Customer Reviews

Blaze of Glory: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the second book in this series that I have read, and it is every bit as good as the first. As I neared the end of the book, I could not put it down. Stayed up much later than was prudent to find out how it ended. If you lack military fiction, you will thoroughly enjoy Blaze of Glory. If you aren't sure about reading Christian fiction, the faith perspective is very low key.

Loved this action thriller. It kept me up at night not wanting to put it down. I definitely will order more of his books.

Excellent, fast-paced read...1 of those books you don't want to put down. The story is highly relevant to the times we are living in.
Thank you to Mr. Struecker for giving us a glimpse into the lives of our military men & their families.
Personally, I appreciate that I don't have to worry about foul language or sex scenes in Mr. Struecker's novels.

Major Jeff Struecker has another home run with Blaze of Glory. If you read the first of his books, Certain Jeopardy, then be prepared for more nailbiting, edge of your seat military action, drama, and suspense. Major Struecker writes a military drama just as good as Tom Clancy, if not better.
If you like drama and military action than this is the book for you. Once you start reading it you WILL NOT want to put it down.
Get onboard with the Spec Ops group led by Sergeant Moyer and his group and go for a ride of your life.

I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. I have every book Alton Gansky published on my book shelf and have corresponded with the author in the past. This book has just do much violence towards women and childen to make it acceptable to read. I did not finish it. If there was a way to return it to Amazon for my money back I would. I'll pull a Perry Sachs Novel or J.D. Stanton off the shelf when I want to read Alton Gansky. This is not a Christian novel. Having one member of the team being a Christian does not count. This is a very violent book that I do not care to read. Alton, you can do better. I have read all of them.

I finished the book in just over 24 hours. I was captivated by the story, and just could not put it down! Can't wait to check out "Certain Jeapordy" to see what the team does next!

While reading Blaze of Glory, I developed a new appreciation for our military men. I'm thankful for the review copy, which gave me a glimpse into the hearts and minds of the men and women who risk their lives so that our country can be safe and free.

Blaze of Glory gives the reader a fascinating, suspenseful and realistic look at military operations from an insider's point of view. I was clueless about the preparation for these top secret missions. Sergeant Major Eric Moyer is the leader of this six man Special Operations unit that heads off to try and stop suicide terrorists who want to blow up a hotel; the hotel where the United States and Mexican presidents, along with eighteen other world leaders, are staying.

Because of Major Jeff Struecker's twenty years of military experience, the storyline is scary and believable. Some of his experience has been depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down. With Struecker's trained eye and knowledge in the military operations and Alton's writing experience, this team takes the reader places only a well-seasoned soldier could go. I really enjoyed the way these authors showed the human side of military life...the men, how they trusted one another, how they joked around and how they enjoyed each others laughter.

Soldiers," They were a different breed of men, especially career warriors. They were complex beings that hid more than revealed.", even with friends and family. I liked the beginning of this book; it starts off in a light-hearted atmosphere as the readers get to know the colorful cast of characters. I felt as if I were there watching the men give J.J. a hard time as he announces he's engaged. They start ribbing him about dates and how he found someone. Engaged? How did that happen? "J.J. was used to exchanging `barb's' with the guys. It was one of the ways they dealt with the work they had to do!!" It also showed they cared for one another. Laughter was a gift they all cherished.

This writing team has the perfect blend of humor, suspense and action. The humor gave the characters in the story, and the reader, a welcome relief in some very dramatic action scenes! The reader is right in the middle of a military mission that could have been taken from headlines, "Concern today--the work of suicide terrorists' - people willing to martyr themselves by driving a bomb-laden car or truck into a crowd. Or strapping on an explosive vest, or carrying an explosive stashed into a crowd."

A new twist the increase in women suicide terrorists' - even woman who are pregnant! What would make a woman do such a thing-especially when pregnant?

Captain Moyer gets his men ready and introduces them to a new member of their team. A member everyone knows- a war hero! They all know of Jerry Zinsser and are glad to have him aboard. Jerry's a little embarrassed--likes to keep to himself for several reasons. The war hero has a few secrets he can't tell his team or anyone else for that matter; he struggles with post traumatic stress disorder--PTSD. This was Jerry's secret battle. The one he was slowly losing. Jerry dreaded sleep or anything that would trigger a flashback. Yet, he felt in his heart he could control mind for one last mission.

