Marines and Renegades

An American Authors Association Review Marines and Renegades is about the Marines on Guam at the end of World War II, Japanese soldiers who've been made prisoners, and a handful of Japanese still in-hiding who are determined to continue the war. Rackovitch has done an excellent job introducing strong, well-defined and believable characters--American and Japanese. We are given insight into the characters' backgrounds and their point of view, which in turn, gives the reader clues as to the motivation that guides the harrowing events that unfold. Though this is after the war has been declared over, the aftermath is still bloody as the battle continues. The author has done an excellent job portraying the realities of war and its effect on the men who fight it. This is one of the best war novels this reviewer has read. * For mature readers, language, sex and violence. Review done by American Authors Association member: --Marilyn Meredith, Author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series and other books. See what's new at: http://fictionforyou.com Judgment Fire, Eppie Finalist NEW BLOG at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

Most books about the Marines in WW2 focus on the fighting and the island-hopping campaigns; author and former Marine Gene Rackovitch takes the unusual focus of the Marines and Japanese on Guam - after the Japanese surrender. The Marines kill two surrendering Japanese who they think are dangerous, and the surviving (but not surrendering) Japanese officer then seeks revenge. As much a murder mystery as a war novel, Rackovitch is a good novelist who describes the starving Japanese on the island is detail, along with the casual, comfortable, and victorious Marines. There are both heros and villains on both sides of this story, along with an unfortunately typical Marine ending. Rackovitch was stationed on Guam after the war, and he draws on his experiences to describe the island, the weather, and the jungle. Additionally, he uses his tour in the Marines as a rich source of information in depicting the various types of Marines with whom he likely served. Both Marines and non-Marines will enjoy this unusual story of the Marines and Japanese and on Guam after the war ended in 1945. Well Done !!