The Vietnam War rages in the first installment of Church’s Cooper Vietnam Era Quartet, which finds two estranged brothers, Byron and Laury Cooper, reunited years after their father’s death from suicide. Byron’s promising career as a Navy air fighter is taking off, but when planes start dropping out of the sky with their pilots trapped in the cockpits he discovers a sinister operation fueled by vicious avarice. On the home front, Laury, a former Marine, struggles with trauma and addiction, desperate to find peace after suffering a serious wound on his latest tour of duty. Laury stumbles upon an old family secret during his stay, one that connects his father’s death to the recent rash of jet failures, leading him to realize “…the only difference between any dead man and another is the trail they leave behind.”Church’s blend of family story, historical fiction, and thriller-quality suspense and action proves potent, but the book’s heart is in its people. The cast is rounded out by the Cooper brothers’ cousin, ensign Robin Haas, and Byron’s squad mate, Lieutenant Harry “Dakota” Stillwater. The characterization is as vividly rendered as the milieu, especially as investigation of the central mystery demands scrutiny of all of these connections. Writing with sharp, incisive prose, Church proves adept at handling the complexities of memory and relationships, as every recollection is tempered by the other’s perceptions and blind spots. “We choose our memories,” one character notes.
Church writes with conviction and clarity, drawing on experience serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Her experience shows in persuasive details of military life, and a keen understanding of military minds, making the moments of human drama as engaging as the suspense of the mystery plot. Readers eager for a mystery laced with intense action scenes and compelling family dynamics, will feast onDead Legend, the first entry of a promising series.
Takeaway: A strong opening to a series of thoughtful thrillers following one military family’s experience in the Vietnam era.
Great for fans of: Newton Thornburg’s Cutter and Bone, Marian Palaia’s The Given World.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
"Dead Legend is a taut thriller with a compelling plot and fascinating characters. I was quickly drawn into the world of the Cooper family, both brothers, Byron and Laury, and their cousin Robin. The family's tangled past is glimpsed in flashbacks, while their complicated story plays out against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Highly recommended."
"Church writes in a muscular prose that never loses its noirish register...there's something compelling about the milieu and the language that keeps the reader engaged, particularly as the mysteries of Mac Cooper begin to unravel."
