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Honor Due
In "Honor Due," the Major is an ex-Special Forces Vet whose years in 'Nam taught him the art of war. He'd worked covertly for the government until the '90s, when bone-tired of the killing, he walked away and lost himself in the Pacific Northwest. Until he's targeted by a Special Ops team, and forced to resume hunting in the old way. When he find his old Montagnard friend, former Rhade Striker, tortured and killed, and his friend's daughter hiding in the forest, he vows to take the vengeance owed his fallen brother and family. The Major's new mission is to unearth what happened 35 years earlier as South Vietnam was falling, that has triggered the current pursuit. Still mourning his Rhade wife and children killed in that far-away jungle, he doesn't expect to find, and does, another chance at love. "Honor Due" speaks for the soul of our citizen warriors, appealing to readers of both genders interested in the way soldiers view the world. Without glamorizing violence, "Honor Due" offers a tense drama and insights into the warrior's code, honor, personal responsibility and the necessity of keeping fang and claw sharp in this age of terrorism.
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2009
Honor Due
By David H. Brown
Received Military Writers 2008 Award
In a suspenseful, sometimes-funny first book in his Citizen Warrior Series, DAVID H. BROWN, in But the Major found he was no longer alone in his war. Not only did neighbors prove to be trustworthy, but Blon, too, sought revenge. And, as she watched the Major and had to depend upon him for her life, she sought, too, to fill the empty place in his heart that had long been empty. As the Major follows the clues and tracks the men responsible, still he searches for the reason, the “why” this was happening. What he ultimately discovers surprises him…as well as the readers!
Look for this suspense-packed first book soon. The Major is already on to something new in HONOR DEFENDED. You won’t want to miss the Citizen Warrior Series!
HONOR DUE, has won a prime location on my bookshelf as a must-read author. I have found that I really enjoy books written in first person. Although the majority of publishers require third person in fiction writing, I think first person allows a much more personal feeling for the reader. It is as if the main character, the Major, is sitting right across the table and telling you his story—once in a while tossing in a joke or a “smart-ass” remark or action that enables you to thoroughly enjoy meeting the character. The reader is privy to his internal dialogue, his thoughts, conversations with his dog, and even his arguments with God. Bringing in the special care that he must take as a diabetic, even during traumatic times, makes the storyline even more realistic. I think you’ll grow to love the sensitive, loving, and protective man that lies within the Major’s gruff and gritty exterior.
The Major is “an ex-special forces vet whose years in ‘Nam taught him what he needed to know to work as a covert agent for the shadow branches of the government when he returned home.” Continuing from the book description, “in the 90's he realized his bosses weren't taking terrorism seriously. Finally, a diabetic and completely tired of the life, he'd had enough of the killing, and one day he simply walked into the Pacific Northwest rainforest and lost himself”(page 2).
Having done reviews on two other books by former Vietnam veterans, (The Road from Here to Where You Stay and the Negligence of Death*) I have found a haunting spirit that surrounds those veterans and their stories about the Vietnam era. They sadden me, and yet pull me in to share what proves to be intimate parts of their lives. I am always grateful for that experience. Perhaps it is because I wrote to a friend who was in that war and he would never talk about what was happening there. Indeed, there are many veterans who cannot talk about their Vietnam service time. In a way, because of the controversies over the war and the unwillingness for involved soldiers to share their experiences, there is a certain mystique that seems to have developed. As a lover of mysteries, perhaps that is why I am continuously enthralled by those novels I find that are written by veterans of this puzzling war.
No matter the reason—veterans of Vietnam never quite give up their warrior persona. The Major didn’t and when he arrived in the rainforest he’d brought all of his skills and talents, as well as his memories. Deep inside he knew that even though he’d had enough of the killing and he was now a civilian, he knew also that he would still always be a warrior and would be prepared whenever he was forced to again play that role.
It was a good thing that he’d prepared.
When the stranger showed up, asking questions, carrying his picture from his service days, instinct immediately told the Major there was trouble coming. He didn’t know why yet, but his instinct told him—he would have to kill that stranger. So he did.
Many of the Major’s war memories surrounded his wife and child and her Montagnard family. Though his wife and child had been killed, he had worked to bring her family to the United States. Indeed he had met his wife through one of his warrior brothers, Ang. Now, as he followed the trail that the stranger had taken, he found that brother, to be tortured, dead.
But he also found evidence that someone had escaped—perhaps Ang’s wife? The Major had to find out.
One of my favorite characters is Black Dog—truly the Major’s best friend. As the Major tracked through the rainforest, it was Black Dog who discovered the hiding place, and would not leave it, until Blon, Ang’s daughter, had been found, nearly frozen, nearly dead.
