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A Handful of Might
1975
Blake Drysdale is an aviator, smuggler and all-round crook.
Accepting a mission from British Intelligence, he and his crew find themselves dropped into the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War in pursuit of a fugitive Nazi war criminal and a fortune in gold. On the run, they take flight across the globe and discover a shocking conspiracy stretching back to the Second World War... which Blake may or may not have already known about.
Caught between a mad CIA agent's obsession and deadly Soviet revenge, Blake Drysdale must fight to protect the world and his friends... and let's not forget about the gold.
Blake Drysdale is an aviator, smuggler and all-round crook.
Accepting a mission from British Intelligence, he and his crew find themselves dropped into the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War in pursuit of a fugitive Nazi war criminal and a fortune in gold. On the run, they take flight across the globe and discover a shocking conspiracy stretching back to the Second World War... which Blake may or may not have already known about.
Caught between a mad CIA agent's obsession and deadly Soviet revenge, Blake Drysdale must fight to protect the world and his friends... and let's not forget about the gold.
312 pages, ebook
Published June 1, 2018
42 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 6, 2018
Brief Summary
Blake Drysdale is an aviator, smuggler, and an ex-pilot for the Royal Air Force. Drysdale's crew consists of Sally, the female African-American pilot who deserted the U.S. air force, Anton, the Ukrainion national who provides any and all brute force necessary, and Felix "the Cat," an American master forger. Needless to say, there is more to Blake Drysdale and his crew than initially meets the eye. What starts off as a simple smuggling job, sixteen million dollars worth of gold, turns into an all-out thrill ride that encompasses past, present, and future.
Set at the end of the Vietnam war, Drysdale and his crew race against the U.S.A.'s C.I.A. department and the Soviet Union in a desperate attempt to see who will recover the mysterious Doktor Meier and his secret Nazi weapon first. Along the way, Drysdale and his crew become involved in something much bigger than gold and wealth; their actions will determine the safety of the whole world.
Review
This is the first five-star review that I have given and it is well-deserved. This is the type of book that I could not put down and once I finished, I picked it up and read it again! Joel Green presents realistic and appealing characters. Every character, from major to minor, feels unique and organic. Readers will not be able to help themselves as they fall in love with Drysdale and his crew who are really family more than anything else. In particular, I want to highlight Green's character "Sally" who breaks stereotypes and lives life according to her own dang rules.
Green is even able to put in some romantic tension without the plot becoming soppy or deviating from its purpose. A Handful of Might is a race from start to finish. There is no down-time so readers are compelled to keep reading, pushing past every twist and turn to finally discover the truth. I hesitate to write more for fear that I will start giving away spoilers.
I'll admit, I am not a fan of cussing in books. However, every cuss word within this book felt extremely natural and realistic for the time period, setting, and action. Regardless of this, I am putting on a Reader Advisory Warning for strong and frequent language, moments of sexuality, and one graphic torture scene.
Recommendations
I highly recommend A Handful of Might to all readers 18+ (see again my Reader Advisory Warning). If you are not bothered by the language, you will love this book. It has action, suspense, romance, mystery, intrigue, humor, and did I mention, action? Seriously, it's a great read!
Blake Drysdale is an aviator, smuggler, and an ex-pilot for the Royal Air Force. Drysdale's crew consists of Sally, the female African-American pilot who deserted the U.S. air force, Anton, the Ukrainion national who provides any and all brute force necessary, and Felix "the Cat," an American master forger. Needless to say, there is more to Blake Drysdale and his crew than initially meets the eye. What starts off as a simple smuggling job, sixteen million dollars worth of gold, turns into an all-out thrill ride that encompasses past, present, and future.
Set at the end of the Vietnam war, Drysdale and his crew race against the U.S.A.'s C.I.A. department and the Soviet Union in a desperate attempt to see who will recover the mysterious Doktor Meier and his secret Nazi weapon first. Along the way, Drysdale and his crew become involved in something much bigger than gold and wealth; their actions will determine the safety of the whole world.
Review
This is the first five-star review that I have given and it is well-deserved. This is the type of book that I could not put down and once I finished, I picked it up and read it again! Joel Green presents realistic and appealing characters. Every character, from major to minor, feels unique and organic. Readers will not be able to help themselves as they fall in love with Drysdale and his crew who are really family more than anything else. In particular, I want to highlight Green's character "Sally" who breaks stereotypes and lives life according to her own dang rules.
Green is even able to put in some romantic tension without the plot becoming soppy or deviating from its purpose. A Handful of Might is a race from start to finish. There is no down-time so readers are compelled to keep reading, pushing past every twist and turn to finally discover the truth. I hesitate to write more for fear that I will start giving away spoilers.
