Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Book Review: The Righteous Arrows by Brian J. Morra

 



In the follow up to Able Archers, Brian J. Morra delivers a fascinating Cold War thriller that leads to a confrontation between U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer Kevin Cattani and General-Major Ivan Levchenko on the battlefield in Afghanistan. 

In April 1984, Cattani conducts a perilous covert mission inside a Soviet bunker. His love interest, Sandy Jackson, doesn't want him to go. She knows how close he came to being killed on his last mission, and nightmares of days in Cambodia still haunt him. 

Alongside him will be the military liaison mission (MLM) team and Lydia Morelli, a civilian weapons analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Petrified, she wants to get in, get what she needs, and get the hell out. The lack of prep time only seeks to heighten her fears. Ambushed, they barely escape with their lives, and the fallout is destined to create far-reaching repercussions.

The Righteous Arrows is the second book in the Able Archers series. It finds Kevin Cattani working on the opposite side of Ivan Levchenko after the failed mission with MLM. Giving the feeling of a ripped from the headlines type of story, this Cold War thriller packs a punch. The stakes are high and foreshadow the global war on terror.

Drawing from his own experience, Morra has crafted an engaging page-turner. Though I felt it read more like a biography than a novel, the material is riveting. I found the use of the first-person present tense a bit awkward, especially because it was used for both main characters--Cattani and Levchenko. The use of dates helps to position the reader in the right place, and the use of historical quotes adds relevant points of view for the reader. Having a list of characters at the onset is helpful as story moves along. 

If you enjoy historical fiction, political thrillers, or military thrillers, The Righteous Arrows is for you.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CTQMR76J
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Koehler Books (April 16, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8888242803

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

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