As he doctored and nursed Blon back to health, the Major had plenty of time to think—why was this happening now and who was behind it? Considering those with whom he had worked years ago, he was able to realize one thing quickly. The stranger that had been sent and who murdered Ang was really another victim—he had been sent to his death, as surely as he had died. He had become a victim of war and for that he had honor due him. The Major would see that honor was given to both of his warrior brothers—Ang and the stranger!
But the Major found he was no longer alone in his war. Not only did neighbors prove to be trustworthy, but Blon, too, sought revenge. And, as she watched the Major and had to depend upon him for her life, she sought, too, to fill the empty place in his heart that had long been empty.
As the Major follows the clues and tracks the men responsible, still he searches for the reason, the “why” this was happening. What he ultimately discovers surprises him…as well as the readers!
Look for this suspense-packed first book and HONOR DEFENDED which was just published You won’t want to miss the Citizen Warrior Series!
By David H. Brown
Received Military Writers 2008 Award
In a suspenseful, sometimes-funny first book in his Citizen Warrior Series, DAVID H. BROWN, in But the Major found he was no longer alone in his war. Not only did neighbors prove to be trustworthy, but Blon, too, sought revenge. And, as she watched the Major and had to depend upon him for her life, she sought, too, to fill the empty place in his heart that had long been empty. As the Major follows the clues and tracks the men responsible, still he searches for the reason, the “why” this was happening. What he ultimately discovers surprises him…as well as the readers!
Look for this suspense-packed first book soon. The Major is already on to something new in HONOR DEFENDED. You won’t want to miss the Citizen Warrior Series!
HONOR DUE, has won a prime location on my bookshelf as a must-read author. I have found that I really enjoy books written in first person. Although the majority of publishers require third person in fiction writing, I think first person allows a much more personal feeling for the reader. It is as if the main character, the Major, is sitting right across the table and telling you his story—once in a while tossing in a joke or a “smart-ass” remark or action that enables you to thoroughly enjoy meeting the character. The reader is privy to his internal dialogue, his thoughts, conversations with his dog, and even his arguments with God. Bringing in the special care that he must take as a diabetic, even during traumatic times, makes the storyline even more realistic. I think you’ll grow to love the sensitive, loving, and protective man that lies within the Major’s gruff and gritty exterior.
The Major is “an ex-special forces vet whose years in ‘Nam taught him what he needed to know to work as a covert agent for the shadow branches of the government when he returned home.” Continuing from the book description, “in the 90's he realized his bosses weren't taking terrorism seriously. Finally, a diabetic and completely tired of the life, he'd had enough of the killing, and one day he simply walked into the Pacific Northwest rainforest and lost himself”(page 2).
Having done reviews on two other books by former Vietnam veterans, (The Road from Here to Where You Stay and the Negligence of Death*) I have found a haunting spirit that surrounds those veterans and their stories about the Vietnam era. They sadden me, and yet pull me in to share what proves to be intimate parts of their lives. I am always grateful for that experience. Perhaps it is because I wrote to a friend who was in that war and he would never talk about what was happening there. Indeed, there are many veterans who cannot talk about their Vietnam service time. In a way, because of the controversies over the war and the unwillingness for involved soldiers to share their experiences, there is a certain mystique that seems to have developed. As a lover of mysteries, perhaps that is why I am continuously enthralled by those novels I find that are written by veterans of this puzzling war.
No matter the reason—veterans of Vietnam never quite give up their warrior persona. The Major didn’t and when he arrived in the rainforest he’d brought all of his skills and talents, as well as his memories. Deep inside he knew that even though he’d had enough of the killing and he was now a civilian, he knew also that he would still always be a warrior and would be prepared whenever he was forced to again play that role.
It was a good thing that he’d prepared.
When the stranger showed up, asking questions, carrying his picture from his service days, instinct immediately told the Major there was trouble coming. He didn’t know why yet, but his instinct told him—he would have to kill that stranger. So he did.
Many of the Major’s war memories surrounded his wife and child and her Montagnard family. Though his wife and child had been killed, he had worked to bring her family to the United States. Indeed he had met his wife through one of his warrior brothers, Ang. Now, as he followed the trail that the stranger had taken, he found that brother, to be tortured, dead.
But he also found evidence that someone had escaped—perhaps Ang’s wife? The Major had to find out.
One of my favorite characters is Black Dog—truly the Major’s best friend. As the Major tracked through the rainforest, it was Black Dog who discovered the hiding place, and would not leave it, until Blon, Ang’s daughter, had been found, nearly frozen, nearly dead.
