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tom behr
Author
Blood Brothers: Courage and Treachery on the Shores of Tripoli
tom behr, author
In 1805, in the war-ravaged Mediterranean, Henry Doyle, a soldier of fortune−and professional killer−arrives at a squalid tavern in the roughest section of Malta for a meeting with a man he should hate. His appointment: William Eaton, an American army officer, Indian fighter, and secret agent for Thomas Jefferson. Eaton is plotting a daring venture: the invasion of Tripoli to liberate three hundred Americans held hostage by the Pasha of Tripoli, place a pro-American ruler on Tripoli’s throne, and bring freedom to a Muslim country that has known only tyranny. Eaton has money to spend–for a scout to lead his rag tag invading army of Arabs, European mercenaries, and seven US Marines across five hundred miles of merciless desert to attack an Arab army ten times their size. Raised by the Mohawk Indians in the 1770’s, Doyle’s memories of the destruction of his people by the American army during the Revolution are still painful after twenty-five years–and bitter. But in spite of his feelings, Doyle accepts the assignment. Eaton’s mission throws together two unlikely allies: Doyle and the half-brother he never knew he had, Peter Kirkpatrick, Like the country he serves, Peter Kirkpatrick is driven by the need to demonstrate the power of America’s ideals the only way he understands: uncompromising victory over America’s enemies. When he joins Eaton’s mission, Kirkpatrick plunges into an unfamiliar, unforgiving world that will test him−and America’s character as a nation−to the breaking point. For Doyle, the question becomes: do I help my brother−or let him die? Fans of historical novels will love the novel’s tension-filled journey into three mysterious, treacherous expanses: the Mediterranean Sea, the equally vast Sahara Desert, and the ancient, corrupt cities of Egypt−all capable of swallowing up dreams−and lives.
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews

In 1804, a small force led by a contingent of U.S. Marines sets out to defeat a much larger army and capture Tripoli.

 

After years of wandering, Henry Doyle, the bastard son of an Irishman and raised by Mohawk Indians, is now a soldier of fortune in North Africa. He finds himself working with the Americans—the very people who massacred the Mohawk and drove him from his native land—as they attempt to invade Tripoli and place an American puppet on the throne, putting an end to years of piracy and, in the process, setting free several hundred American sailors captured by the brutal Pasha of Tripoli.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, Capt. Peter Kirkpatrick, who, unbeknownst to both men is Doyle’s half-brother, is a rising star in the U.S. Navy in command of the USS Eagle. Doyle and Kirkpatrick support William Eaton, a former officer in the Army who is leading the assault on Tripoli. But the mission is opposed by powerful forces—and elements within the U.S. military—who work to undermine Eaton at every step, making the odds of success for the ragtag Army very slim indeed. Written in crisp, compelling prose, the plot is deeply rooted in history.

 

The action sequences, especially the naval encounters, are exceedingly well-done, full of enough detail to bring them to life without bogging down the action. The breadth of the author’s knowledge of history, local culture, military and naval technology and strategy of the time, religion, language and more is simply staggering, and the dialogue is clear, but peppered with enough period detail to make it ring true.  The plot is labyrinthine, but readers who follow it carefully will be richly rewarded.

An exceptional book, full of rich historical and cultural detail, great characters and thrilling action scenes.

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