2026 Reviews – Rosepoint Publishing

Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley #BookReview #HistoricalWWIIFiction

Book Blurb:

Some secrets refuse to die.

When journalist Kate Murray is approached by a stranger desperate to reveal the truth about a long-buried crime, her life is upended, and a dangerous journey begins. A tangled web of betrayal, loyalty, and courage draws Kate in as she follows the trail from present-day London to the shadowy alleys of wartime Europe. The answers lie in her own family’s hidden past, but with every step, she awakens powerful enemies. To bring a killer to justice, Kate must risk not only her career—but her life.

My Review:

When Andrew Deacon is killed right in front of Canadian journalist Kate Murray, she is drawn into who and why. Kate is in London covering a murder trial when an elderly British gentleman approaches and engages her in a quick invitation to meet regarding a murder story that never saw justice. He is killed by a hit and run driver as he’s walking away.

Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley — Every Secret Thing – US cover

Perhaps she would not have given the man the time she did except that he asked after her grandmother.

It devolves into a split time line—that of WWII involving her grandmother—and a more recent somewhat hazy decade. Complexity ramps up with the sense of time and multiple locations and the transition is not always as smooth as it might be. How does a journalist afford to traipse all over the world, chasing clues, entirely on her own?

There is a mystery that works hard on suspense, with a side helping of a small but impactful romance. Oh, and I enjoyed that part, very poignant. For his very short appearance in the book, I grew to love Deacon.

Suddenly we are in a complicated novel of espionage spilling out of a WWII British embassy in Lisbon. There were occasions of disbelief—okay—just go with it. Decades after the war, suddenly Kate becomes the hunted and those around her at risk, including her grandmother. Hers was just the first of the body count. Still, that wasn’t Kate’s clue to stop interviewing people possibly associated with either the present or the murder never brought to justice.

The good guys and the bad guys, neither of whom could be wholly explained or examined as it was all national security, hush-hush. Parts I liked (the romance—yeah, me, liked that part—and parts I didn’t. Why the extensive confession—the long explanation—which still didn’t cover all the unexplained threads?

I think I was supposed to love this novel more than I actually did. Sorry about that but when you catch yourself dosing between chapters, there is bound to be something missing. Hard to know the bad guys; seems like all have an agenda and difficult to decipher which one was a positive.

Not just themes of war, but of disease, suicide, theft, and loss. Profound loss. If you love historical fiction and appreciate the spy game, you may very well enjoy this more so than I.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical World War II Fiction, World War II Historical Fiction, Historical World War II & Holocaust Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: November 17, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Susanna Kearsley - author — Susanna Kearsley – author

The Author: I’m a former museum curator, avid amateur genealogist, and writer of modern gothic novels that interweave contemporary suspense and romance with historical adventure, meaning they don’t fit neatly into any category and are therefore a marketer’s nightmare.

The Bookseller once said of me, in a review, “She has a poetic sensibility and a sense of mystery; she could write the modern Rebecca.”

So that’s what I strive for.

How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz #BookReview #AmateurSleuths #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

After the untimely death of her bestselling crime novelist mother, a young woman teams up with the fictional “ghost” of the heroine from her mother’s series in order to solve her mother’s murder.

After the tragic death of bestselling crime writer Annie Morrisey, her daughter, Niamh, moves into her mother’s country cottage to take care of her mother’s estate. Shut away from the world, Niamh doesn’t actually have to deal with the grief of her mother’s untimely passing. Until the day that two things happen: the advance copy of her mother’s final book lands on the doorstep and Leah Rebecca Overton appears in the kitchen.

Having a stranger show up in your house would be concerning at the best of times, but Leah isn’t a stranger—she’s the ultra-competent sleuth heroine from Annie’s novels. The antithesis of Niamh in every way, she’s lived in the fictitious character’s shadow for years. But why (and how) has Leah turned up now? And why can only Niamh see her? Leah is the last thing Niamh wants in her house or in her head, but she can’t ignore the sleuth…especially when Leah suspects there may have been more to Annie’s death than first suspected.

My Review:

I love it when I find a novel with a refreshing and unique plot line…at any rate, this was a new one for me. Of course I was attracted to the title, but even then, the title doesn’t really give away the storyline characters. I started to imagine a kind of Roger Rabbit scenario. Except Leah Overton is no Roger and Niamh is no private investigator.

