability and creative imagination set him apart as one of the greatest literary figures of the 20th century.” —Publishers Weekly #NewGoldenAge

Celia Garth


Gwen Bristow - 1959
    She had blond hair and brown eyes and a sassy face, and she worked in a fashionable dressmaking shop.Things did happen to Celia, but not as she had planned. The king's army captured Charleston. The ravisher Tarleton swept through the Carolina countryside in a wave of blood and fire and debauchery. Caught up in the ruin were Celia and her friends -- the merry-minded Darren; Jimmy, whose love for Celia brought her into his tragedy; the fascinating Vivian, five times married; Godfrey, rich and powerful, who met disaster because he could control anything in town but the weather; the daredevil Luke.Most people thought the Revolution was lost. Many Americans, like Celia's handsome cousin Roy, joined the king's side. Then out of the swamps appeared Francis Marion.Marion was a little man. Marion was also crippled. But as Luke said of him, "When that man's leading a charge, he looks nine feet tall."In the dressmaking shop, Celia became a spy for Marion. She sewed, she smiled sweetly, and in secret she risked her life sending information to this man that the king's whole army could not catch, the mighty little man to whom Tarleton angrily gave the name 'Swamp Fox'.(from the front end flap)