As he doctored and nursed Blon back to health, the Major had plenty of time to think—why was this happening now and who was behind it? Considering those with whom he had worked years ago, he was able to realize one thing quickly. The stranger that had been sent and who murdered Ang was really another victim—he had been sent to his death, as surely as he had died. He had become a victim of war and for that he had honor due him. The Major would see that honor was given to both of his warrior brothers—Ang and the stranger!
But the Major found he was no longer alone in his war. Not only did neighbors prove to be trustworthy, but Blon, too, sought revenge. And, as she watched the Major and had to depend upon him for her life, she sought, too, to fill the empty place in his heart that had long been empty.
As the Major follows the clues and tracks the men responsible, still he searches for the reason, the “why” this was happening. What he ultimately discovers surprises him…as well as the readers!
Look for this suspense-packed first book and HONOR DEFENDED which was just published You won’t want to miss the Citizen Warrior Series!
January 30, 2009
Honor Due
By D. H. Brown
Fast Paced, Gripping, And As Real As It Gets!
Hold on to your seat and make sure it's a comfortable seat because once you start reading this fast-paced, gripping tale of mystery, suspense and revenge you won't want to get up until you've read the last word.
Some 30-plus years after the Vietnam war has ended one ex-special forces vet, "the Major", finds some unpleasant remnant of that war has returned and is waiting in the shadows of his personal, backwoods retreat and is about to strike. But why? Who are they? What do they want?
D. H. Brown writes with the confidence of a man who has "been there and done that". A brief excerpt from late in the book is but one example:
_________________________________________________
As quick as I was, before the charge hit him, his combat trained reflexes had brought the M4 around in an arc sending a short silenced burst just over my head. I was already throwing myself forward to his left when he went down. The initial spasm locked his trigger finger, emptying the magazine into the air and off to my rear.
I was already swarming him when the soft clinking of the suppressed assault rifle stopped. Bits of matter from the dense canopy of the forest began floating down. It was another hurried thirty count of effort to tie him up like a roped calf. No tape or sedative this time. I wanted some answers.
The woods had gone silent. The worse predators on earth were arguing.
_________________________________________________
The writing, the actual execution of the story, is not only impressive for a first-time novelist, it stands up to that of many seasoned novelists whose works are found on the best seller lists. The characters are so vivid you can see them clearly in your mind's eye. Hell, even the dog in the story has a personality. The main character, the Major, seemed so real, in so many ways, I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't actually based on the author, D.H. Brown, himself.
Several adjectives come immediately to mind when I think back on my reading experience with Honor Due: gritty, haunting, suspenseful, and immensely satisfying are at the top of the list.
You want to curl up with a good, gritty, suspense-filled mystery in which the characters are real, living, breathing, dying, crying, laughing, hopeless, hopeful, flesh and blood people? Oh, and a big black dog as faithful and smart as they come? Then I sincerely recommend D. H. Brown's Honor Due.
Review by
Gary Val Tenuta
Author of The Ezekiel Code
www.ezekielcode.com
By D. H. Brown
Fast Paced, Gripping, And As Real As It Gets!
Hold on to your seat and make sure it's a comfortable seat because once you start reading this fast-paced, gripping tale of mystery, suspense and revenge you won't want to get up until you've read the last word.
Some 30-plus years after the Vietnam war has ended one ex-special forces vet, "the Major", finds some unpleasant remnant of that war has returned and is waiting in the shadows of his personal, backwoods retreat and is about to strike. But why? Who are they? What do they want?
D. H. Brown writes with the confidence of a man who has "been there and done that". A brief excerpt from late in the book is but one example:
_________________________________________________
As quick as I was, before the charge hit him, his combat trained reflexes had brought the M4 around in an arc sending a short silenced burst just over my head. I was already throwing myself forward to his left when he went down. The initial spasm locked his trigger finger, emptying the magazine into the air and off to my rear.
I was already swarming him when the soft clinking of the suppressed assault rifle stopped. Bits of matter from the dense canopy of the forest began floating down. It was another hurried thirty count of effort to tie him up like a roped calf. No tape or sedative this time. I wanted some answers.
The woods had gone silent. The worse predators on earth were arguing.
_________________________________________________
The writing, the actual execution of the story, is not only impressive for a first-time novelist, it stands up to that of many seasoned novelists whose works are found on the best seller lists. The characters are so vivid you can see them clearly in your mind's eye. Hell, even the dog in the story has a personality. The main character, the Major, seemed so real, in so many ways, I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't actually based on the author, D.H. Brown, himself.
