BOOK REVIEW: Good War - Terry Dee

TITLE: Good War
AUTHOR: Terry Dee
PUBLISHED BY: Vanguard Press

Themes of love and hate, good war and bad war, winners and losers, feature in this debut novel. It is a tale of two men as they navigate life in the days leading up to and into World War II. It is set in war time rather than being a war story which takes place in war-torn Germany and tells the tale of two different personalities, one selfish and cruel, the other innocent and honourable seeking to protect others even at risk to himself.

The story starts in 1939, one week before the start of World War II. As the tale unfolds we learn about John Paige from him being an evacuee at the age of thirteen with his sister Marion to him being called up to join the army and his meeting with Samuel Plant, a street-wise lad from the backstreets of the East End of London. The story culminates in 1948 with an unexpected twist.

This debut novel is an easy-to-read, credible story which follows the two men and their clash of personalities. Readers will want to know if they reconcile their differences and find friendship even though they are so different. It is a gripping read and an excellent stand-alone story. It held my interest and I was totally unprepared for the unexpected ending.

I enjoyed the author’s style of writing, very easy to follow and the scenes are well detailed with local references and it captures the mood of the time well. The characters are well-rounded and easy to get to know due to the author’s likable writing style. It is a page-turner I very much regretted finishing.

This is an excellent stand-alone book and is followed by a subsequent story entitled, Gold War which I very much look forward to reading.

Reviewer - Anne Pritchard