How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz — How to Kill a Crime Writer – US cover

After best-selling author Anna Morrissey is found dead, her daughter Niamh moves into her cottage to take care of business and quietly grieve. But the circumstances of her mother’s death keep nagging at her. If there is no such thing as a coincidence, then this wasn’t just an accident.

As her anxiety ramps up, she confronts Leah in her kitchen. In the beginning of her mother’s exploration with her new series private investigator, Niamh was included in the forming of Leah, the loner, competent private investigator protagonist of her mother’s new bestsellers. Leah has confidence and skills Niamh could only dream of, and sure her manifestation is her increasing angst, she tries to dismiss it. Explain it away. But Leah won’t be explained away.

A character so well developed, could she actually take on a persona?

Leah is a strong personality. And she’s also sure that her Anna didn’t have an accident.

Trying not to visualize a ghost type appearance, I greatly enjoyed the character of Leah, blithely coming and going when she felt like it, issuing ultimatums, suggesting points of investigation, people of interest. Leah is rough on Niamh, forcing Niamh out of her shell and, (gasp) pro-active? She has to be to perform some of the tasks Leah has proposed for her.

How to Kill a Crime Writer - UK cover — How to Kill a Crime Writer – UK cover

The two characters couldn’t be more opposites. A total wussy as opposed to kick-ass Leah. They are so well developed you can’t help but like both and it’s fun to follow their dialogue and amusing to watch as Leah begins to mellow (just a bit, mind you) and Niamh grow.

The author threw a curve when she introduced a fantasy character in the life of a grief-stricken dropout mouse of a daughter. The sense of humor and plot line weaving in the villages’ characters and possible perps threw in enough twists to keep the reader dying to know what Leah would be doing next.

It’s a fun, fast read. Yeah, I know I’m among the minority here (what’s new?), but this time I apparently appreciated it more so than some of those who read before me. I thought it stirred the imagination. Recommended if you love the suggestion of fantasy, sense of humor, emotive characters and an engaging and entertaining novel.

Many thanks to my favorite library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuths, Women Sleuths, Cozy Mysteries
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 21, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Sarah Lotz is a novelist and screenwriter with a fondness for the macabre. She is the author of The Three, and lives in Cape Town with her family and other animals.

Recommendations

Whisper Creek by Allison Brennan #AudiobookReview #crimethrillers

Book Blurb:

New York Times bestseller Allison Brennan delivers a pulse-pounding thriller about one family fighting for their land against both human enemies and Mother Nature.

After the sudden death of her husband, Ellen McKenna is doing everything she can to keep her Texas farm afloat. She and her family hope to expand their operation, but times are tough and making ends meet is more expensive than she imagined, much less trying to grow. Many of their neighbors in Cooke County have thrown in the towel and agreed to sell their farms to a local businessman, but despite similar pressure, Ellen refuses to let her dreams die.

On top of the usual hardships, a series of recent storms has left the region partly flooded, and as the heavy rain begins again one morning, all the members of the McKenna family jump into action to protect their land and animals. Ellen’s oldest son discovers an injured dog—and the dog leads him to a man barely clinging to life, the apparent victim of a brutal home invasion. Then, Ellen’s younger kids go to check on a nearby neighbor and walk into a threat none of them saw coming.

Before anyone can figure out what’s really going on in their idyllic rural valley, the storm picks up again in intensity, and the McKenna kids find themselves in over their heads with no way to call for help. To protect her farm–and her family—Ellen must face down all the forces trying to tear them apart.

Allison Brennan’s talent for twisty, tense pacing combines with a deeply drawn family drama and the unforgiving power of nature in this compelling standalone thriller.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

My Review:

It’s a farm. Accidents happen.

This one was fatal and Ellen McKenna found herself a widow with four children and a teetering farm. Many of the local farmers of Cooke County, Texas, are struggling and there is a businessman who is more than happy to pick up failing farms for ten cents on the dollar. She continues to refuse. It was her husband’s legacy. Their land. Their home.

In fact, a string of suspicious accidents are happening that has put everyone on edge.

The constant storms and threat of floods doesn’t help. She is separated from the kids, each on missions of their own and caught in serious circumstances with pounding rain, the loss of county bridges, and imminent flooding. The descriptions of the dark and howling storm lends to the tension of the storytelling and ramps up suspense.