I'll admit, I am not a fan of cussing in books. However, every cuss word within this book felt extremely natural and realistic for the time period, setting, and action. Regardless of this, I am putting on a Reader Advisory Warning for strong and frequent language, moments of sexuality, and one graphic torture scene.
Recommendations
I highly recommend A Handful of Might to all readers 18+ (see again my Reader Advisory Warning). If you are not bothered by the language, you will love this book. It has action, suspense, romance, mystery, intrigue, humor, and did I mention, action? Seriously, it's a great read!
July 23, 2020
This is book one of the Blake Drysdale series and the main character is a bit of a rogue, he lives to fly and now acts as a smuggler with a close knit crew, landing in Saigon, amongst the final days of the Vietnam War. He owns and flies his own floatplane and is well known as a smuggler and crook in many countries, yet always manages to get away without too much trouble. He used to be an officer in the Royal Air Force, following in his father’s footsteps and hero status, which helped with his half Indian heritage from his mother. His crew consist of Sally, an attractive and curvy black woman who is all for the freedom the sixties onwards gave to women’s lib and met Blake when she tried to fly off with his plane, Anton a huge Ukrainian and former boxer, but really a gentle giant, and then the diminutive Felix ‘The Cat’, who always wore a fedora and a great forger. The fun addition is a parrot called Reginald, who goes with them everywhere.
Blake has kept the real reason why they are in Saigon at such a dangerous point in history secret from his crew and signs them up for a job on behalf of some US soldiers, to pick up and transport some gold out of the country. What he doesn’t let them know, is that he actually knows more than the soldiers about this secret hoard and about the strange German scientist who is along for the ride. He is in fact working for MI6, British Intelligence, on a mission that has followed this scientist from the end of WWII and over thirty years in Soviet imprisonment, all to stop anyone from getting hold of a secret weapon that could bring about complete world annihilation. American and Russian Intelligence forces are at loggerheads, wanting to gain control of this weapon for their own countries and Blake is on a mission to stop both.
Nothing goes quite as planned, especially since his crew no nothing about what his real plan is, not that he often tells them much on any other job either. They have to escape from Saigon suddenly as the US forces pull out, ending up taking refugees with them to Japan, where their plane is again impounded and they are held under arrest by the CIA. Getting out of one mess, to then end up in an even more serious situation in Havana, leaves Blake needing rescuing from being tortured by the CIA and an officer who is slowly going mad, whilst playing against the Russians and the ruse backfiring. Fortunately Blake knows the final location and there is a desperate rush for all sides to get to the remote island location and get the weapon for themselves at all costs.
An old fashioned spy story, with lots of hidden action going back and forth from the end days of WWII and then the Vietnam War, hunting down a weapon of mass destruction that would give one side an unfair advantage over the other and its ability to destroy another counties weapons completely. Blake wants to save his friends and crew, by leaving them behind at the final stage, already guilty with the death of his co-pilot whilst serving and never really having gotten over it. Now, the thought of any other member of his crew being injured, is almost too much for his state of mind, but they refuse to let him go on his own. An original job brought on by the greed and temptation of gold by a small group of soldiers. Leads to a much bigger job for the ultimate weapon and spies everywhere.
It brings back a lot of the history of the times, with accurate details which will be familiar to most. The expected fighting between different countries intelligence agencies and the need to always be ahead of the other side at all times. Some very unexpected twists to the tale and great one liners between the characters and even the parrot gets his lines in as well, which add to the fun. Kind of a Ian Fleming vibe with a man who wants to do whatever he can, just to keep flying and not necessarily following orders anymore. He operates outside the law and has a loyal group of friends as his crew, an odd assortment of characters, but they really work well together. Old fashioned spy story with a motley crew of odd jobs, who end up defeating the professionals. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Blake has kept the real reason why they are in Saigon at such a dangerous point in history secret from his crew and signs them up for a job on behalf of some US soldiers, to pick up and transport some gold out of the country. What he doesn’t let them know, is that he actually knows more than the soldiers about this secret hoard and about the strange German scientist who is along for the ride. He is in fact working for MI6, British Intelligence, on a mission that has followed this scientist from the end of WWII and over thirty years in Soviet imprisonment, all to stop anyone from getting hold of a secret weapon that could bring about complete world annihilation. American and Russian Intelligence forces are at loggerheads, wanting to gain control of this weapon for their own countries and Blake is on a mission to stop both.
Nothing goes quite as planned, especially since his crew no nothing about what his real plan is, not that he often tells them much on any other job either. They have to escape from Saigon suddenly as the US forces pull out, ending up taking refugees with them to Japan, where their plane is again impounded and they are held under arrest by the CIA. Getting out of one mess, to then end up in an even more serious situation in Havana, leaves Blake needing rescuing from being tortured by the CIA and an officer who is slowly going mad, whilst playing against the Russians and the ruse backfiring. Fortunately Blake knows the final location and there is a desperate rush for all sides to get to the remote island location and get the weapon for themselves at all costs.
