Destiny
While Don Brown’s latest book, a prequel to the Navy Justice series, will not be finding parallels in life as Treason had in the Fort Hood shooting, it is still not a book to be missed. Walter Brewer, a rural postal carrier in North Carolina, is torn: his brother has just died during the Pearl Harbor attacks, and he feels it is his duty to serve, but he has a wife and family as well as his brother’s family to take care of. Ultimately, Brewer joins the Army and becomes an officer in a new paratroop unit.
In Germany, Heinrick Schultz is doing everything he can to climb the SS ladder. After participating in the Kristallnacht events, Heinrick is selected to attend SS officer school. Eventually, Heinrick serves with Rommel in both North Africa and Normandy. Dawin McLoud is a momma’s boy who loves theater and the arts but worries that he is not living up to his father’s distinguished British naval career so he volunteers for a new British Special Forces unit. What none of these men realize is that the war will bring their families closer than any of them could imagine.
Don Brown’s writing is strong and works to bring the three story lines together. Emotions run the gambit, from joy to grief, hate to love, anger to compassion. There are quite a few “letters” in the novel that broke up the pacing, but not enough for me to want to put the book away. If you are a fan of Christian WWII novels – there are a good deal of references to Christian morals and beliefs – then this book is right up your alley.