As each of the McKenna family members wrestle with complex situations of their own, layers of the storyline meld to complete the picture and leads to a satisfying conclusion.

I’ve read a number of the author’s books, the last one being Don’t Open the Door in July, 2025. The plot is a good one and she wrote an atmospheric one this time but repeated circumstances a bit too much for me and lost a bit of momentum.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Amanda Stribling
Release Date: June 23, 2026

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of more than forty thrillers and numerous short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers, had multiple nominations and two Daphne du Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense. Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and writes three books a year. Originally from northern California, in 2019 she and her husband relocated to Arizona where they enjoy baseball Spring Training, hiking, and spending time with their kids, grandson, and assorted pets.

Audiobooks with headphones — Graphic books and coffee courtesy Freepik.com

Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima #BookReview #policeprocedurals #TuesdayBookBlog

A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Book Blurb:

Major crimes intersect in this nail-biting installment of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries by award-winning author Margaret Mizushima.

A routine welfare check becomes a nightmare when Deputy Mattie Walker finds a young mother dead and a hysterical toddler, possibly the only witness to a brutal crime. Before the investigative team can start piecing together what happened, Mattie discovers another criminal act in Timber Creek.

During a traffic stop for speeding, Mattie observes a nervous driver and a teenage passenger frozen with fear. A quick sweep of the car with her K-9 partner, Robo, reveals a dangerous mix of drugs and suspected human trafficking, providing Mattie with grounds to arrest the driver. After she places the teenager in protective custody, the sheriff’s department hands the case over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

As the team gathers evidence and information, Mattie’s husband, veterinarian Cole Walker, notices suspicious activity during ambulatory calls at dog kennels, indicating yet a third crime lurking in the shadows. What begins as isolated incidents quickly reveals a chilling truth: Organized crime has infiltrated their rural mountain community.

Every clue leads to more questions, and each answer brings them closer to greater danger. Do Mattie and her law enforcement partners have what it takes to shut down this criminal ring before it claims more victims? And could its next victim be someone Mattie loves?

My Review:

I don’t miss a chance to read the latest Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Ms. Mizushima. I love the characters and have watched their growth almost from Book 1. The protagonist is Deputy Mattie Walker, of course, but the star (at least for me) is Robo, the German Shepherd.

This installment starts right off with a welfare check of a young mother who is found dead with her toddler crying nearby. As always, however, these K-9 stories are layered in between Mattie’s home life. She and the local veterinarian Cole Walker married and created a ready-made family with her step-daughters Sophie and Angie. Sophie is the youngest and easiest as Angie has progressed to sullen teen. The family recently underwent a collective trauma for which they are now consulting a therapist. Maddie’s job creates a bit of tension by duties that keep her from family sessions.

I love the parts where not only Robo, but Cole are used in her police investigations and procedures are often explained. It’s interesting how Mattie gets Robo psyched up for a pursuit, but usually just the Kevlar vest means that Robo is going to work. His demeanor changes instantly and he’s all business. Serious business.

The author has a talent for storytelling, describing her well-developed characters and tackling topical issues such as human trafficking as well as domestic issues. The people seem real—we’ve watched them grow and meld. The pacing doesn’t waver or slow and the plot builds tension and suspense as each episode thread is tackled.

It’s a series where each book can be read as a standalone, but also as an old friend when read from the beginning

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 8, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Margaret Mizushima writes the internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She served as a past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She is the recipient of a Colorado Authors League Award, a Benjamin Franklin Book Award, a CIBA CLUE Award, and two Willa Literary Awards by Women Writing the West. Her books have been finalists for a SPUR Award by Western Writers of America, a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award, and the Colorado Book Award. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest. Find her on her website, Facebook, X, BlueSky, and Instagram.

Rosepoint Publishing--book haul — Graphic courtesy ChatGPT

Deserters: A Novel by Jerry Gabriel – #BookReview #TravelAdventureFiction #NetGalley #AcreBooks

Book Blurb:

An immersive adventure story set during the American Civil War follows four travelers as they escape toward the Western territories.

It is fall 1864, and Robert Riley has deserted his Army of the Potomac unit outside Petersburg, Virginia. Exhausted from years of war and worried about his motherless sons in Ohio, he returns to collect thirteen-year-old Michael and Sean, three years older, and flees to the Western territories. Along the way, he encounters Janey, an orphan at sixteen, who is also eager to go West. When Riley sees in her a quickness of mind, a brand of cunning that mirrors his own, he is persuaded to take her along.