Several adjectives come immediately to mind when I think back on my reading experience with Honor Due: gritty, haunting, suspenseful, and immensely satisfying are at the top of the list.
You want to curl up with a good, gritty, suspense-filled mystery in which the characters are real, living, breathing, dying, crying, laughing, hopeless, hopeful, flesh and blood people? Oh, and a big black dog as faithful and smart as they come? Then I sincerely recommend D. H. Brown's Honor Due.
Review by
Gary Val Tenuta
Author of The Ezekiel Code
www.ezekielcode.com
November 18, 2008
Winner of the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) 2008 Silver Medal for Fiction.
HONOR DUE introduces The Major, a Special Forces Vet whose years in Vietnam taught him the art of covert war. He continued to work for Uncle Sam until bone-tired of the killing he lost himself in the Pacific Northwest wilderness where he built a retreat complete with hot tub and killing fields.
Now he's been targeted by a Special Ops team and forced to resume hunting in the old way. When he finds his old Montagnard friend, a former Rhade Striker, tortured and killed in an abandoned homestead, he follows a trail into the trees where his friend's daughter, H'Blon, is hidden away inside an ancient deadfall. The Major's new mission is to unearth what happened so long ago in Vietnam that has triggered this current pursuit.
HONOR DUE is a gripping tale simply told about living an honorable life, haunting memories from the Vietnam War and settling old scores. It's also about hair-raising hunts, personal responsibility, tender and strong women and strong and tender men.
The Major believes in keeping teeth and claw sharp. He has a sense of humor that will crack your funny bone in unexpected places. He also has an unblinking eye in the face of danger and knows his weaponry and neck of the woods like the back of his hand. He is, however, a man with a frozen heart until H'Blon turns on the burners. This is a warrior who'd rather face flying bullets than flaming female glances yet being a dogged man he persists, even if sometimes he must extract foot from mouth.
With not a wasted word, D. H. Brown has crafted a fast-paced, electrifying manly thriller (and love story - is that an oxymoron?) about how the past can come back to bite you, about giving honor due to fallen brothers-in-arms and stepping forward into the future.
Like elk steaks, free-range chicken eggs, home-baked pies with apples from the orchard and good coffee, HONOR DUE is a satisfying read with something to say about how we live our lives.
HONOR DUE is dedicated to "those we left behind."
D. H. BROWN worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Vietnam and received the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal w/2 Stars and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/Palm. He is a proud Life Member of DAV, NRA and SAASAVA. www.bigriverpress.com
What I learnt is that though this is a work of fiction, writing down the stories can help heal the wounds.
HONOR DUE introduces The Major, a Special Forces Vet whose years in Vietnam taught him the art of covert war. He continued to work for Uncle Sam until bone-tired of the killing he lost himself in the Pacific Northwest wilderness where he built a retreat complete with hot tub and killing fields.
Now he's been targeted by a Special Ops team and forced to resume hunting in the old way. When he finds his old Montagnard friend, a former Rhade Striker, tortured and killed in an abandoned homestead, he follows a trail into the trees where his friend's daughter, H'Blon, is hidden away inside an ancient deadfall. The Major's new mission is to unearth what happened so long ago in Vietnam that has triggered this current pursuit.
HONOR DUE is a gripping tale simply told about living an honorable life, haunting memories from the Vietnam War and settling old scores. It's also about hair-raising hunts, personal responsibility, tender and strong women and strong and tender men.
The Major believes in keeping teeth and claw sharp. He has a sense of humor that will crack your funny bone in unexpected places. He also has an unblinking eye in the face of danger and knows his weaponry and neck of the woods like the back of his hand. He is, however, a man with a frozen heart until H'Blon turns on the burners. This is a warrior who'd rather face flying bullets than flaming female glances yet being a dogged man he persists, even if sometimes he must extract foot from mouth.
With not a wasted word, D. H. Brown has crafted a fast-paced, electrifying manly thriller (and love story - is that an oxymoron?) about how the past can come back to bite you, about giving honor due to fallen brothers-in-arms and stepping forward into the future.
Like elk steaks, free-range chicken eggs, home-baked pies with apples from the orchard and good coffee, HONOR DUE is a satisfying read with something to say about how we live our lives.
HONOR DUE is dedicated to "those we left behind."
D. H. BROWN worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Vietnam and received the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal w/2 Stars and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/Palm. He is a proud Life Member of DAV, NRA and SAASAVA. www.bigriverpress.com
What I learnt is that though this is a work of fiction, writing down the stories can help heal the wounds.
