Simple Faith by Anna Schmidt

Simple Faith by Anna Schmidt - 320 pages

In this sequel to All God's Children, the story of Beth, Josef, and Anja continues.  The story mainly follows Anja, a minor character in the first story, as she runs an escape line for downed airmen, known as "evaders," out of Brussels during World War II.  At the beginning of the story, Second Lieutenant Peter Trent is shot down and injured above Anja's grandparent's farm.  They take him in during his recovery, then he is moved to Beth and Josef's new cafe for rehab.  Once he is better, Peter is started on his path to freedom through Occupied France and Spain.  However, the Gestapo is on to Anja, Beth, and Josef's work on the escape line, forcing Anja to leave with Peter as she is their main target.  They travel with guide Mikel and her son, Daniel.  Will they survive?  What will happen to Beth and Josef?

I enjoyed this book more than the first.  Hearing a tale about the escape lines for downed airmen was a first and I wouldn't mind reading more fiction and some non-fiction about this lesser known aspect of history (the battled get all the hype).

Rules of Engagement by Joe Weber

Rules of Engagement by Joe Weber - 399 pages

Rules of Engagement is the book that is the prequel to a novel I read earlier this month, Targets of Opportunity.  In this book, we see the beginnings of Brad Austin's military career and his loan to a Naval carrier-based F-4 squadron.  The first half of the book consists of one dogfight after another; thus a slow start.  Then once the middle is reached, the story picks up.  Brad meets and falls in love with a girl on leave.  While on a mission, he ignores the rules of engagement that set the tone for the beginnings of the Vietnam War.  The latter half of the book deals with the fallout of these events.  Throughout the novel, we see the comradery between the squadron mates, especially his radar intercept officer and fellow pilot Nick Palmer whom is the other lead of Targets of Opportunity.

Targets of Opportunity by Joe Weber

Targets of Opportunity by Joe Weber - 335 pages

This older book I found among the discards was worth reading.  The novel spins the tail of Brad Austin, a Vietnam War era pilot, and a mission he and some fellow pilots are undertaking.  In conjunction with the CIA, the team is using a captured MiG-17 in battles to target the North Vietnamese fighters and strafe their bases.  The clever deception, while initially working, soon shows its problems.

In addition to being an interesting read, the novel was penned by a former Vietnam War fighter pilot.  Based on this, I figure the terminology, comradery, and description of both the country and bases are pretty accurate.