Crossing the lower Midwest on horseback with little money and few possessions, the four are pursued by a wily private detective after the reward for turning in Riley. He manages to thwart the ragtag group, who abandon their plan of crossing the plains. They slip away by train to Chicago, and there, in that cold, stinking, dangerous metropolis, just before the 1864 election, they meet with problems beyond Riley’s ability to resolve. All four find themselves alone, at the mercy of fortune . . . and the fortune hunter, who finally gets the chance to face down his nemesis.

Deserters alternates between the perspectives of the four major characters as their relationships grow and shift, and as each of them strives to forge their way forward in the late war’s murky upheaval. A book whose antecedents include Charles Portis’s True Grit and Paulette Jiles’s News of the World, Gabriel’s immersive novel is an adventure story with psychological intricacy, emotional intensity, and historical heft.

His Review:

The tragedy that was the American Civil War took more American lives than any other conflict in history. The issue was the northern states fighting a group of southern states. Sometimes even brothers within a family were split between their loyalties to the area they were born and the flag they chose.

This book concentrates on the misery that was felt on both sides and the young people who decided that they did not want to fight in that war. One of the facts of this conflict was that it was illegal to avoid conscription into this war. Either on the side of the north or the south, avoiding being conscripted was punishable by death or immediately being sent back to the front, sometimes without a weapon.

Jerry Gabriel explores the paranoia and fear that any deserter had. Escaping this turmoil was fraught with danger. Even young children were employed to help find the deserters. Bounty hunters made a living capturing these individuals and getting them back to their respective armies.

The time was brutal and vicious and avoiding capture meant never going into a town if it could be avoided. Bounties being paid during times of economic tragedy resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being put back into inhumane prisons with no future. Read this story and witness the many facets of the Civil War not taught in schools. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Travel Adventure Fiction, Action & Adventure Literary Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Acre Books
Publication Date: May 15, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jerry Gabriel is the author of two books of fiction, Drowned Boy and The Let Go. His first book, Drowned Boy, won the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction and the Towson Prize for Literature. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children, where he teaches writing at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Reading couple — Graphic courtesy ChatGPT

The Gatekeeper: A Thriller by James Byrne #BookReview #AssassinationThrillers

Dez Limerick Book 1

Editors’ pick Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense

Book Blurb:

James Byrne’s The Gatekeeper introduces Dez Limerick in the most anticipated new thriller in years.

A highly trained team of mercenaries launches a well-planned, coordinated attack on a well-guarded military contractor – but they didn’t count on one thing, the right man being in the wrong place at the right time.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to all) is a retired mercenary, and enthusiastic amateur musician, currently in Southern California, enjoying the sun and sitting in on the occasional gig, when the hotel he’s at falls under attack. A skilled team attempts to kidnap the Chief legal counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor – in fact, Petra Alexandris is the daughter of the CEO – but their meticulously-planned, seamlessly executed scheme runs into the figurative ‘spanner-in-the-works,’ Dez himself.

After foiling the attack, and with nothing better to do, Dez agrees to help Alexandris with another problem she’s having – someone has embezzled more than a billion dollars from her company and left very few tracks behind. But Dez is a gatekeeper – one who opens doors and keeps them open – and this is just a door of another kind. And the door he opens leads to a dangerous conspiracy involving media manipulation, militias, an armed coup, and an attempt to fracture the United States themselves. There’s only one obstacle between the conspirators and success – and that is Dez, The Gatekeeper.

His Review:

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne — The Gatekeeper – UK cover

Dez Limerick is not your poster hero. The fact is that this 5’ 5” man who can be described as a barrel is anything but the standard hero. However, Dez has experience and talents that most men can only dream of. He has a quick wit that measures situations and response needs like an orchestra conductor.

A splinter group has decided to stage a coup and change a section of the California coast into a separate country; and a state that will declare itself a separate country and request membership in the United Nations. This is being accomplished during a heat wave and by a very large group of itinerant hippies. Dez is not willing to see a group of dissidents change the shape of the country and our freedoms.