June 17, 2008
D.H. Brown's Honor Due is about a retired Army Special Operations Major, who is thrown back into the arena of warfare. “Once a special op's warrior always special op's warrior”. You don't ever let your guard down. You learn things about people and their ways that you wish you never had. You always stay prepared.
The Major takes one look at the guy who entered his local watering hole and the warning bells of survival start to ring. He doesn't ignore these bells because they have served him well his whole adult life and kept him alive in some of the worse battles in Vietnam. Looking at this young man, the Major knows three things. One, someone wants him dead. Two, someone has made the ultimate mistake of bringing him back into the game of warfare. Three, he is going to have to kill this guy.
Finding his longtime friend from Vietnam tortured to death was a low blow and one someone would pay for. The Major is now set on a mission of revenge and he’s back in a zone – predator vs. prey. There’s a blood debt that must be paid and he won’t stop until it is paid in full.
D.H. Brown has written a top-notch novel. The suspense that he has put in this book will keep you turning the pages or tossing and turning through the night if you dare put it down before reaching it’s end. In his debut novel he shows the reader that he has mastered the art bringing the reader inside his world. You won’t only read Brown’s novel – you will feel his characters to your very core.
Brown has earned a space on my book shelf with this superb tale and I look forward to reading more of his work. This is just the beginning of the Citizen Warrior Series and I wait anxiously for the next. Excellent work and highly recommended! 5-Stars, Reviewed by Michael S. Timlin, Authors on the Rise Book Reviews.
The Major takes one look at the guy who entered his local watering hole and the warning bells of survival start to ring. He doesn't ignore these bells because they have served him well his whole adult life and kept him alive in some of the worse battles in Vietnam. Looking at this young man, the Major knows three things. One, someone wants him dead. Two, someone has made the ultimate mistake of bringing him back into the game of warfare. Three, he is going to have to kill this guy.
Finding his longtime friend from Vietnam tortured to death was a low blow and one someone would pay for. The Major is now set on a mission of revenge and he’s back in a zone – predator vs. prey. There’s a blood debt that must be paid and he won’t stop until it is paid in full.
D.H. Brown has written a top-notch novel. The suspense that he has put in this book will keep you turning the pages or tossing and turning through the night if you dare put it down before reaching it’s end. In his debut novel he shows the reader that he has mastered the art bringing the reader inside his world. You won’t only read Brown’s novel – you will feel his characters to your very core.
Brown has earned a space on my book shelf with this superb tale and I look forward to reading more of his work. This is just the beginning of the Citizen Warrior Series and I wait anxiously for the next. Excellent work and highly recommended! 5-Stars, Reviewed by Michael S. Timlin, Authors on the Rise Book Reviews.
December 6, 2008
fascinating new protagonist
Part Lee Child's Jack Reacher and part F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack, D. H. Brown has created an appealing and fascinating character in Major. He's a present-day Vietnam vet who is unable and maybe even unwilling to shake his killing past. He nurses his diabetes and his lonely heart, and he's retreated to a square-mile fortified compound in the Olympic Peninsula to live out the rest of his life pursuing honor and peace.
HONOR DUE tells how a problem from Major's past reaches out to cause the death of his Vietnamese war buddy and threaten his family. Major must settle a life debt, redeem the family's honor, and stop some good-guys-turned-bad from killing him and his newly-found love.
Major is a resolute and totally sympathetic character. I got caught up in his battles of honor, I cheered him as he mended both body and heart, and now I'm waiting to follow him into his next mission.
Part Lee Child's Jack Reacher and part F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack, D. H. Brown has created an appealing and fascinating character in Major. He's a present-day Vietnam vet who is unable and maybe even unwilling to shake his killing past. He nurses his diabetes and his lonely heart, and he's retreated to a square-mile fortified compound in the Olympic Peninsula to live out the rest of his life pursuing honor and peace.
HONOR DUE tells how a problem from Major's past reaches out to cause the death of his Vietnamese war buddy and threaten his family. Major must settle a life debt, redeem the family's honor, and stop some good-guys-turned-bad from killing him and his newly-found love.
Major is a resolute and totally sympathetic character. I got caught up in his battles of honor, I cheered him as he mended both body and heart, and now I'm waiting to follow him into his next mission.
September 26, 2009
This review comes with a warning: Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down! And I need to qualify my opinion by stating categorically that this is NOT a genre I generally read. However, David Brown writes so well and so believably that you'll be hooked by the second page. Fascinating characters, plot twists and turns and a facility for language all make this a must read. Can't wait to see the next in the series. I look forward to spending time with The Major again.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews