The Comandante's Gift

by Frank Gallo

The Comandante's Gift is an action-adventure novel historically based on the Contra-Sandinista war in Nicaragua during the 1980's. It weaves the culture and geography of the area into the story as two heroines aid the escape of a downed CIA pilot. There are romance and many close calls as the Sandinista Army pursues. The politics of the time are an important part of the story. The Contra movement against the Sandinista Marxist-Leninist government eventually led to a negotiated truce between the two and the loss of political control by the Sandinistas in 1990. The story takes place in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and to a minor extent Honduras and Guatemala. 2nd Printing in March 2014.

254 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2012

Reviews

[Joel Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book's historical view of the Nicaragua Contra struggle and that part of the world.

It's a good story, mostly about the escape of a downed pilot from behind enemy lines, and the main character is engaging, the story was captivating and held my attention, and the whole story seemed authentic.

There were a few weird mistakes with Spanish ("Buenos Noches" bugged me a bit), but nothing that will bother you if you don't speak the language.

[Claudette · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me this book was very informative in regards to much of the Sandinista and Contra conflict from a humanistic point of view rather than like a textbook. The story centers around a downed pilot and his efforts to avoid being captured. The book was especially engaging for me as I was in Granada Nicaragua and parts of Costa Rica mentioned in the book as I was reading it.

[Dawnimbriglio Imbriglio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it while I was vacationing in the area which made the subject matter really interesting. Not a bad read.