THE UVALDE RAIDER
A Templar Family Novel
BY BEN H. ENGLISH
The time is the eve of the First Gulf War. The place an abandoned World War II emergency landing strip for heavy bombers, nestled amid the near countless miles upon miles of wide openness in West Texas.
Here a climactic battle will be fought, while the rest of the world focuses on what would become known as Operation Desert Storm.
But in some ways, the stakes here are even higher as men from other places and past conflicts gamble all that they are, and all they ever were, to prevent a catastrophic terrorist attack unthinkable before on an American city.
One group seeks wholesale slaughter, the murder of helpless civilians on a massive scale. The other strives to stop this evil in any way possible, and by whatever means necessary.
The key to either side’s success or failure?
One old Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, an enduring symbol from another war and ensuing catastrophe of a different era. This relic of a not so distant past is named ‘The Uvalde Raider,’ and this is its story…
“Over the next hour, the most sinister plan ever devised by any principal of modern terrorism would reach full engagement, and what occurred then would be completely irreversible.”
The Uvalde Raider by Ben H. English is a fantastic combination of a slow build up to get acquainted with the characters and an action-packed thrill ride. Texas state trooper and ex-Marine and Vietnam vet Micah Templar is meeting his uncle, ex-military pilot Zeke Templar, and his uncle’s German friend, Max Grephardt, at a private West Texas hangar. Unfortunately for the three men, their lives are about to switch gears, thrusting them right into the hands of Yahla al-Qassam, a terrorist with the plan to use a deadly nerve agent to fulfill a perceived prophecy in the name of Allah. The target is San Antonio, Texas, a military city with a large population. Caught off guard, the three men are now hostages, tied up and at the mercy of a madman and his band of evil followers. Stopping the dastardly scheme will take courage and all the combat training the three men acquired during their past tours of military warfare. The big question is will they be able to stop these terrorists in time, before they can use Zeke’s beloved Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the Uvalde Raider, to unleash barrels of a nerve agent onto an unsuspecting major city and beyond? Failure for Micah and the other two men is simply not an option.
Ben H. English delivers a realistic tale of unimaginable horror and does an outstanding job of balancing such evil with an abundance of altruistic bravery. The Uvalde Raider encompasses the popular plot of good versus evil, with layers of superior literary characterization, Christian beliefs in the midst of trials and chaos, and historical journeys into global wars and conflicts. The Uvalde Raider has it all and then some. Romance, however, is not a theme here, unless you count love of country, family, and friends. What you will find is a gripping story that will make you ponder the plausibility of such a full-scale, terrorist massacre on US soil and wonder if it really is a matter of when and not if.
The overall pace starts off quick and engaging and then slows down quite a bit when the story swings backward as Max reflects on his life as a German pilot during WWII and how he met his lifelong friend, Zeke Templar, during that same war. At the half-way mark, the story returns to the present predicament for the three men and rockets forward faster than a B-17 bomber. Hang on tight because the action in The Uvalde Raider is laden with brazen grit and raw adrenaline!
The Uvalde Raider is a great fit for readers who love historical fiction with plenty of heart-pounding action and a plot that is a little too believable, ghastly, and spine chilling. This story, however, shows that heroes are out there and ready and willing step in and do all they can to serve, protect, and sacrifice, both on the ground and in the air.
But there is more here than meets the eye, and as the first in this Templar Family series, The Uvalde Raider ends on a note of expectation and a promise of more excitement to come.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Click to visit the
LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE
for direct links to each stop on the tour, updated daily, or visit the blogs directly:
6/28/21 |
Review |
|
6/28/21 |
Kick-off Promo |
|
6/29/21 |
BONUS Promo |
|
6/29/21 |
Author Interview |
|
6/29/21 |
Excerpt |
|
6/30/21 |
Review |
|
6/30/21 |
Character Spotlight |
|
7/1/21 |
Review |
|
7/1/21 |
Guest Post |
|
7/2/21 |
Review |
|
7/2/21 |
Series Spotlight |
Book Touring Services Provided By:
I would like to thank Ruthie Jones for her very kind words in the review of my latest book ‘The Uvalde Raider.’ They are much appreciated, ma’am, and thank you for making the time to read and comment so positively on it!
My pleasure entirely. I love the characterization, and the plot really grabbed my attention, especially since I’m from San Antonio 🙂 but also because it’s quite terrifying and gripping.
Thank you again, ma’am. This is the second historical novel of a planned twelve volume series, stretching back to the time of the Crusaders being pushed out of The Holy Land. Please stay tuned!