J. Keith Jones

The Last Man
By Vince Flynn

Reviewed by Keith Jones

Finishing reading “The Last Man” is a bittersweet experience. It is always satisfying to complete a good book and getting closure on the story you have spent some time with. In this case, however; it was kind of sad because this is Vince Flynn’s last completed novel before his death. So ends the journey of Mitch Rapp. One can only imagine what the road ahead – as envisioned by Flynn – held for Rapp.

I have read all of Flynn’s novels. Too bad there will be no more. Vince Flynn was one of the masters of the modern spy thriller and this one may well have been his best of all time. As with his other books, this one introduces us to new characters and expands on characters from past books. Mitch Rapp is forced to collaborate with Louie Gould, the man who killed Rapp’s wife in a previous book. Rapp had been the target for assassination, but miscalculations had resulted in the death of Anna Rapp instead.

Rapp had hunted Gould down to kill, but reconsidered upon discovering that Gould’s wife was pregnant as Rapp’s wife had been at the time of her death. Gould promised he was leaving the assassin’s life behind and would spend his life paying penance by being a good father. Against his better judgment Rapp allowed Glould to live and upon discovering that Gould was still carrying out hit jobs, was now regretting that decision.

“The Last Man” turns up the intensity from previous books and is one that Vince Flynn’s family and friends should be proud to have him go out on.

The Western Front
By Archer Garrett

Reviewed by Keith Jones

“The Western Front” kicks off a series of dystopic books by Archer Garrett. In this book, Archer Garrett does a great job of laying out the America in free-fall scenario. Naturally with the ongoing economic crisis and the deepening political divide, this kind of book is becoming more popular. This one is better than most. The settings are vividly drawn and the characters are highly relatable.

This book does suffer from the same malady that plagues many small press and independently published works, not enough editing. Nonetheless the strength of Garrett’s storytelling more than overcomes this. I give “The Western Front” a high grade and am moving right into the sequel, “Kratocracy.” Highly recommended.

The Maltese Falcon
By Dashiell Hammett

Reviewed by Keith Jones

In my continuing effort to catch up on classics along with the newer books I have been reading, I picked up a copy of the quintessential hard boiled mystery novel, “The Maltese Falcon.” It is interesting contrasting the writing styles of the 1930s with today. Books of that day were often shorter and shallower. This is both good and bad. Today many novels ramble on in order to fill a certain word count. Many books that are 500 pages could comfortably be told in 300 pages. The down side is that shorter books often spend less time getting acquainted with characters than is needed.

This may well be the case with “The Maltese Falcon.” To be such a famous and popular detective, Sam Spade is only lightly developed and is often unsympathetic. What comes across as cold and self centered might be more understandable had Hammett shown us more of Spade’s motivations and background. As it is, Spade’s actions often seem to contradict one another.

In this book, Sam Spade is presented with a client who is not what she appears to be and is soon caught up in the investigation of the murder of his partner, Miles Archer. A cast of shadowy characters are soon introduced and the plot surrounding the search for an antique jewel encrusted statue of a falcon develops.

Our Voices: Military Writers Society of America
Red Engine Press

Reviewed by Keith Jones

The personal essay is one of the most powerful forms of writing. It bares the soul and reveals the inner life of the writer. The Military Writers Society of America 2013 anthology, “Our Voices” is packed with these special stories, many accounts of military life – from the perspectives of soldiers and their family members – populate this volume. These stores run the gamut from sad to scary to hilarious.

With the scarcity of magazines publishing these kinds of stories, anthologies of this kind allow the reader a glimpse into other worlds to see history in the making. Great editing and powerful stories make “Our Voices” a great addition to any library, personal or public.

[Note: My story, “It Began in a Wheat Field” can be found on page 269. It contains an account of the great friendship between Medal of Honor winner, J. J. Purman of Pennsylvania and his Confederate savior, Thomas P. Oliver of Athens, Georgia.]