Dez is a likeable character with a guitar in one hand and a questionable demeanor that seems to attract a certain kind of woman. Can he prevent a kidnapping and the plans of the separatist group? His demeanor is a serious addition to the believability of the story. I found it very enjoyable and a quick read. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to our local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Assassination Thrillers, Vigilante Justice Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: James Byrne lives and writes in one of the coolest cities on Earth: Portland, Oregon. Under various names, he has published nine other novels in the realm of thrillers and mysteries. Find out more about James and “The Gatekeeper” at jamesbyrnemystery.com

Enjoy Your Sunday!

The Rector’s Daughter by Jean Grainger #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

The Dunmara Series – Book 2

in Historical Irish Fiction

Book Blurb:

Yorkshire, England / County Clare, Ireland, 1918

Billy DeVere has spent his boyhood in the shadow of expectation — the heir his aristocratic father needs him to be. Then the Great War claims his father and both his brothers, and the life mapped out for him simply vanishes. In its place comes something unexpected: freedom. As Billy comes of age, he dares to imagine his own future — and the path he chooses will leave its mark on Dunmara for generations to come.

Dunmara, County Clare, Ireland

Orla Daly is still finding her footing. Her marriage is over, her children’s lives are unsettled, and the career she’s building feels as precarious as it is exciting. But Dunmara — the house that was the backdrop to her whole life — has revealed a connection she never expected, and she can’t turn away from it now. When she discovers an extraordinary painting hidden within its walls, Orla is pulled into a mystery a century old, and begins to understand that saving this house may be bound up with finding herself.

Two lives, a century apart, held together by one enduring house. As Orla follows the trail the painting has left her, Dunmara slowly gives up another of its secrets.

The Rector’s Daughter is the second novel in the Dunmara Story.

My Review:

The saga includes Orla, a champion of the historic Dunmara House, ring fort and tower in Ireland, as well as several of the characters introduced in installment #1, If Walls Could Talk. There is Safira and Professor O’Reilly also heavily involved in the fight for the preservation of the historic grounds and Jeannie who has personal history with the Dunmara House and her grandson, Chase, among the main characters.

Characteristic of the author’s complex storytelling, there is a solid litany of characters from both this and the split timeline that reverts to the time of the War of Irish Independence, including local British individuals watching the unfolding of the escalating tension sure to lead to an all-out conflict.

There are individuals whose alliances appear questionable as the plot begins a tight weave into conflict politics and the escalating brutality perpetrated on both sides. There is mounting suspicion throughout by unreliable perspectives. Fighting and skirmishes are not wholly inflicted on the military and everyone lives on eggshells waiting for the next shoe to drop.

The main characters are fully fleshed as are many of the support characters whose development heaps additional tension on the present-day plot involving the preservation of the historic building and grounds. I greatly enjoyed the detailed description of the application of historical paints on the paintings, techniques, color origins, and hidden messages within the art. Also, as always, I greatly enjoy the basis of words we use today and are familiar with as well as Celtic lore.

The pace begins rather fast then slows well into half of the narrative which left me easily distracted by continued contemporary arguments. There are times when I have to remind myself of the context of a specific (support) character. Otherwise, the plot gently leads the reader into a hook for the next installment.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Irish Fiction, Historical British & Irish Literature, Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
Publication Date: June 30, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jean Grainger is a USA Today bestselling author with over 100,000 5* reviews of historical and contemporary Irish fiction. She is acclaimed for her authentic portrayal of Irish life and history. Born in Cork, she draws from her experience as a history lecturer, teacher, and tour guide to craft characters that feel like friends, and sometimes foes. Grainger’s works span multiple series and standalone novels, covering significant periods in recent Irish history, but told from the perspective of families, the humans behind the headlines. Her stories often intertwine historical events with personal journeys, exploring themes of family, friendship, and human resilience. Grainger’s writing style, characterized by its warmth and authenticity, has earned her comparisons to renowned Irish authors like Maeve Binchy. Her dedication to research and character development has resulted in a loyal readership who feel deeply connected to her stories and characters.

I appreciate you!

Captain Hope and The Battle of Attu by Neil Perry Gordon – #BookReview #MilitaryHistoricalFiction #NetGalley

The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope

Book Blurb:

At the edge of the world, where the North Pacific collides with the Aleutian Islands, one of the least remembered—and most brutal—battles of the Second World War unfolded.

