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GHOST OF THE RIO GRANDE

An enchanting blend of history and fantasy.

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A Mexican ranch hand becomes a legend when he gets drawn into a battle with corrupt American landowners, Texas Rangers, and German spies in this historical novel set in the early 20th century.

In 1915, Fabriciano Garcia works on a South Texas ranch on the Rio Grande owned by Victoriano Gonzales and managed by his father-in-law, Casimiro Munoz. When four Texas Rangers approach on horseback, Fabriciano braces for trouble—they are known for their unpredictable violence, especially during a time when tensions between American and Mexican landowners are on the rise. The leader of the pack, Capt. Benjamin Johnson, announces his intention to commandeer the ranch, and when Victoriano protests, they gun him down. Fabriciano intervenes and shoots two of the Rangers dead. He has no choice but to flee across the Rio Grande for safety, leaving behind his wife, Manuela, and his two children, for now he is a fugitive and will surely be hunted down by vengeful Rangers. He seeks solace at the hotel of François LaBorde, a Frenchman and the employer of his brother, Carlos. Fabriciano and François become close friends—they both detest the American robber barons as well as the Mexican president, Venustiano Carranza, who opportunistically plays both sides. Fabriciano not only opposes the Americans and their collaborators by stealing their herds, but he also joins forces with François against German secret agents. The spies are encouraging Mexico to invade the United States, thus keeping America out of World War I, a neglected aspect of modern history astutely explored by Holbrook and Garcia. Fabriciano becomes a near mythical figure known as the Ghost, an indomitable warrior who survives and even financially prospers despite extraordinary odds against him.

With scrupulous care and impressive lucidity, the authors portray the complex political situation in Texas, a tinderbox only made more volatile by the intervention of the Germans. Nonetheless, this is not principally a political novel despite its political elements as well as the inclusion of historical figures like President Woodrow Wilson. Rather, this is closer to a picaresque adventure, one in which Fabriciano transforms from an ordinary man into a legend, especially after his attempt to intercept a payment of gold sent from the Germans to Carranza. Fabriciano’s exploits are as daring as they are implausible—he manages to weather the assaults of German U-boats and torpedoes as well as eluding American fighter planes dropping bombs and a troop of Texas Rangers pursuing him. Of course, this all becomes more than a touch unbelievable, even absurd, and the authors immoderately carry out his apotheosis. As François puts it, “The Ghost is going to disappear into thin air without being caught by the authorities. And Fabriciano Garcia shall be spoken of frequently as the man that became invisible and dissipated like fog in the morning sun, never killed or captured and having stolen a treasure of immense wealth.” But whether or not the authors intended it, the combination of rigorously documented history and flights of imaginative fancy makes for a compelling read, the former a genuine source of edification and the latter of lighthearted entertainment. In the final analysis, Fabriciano’s unlikely journey remains an enjoyable one for readers.

An enchanting blend of history and fantasy.

Pub Date: June 7, 2022

ISBN: 9798361883189

Page Count: 354

Publisher: Self

Review Posted Online: April 19, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023

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THE WOMEN

A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

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A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.

When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.

A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781250178633

Page Count: 480

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023

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IRON FLAME

From the Empyrean series , Vol. 2

Unrelenting, and not in a good way.

A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.

Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.

Unrelenting, and not in a good way.

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023

ISBN: 9781649374172

Page Count: 640

Publisher: Red Tower

Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024

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