Zinsser's team leader, Eric Moyer, and the others were watching Jerry and wondered if they could rely on him in the thick of the battle. Captain Moyer shares what he felt about fear. "Moyer's fear morphed into annoyance. There was not shame in fear. No soldier denied being afraid. Instead they took pride in conquering fear!"

Interesting way of looking at fear, don't you think? Blaze of Glory is not just another war novel; these authors did a great job of having the reader instantly care about the men and their families. The reader gets to know the men on a very personal level, and saw how being a soldier 24/7 affects everything they do and every relationship they have - even with one another.

J.J. is a Christian and walks out his faith in the middle of the battle; he's not preachy but honest. Jerry tries to avoid him because he's afraid he'll beat him over the head with a bible, but that's not J.J. He says he preached once and no one listened, so now he just lives out his faith. When someone wants to talk, he's there to listen. His team knows he's a Christian and respects him; they even ask for prayer every now and again.

I highly recommend this book!! These authors take the reader on an exciting action adventure while maintaining there realistic nature of the story. This novel made my hair stand on end because I knew that most of the military drama, both on the field and off, and the scenes depicting how soldiers struggle with PTSD, are real; either Major Jeff Struecker experienced them or someone he knows did. This is the second book in a series...Certain Jeopardy was the first. I'll have to read that one next.

Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network
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Sergeant Major Eric "Boss" Moyer is the leader of six men in Special Operations that were deployed to Italy to intercept a wealthy Egyptian terrorist, El-Sayyed, who is allegedly behind a rash of female suicide bombers. Working with the Italian military and leaders, they are trying to annihilate any suicide missions ready to blow up the hotel where the Mexican and United States presidents and eighteen other world leaders were having a summit meeting. Unbeknownst to the men at the outset of this mission in Italy, these suicide bomber attempts were also related to drug lords in Mexico.

The missions are treacherous in themselves, but even more so because one of the six men is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), making the leader and his subordinate leader wonder if they can rely on him in the heat of the battles.

This is my second military read in the past month. As a woman, I wondered how I thought this book would be a good read. Well, I had to strap myself down for the ride of my life!

The reconnaissance and covert actions taken by these six men, along with Italians, were action-packed and heart-poundingly real. The intricate and precise military planning was intriguing and engaging. Once you think you have all the characters and plots identified, the author brings in another group that is intertwined in the action-again and again, merging the story line into one complete work. It kept my interest throughout the whole book.

All the characters were detailed very personably, letting you get to know them intimately, including the soldier with PTSD and his flashbacks. One of the six men on this mission was a Christian who lived out his faith without being preachy to the others. The men knew it and respected him, even calling on him when in need.

The world is evil in many more ways than we care to think of, and I so appreciate our military personnel that willingly give their time, and sometimes their lives, to keep us safe.

This book was provided by Jonathon at B & H Fiction of BHPublishing in exchange for my honest review.

A string of female suicide bombers sends Sergeant Eric Moyer and his Special Operations team overseas to stop the bombings and to thwart a possible attempt to assassinate several heads-of-state. Thus begins the non-stop action in BLAZE OF GLORY by Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky.

In Struecker's and Gansky's sophomore effort together, they succeed in penning a book even better than their first (CERTAIN JEOPARDY) which was also very good. Not only does the reader experience continuous action, but the authors flesh out their characters more in this second book. With Struecker's experience as an Army Ranger, the reader knows the storyline is believable. The emotional tension is as intense as the firefights. You've got one soldier who proposed right before they get the call, and another soldier whose battle with post-traumatic stress disorder is more terrorizing to him than a gun fight. His uncontrolled flashbacks may jeopardize the safety of the entire unit. This is more than page-turning adventure. You really care about the people involved.

If you're looking for a great story, one that's set apart from the majority of books on the Christian bookshelves, then pick up BLAZE OF GLORY.

Prepare to hang on for an exciting ride if you pick up Blaze of Glory by Jeff Struecker. This author is a man who writes from a wealth of experience, and it shows in his newest book. Although I'm not usually a huge fan of the war/military genre, this book piqued my interest because it's about female suicide bombers. This story is so relevant it could've been taken directly from the headline news.

Blaze of Glory is the follow up book to Certain Jeopardy. Struecker is also the author of best seller Black Hawk Down which was made into a motion picture. A fantastic read for those who enjoy suspense, excitement and action. I appreciate the author's dedication and commitment to keeping faith in Christ as the center of his stories. Kudos to Jeff Struecker who proves that edgy, relevant fiction can be written without compromising your beliefs or integrity.

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