Semper Fly

by Kent McInnis

Family, flight, and a fight for life.

Bestselling author Kent McInnis masterfully concludes his Sierra Hotel trilogy with Semper Fly, a gripping yarn exploring the aftermath of war and the enduring spirit of those who served.

In the wake of the Vietnam War, Rob Amity's life is a portrait of the American dream turned turbulent. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, he finds prosperity in Oklahoma's oil boom and joy in his marriage to Suzy and her son Sean.

While Rob's passion for flying is reignited after a decade, his return to the skies is marred by a pattern of escalating harassment over his military service. When an ordinary father-son camping trip spirals into confrontation, he dismisses it as nothing more than macho bluster—but he couldn’t be more wrong. Unbeknownst to Rob, he and his family have become pawns in a deadly game targeting veterans. Hunted down and kidnapped during a visit to the Grand Canyon, they’re forced to confront just how deeply the scars of Vietnam still run. How could this have happened in the America they know and love? Will these wounds ever heal? And can they ever hope to fly home in peace, free from the ghosts of the past?

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 4, 2023

About the author

Kent McInnis, Air Force jet pilot, pharmaceutical salesman, and history foundation chairman, is now a bestselling author. Born and raised in Oklahoma, he led a life right out of Leave It to Beaver. Inspired by reading Tom Sawyer, he began writing his own tales in Fifth Grade. Throughout high school and college, he kept diaries. While flying for the Air Force, he completed his first novel, then began a second book which he sold years later as the novel, Sierra Hotel.
Schooled in Oklahoma City, he graduated college at Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Ethology (animal behavior). Later he earned a master’s degree in History of the Southwest, which led him to writing historical fiction.
Following his debut Air Force novels, the Sierra Hotel Trilogy, McInnis delved into a new novel based on his career in medicine as a drug rep or detail man. Collecting years of stories of doctors, patients, pharmacists, and fellow salesman, his latest novel, Detail Man, weaves a tale of life in the medical arena. McInnis goes beyond people in the industry and takes his reader to an understanding of the big picture of companies involved in government regulations. Names of people and drugs have been changed, not only to protect the innocent, but to protect the author. Real life is often more fascinating than fiction.
Kent McInnis and wife Cheryl live in Oklahoma City, enjoying the company of a thousand friends they have met over a lifetime together.

Reviews

[Alan Hollingsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another feather in the cap for Kent McInnis as he wraps up the trilogy that began with Rob Amity's enlistment in the Air Force in "Sierra Hotel." As with all trilogies, there's a reason 3 books are grouped together. And while one could still enjoy "Semper Fly" by itself, the story is so much more meaningful when the entire trilogy is taken together. Note: I don't know if this book wraps up the adventures of Rob Amity, but if there are more on the way, then we move beyond a trilogy into the realm of a "series." Hopefully, we will see more of Rob Amity and his family. The theme of "Semper Fly" is an extension of an idea introduced in "Clear and a Million," and that is the shocking way in which vets were treated at the conclusion of Vietnam (and for many years thereafter). The metaphorical concept of "cultural tattoos" is an effort to explain the phenomenon of veteran abuse within the context of human nature. McInnis is a master storyteller, and is fun to read because the narrative is deceptively low-key and detail rich, right up to the point when the reader gets hit with a 2X4. The story is especially fun for local readers, many of whom remember (and attended) Camp Classen with its unforgettable multi-level diving platform in the lake. While aeronautics form a background throughout the trilogy, there is no need for one to be a pilot to enjoy the trilogy. The reader's enjoyment will come from the story and characters in a unique environment. In the Preface, McInnis states that a primary motivation for writing the trilogy was to let his characters "do the dirty work" of exacting vengeance. That is probably true for many novels. Nevertheless, the author accomplishes exactly what he set out to do, and that makes it a great and thoughtful read.

[Judy Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the best book of the three! The author just keeps getting better each novel. I can’t wait to read his next book. The first two books are necessary so that the reader knows the history. In this book, each character is much more defined. I could not put the book down.