Captain Hope & The Battle of Attu, the fifth installment in The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope series, brings readers into the frozen fog of the Aleutian campaign through the eyes of a father and son drawn into the same war.

When Percy Hope, a seasoned journalist and Alaskan pioneer, receives a telegram informing him that his son Walter has been deployed to the remote island of Attu, he refuses to remain a distant observer. Securing a place as a war correspondent, Percy travels west into the harshest battlefield imaginable—where wind, ice, and volcanic rock are as deadly as the enemy.

Captain Walter Hope, now leading American soldiers in one of the most unforgiving environments on earth, must guide his men through terrain designed for ambush and survival measured in seconds. On Attu, there are no clear front lines—only fog-covered ridges, frozen ground, and an enemy determined to fight to the last man.

As Percy witnesses the invasion firsthand, father and son move through the same battlefield from different directions—one documenting history, the other shaping it. Between them lies a legacy carried through generations: resilience, leadership, and the quiet weight of hope itself.

Blending meticulously researched history with vivid storytelling, this novel captures the human experience of war in a place where nature and combat merge into a single relentless force.

Captain Hope & The Battle of Attu is a story of endurance, sacrifice, and the bond between father and son—set against one of the most overlooked battles of World War II, where courage was measured not by glory, but by the simple act of continuing forward into the storm.

His Review:

The Aleutian Island chain stretches across the north Pacific Ocean to within sight of the Russian Coastline. The Japanese figured out that the islands’ remote location and nearly zero population made it a perfect location for covert listening posts. The Japanese army took extensive measures to insure that their base was well fortified and entrenched.

Attu Island is a jagged island of volcanic rock and ash often shrouded in fog and icy mist. Retaking this position was not going to be easy. At times men walking on this forbidding landscape could not see someone five feet in front of them. The surface was ash and sand with sharp edges of solid magma poised to destroy the equipment utilized by the unwary.

The Japanese are a proud people with the attitude of the offspring of the proud Samari warriors. They were not going to be removed easily. However, the United States could simply not have that listening post on U.S. territory. Author Neil Perry Gordon paints a horrible picture of the sacrifice and courage it took to wrestle this island back from Japanese hands. The unforgiving landscape and conditions are abysmal and creates an extreme atmospheric picture.

C E Williams The author recreates the dynamic and nail-biting struggle fought in deplorable and often times blinding conditions. Perfect for fans of US military war fiction. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ebook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Military Historical Fiction, War Fiction, US Historical Fiction
Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Neil Perry Gordon approaches storytelling as more than a craft—it is both his passion and his calling, a way to explore the extraordinary and render it vividly real. Through his work, he seamlessly intertwines history, metaphysics, and speculative inquiry, creating immersive narratives that reveal hidden truths and resonate deeply on a human level.

The author of eighteen novels, Neil is best known for his acclaimed The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope series, including The Wizard of Hope and his latest installment, Captain Hope and The Battle of Attu. In that powerful work, he brings readers into the stark, unforgiving landscape of World War II’s Aleutian campaign, where courage, sacrifice, and destiny converge at the edge of the known world.

With his newest novel, The Lemurians: A New Testament for the Soul, Neil expands his literary reach into bold new territory—exploring the origins of consciousness, the continuity of the soul, and humanity’s forgotten past. Blending narrative storytelling with philosophical depth, the novel challenges conventional ideas of identity, memory, and creation, inviting readers into a story that feels as much remembered as it is imagined.

Neil’s writing bridges historical fiction and metaphysical exploration, grounded in meticulous research yet elevated by a visionary imagination. His stories do more than recount events—they reawaken them, drawing readers into moments where history and mystery converge.

At the heart of his work is a deep belief in the power of narrative to connect, transform, and illuminate. His novels unfold as rich tapestries where myth, memory, and “what if” possibilities intertwine, opening doors to alternate realities and deeper dimensions of human existence.

For Neil, writing is an act of discovery. Each book becomes a living canvas where the seen and unseen, the temporal and the eternal, meet. His prose carries both intellectual depth and emotional clarity, offering stories that are as thought-provoking as they are deeply felt.

Whether exploring the nature of consciousness, uncovering hidden forces shaping history, or tracing the invisible threads that bind past and present, Neil’s work invites readers to see the world—and themselves—with fresh eyes.

Relax, it's Sunday