An old fashioned spy story, with lots of hidden action going back and forth from the end days of WWII and then the Vietnam War, hunting down a weapon of mass destruction that would give one side an unfair advantage over the other and its ability to destroy another counties weapons completely. Blake wants to save his friends and crew, by leaving them behind at the final stage, already guilty with the death of his co-pilot whilst serving and never really having gotten over it. Now, the thought of any other member of his crew being injured, is almost too much for his state of mind, but they refuse to let him go on his own. An original job brought on by the greed and temptation of gold by a small group of soldiers. Leads to a much bigger job for the ultimate weapon and spies everywhere.
It brings back a lot of the history of the times, with accurate details which will be familiar to most. The expected fighting between different countries intelligence agencies and the need to always be ahead of the other side at all times. Some very unexpected twists to the tale and great one liners between the characters and even the parrot gets his lines in as well, which add to the fun. Kind of a Ian Fleming vibe with a man who wants to do whatever he can, just to keep flying and not necessarily following orders anymore. He operates outside the law and has a loyal group of friends as his crew, an odd assortment of characters, but they really work well together. Old fashioned spy story with a motley crew of odd jobs, who end up defeating the professionals. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
June 12, 2019
Firstly a special thank you to Joel Green for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Now this one started off a little - slow?- maybe I was feeling off about it but before that first chapter was over I was hooked. Like Greens' other books I was pulled into his writing and sat there... reading for hours. Next thing I knew I was halfway through the book and my babies one hour max nap turned into four and I felt like a slow reader - and a bad mom.
She was hungry, I was hungry for more pages to turn and uncover more crazy adventures with Blake Drysdale, our hero whom is a smuggler brings me towards more twist then a crazy roller coaster set on fast. Green did a wonderful job with making this story SO realistic that I felt my grandpa was sitting down like "kri.. Listen" and had me all sentimental although different geological locations. Like one of those old timers war stories they love to tell over, over and over again which has EVERYONE in the room captivated. How could you not fall in love with Greens' writing?
Green is going to go far in the Sci-fi, fantasy and adventure genre and I'm glad he found me before he hit it big! Green has beautiful writing with such clever humorous dialogue that keeps you glued to every page. I hope there is going to be a third squeal because I already want to read the 2nd.
If you love action, airplanes, spies and a exciting story then A Handful of Might is YOUR next read!
Now this one started off a little - slow?- maybe I was feeling off about it but before that first chapter was over I was hooked. Like Greens' other books I was pulled into his writing and sat there... reading for hours. Next thing I knew I was halfway through the book and my babies one hour max nap turned into four and I felt like a slow reader - and a bad mom.
She was hungry, I was hungry for more pages to turn and uncover more crazy adventures with Blake Drysdale, our hero whom is a smuggler brings me towards more twist then a crazy roller coaster set on fast. Green did a wonderful job with making this story SO realistic that I felt my grandpa was sitting down like "kri.. Listen" and had me all sentimental although different geological locations. Like one of those old timers war stories they love to tell over, over and over again which has EVERYONE in the room captivated. How could you not fall in love with Greens' writing?
Green is going to go far in the Sci-fi, fantasy and adventure genre and I'm glad he found me before he hit it big! Green has beautiful writing with such clever humorous dialogue that keeps you glued to every page. I hope there is going to be a third squeal because I already want to read the 2nd.
If you love action, airplanes, spies and a exciting story then A Handful of Might is YOUR next read!
July 16, 2018
Terrific old-school adventure, set at the end of the Vietnam war. Blake Drysdale and his crew are, like any great date, funny and charming. Although my favourite character would have to be Reginald, Blake's African Grey parrot, as I have a soft spot for birds.
The crew of smugglers are not perfect, which is what makes their adventures so much more exciting as they encounter various obstacles on their way to trying to complete their next job. What seems like a fairly straightforward task starts to become more dangerous, as Blake tries harder and harder...not to use profanities.
The crew of smugglers are not perfect, which is what makes their adventures so much more exciting as they encounter various obstacles on their way to trying to complete their next job. What seems like a fairly straightforward task starts to become more dangerous, as Blake tries harder and harder...not to use profanities.
February 10, 2020
Enjoyed the characters felt like I was reading the next action comedy movie to come out with someone like Johnny Depp, this kind of read is perfect for Doctor's waiting rooms or whenever you're traveling or just escaping the moment. Of course as a seaplane pilot myself I always enjoy when my reading has aircraft and flying in it even though I am critical on the technical and piloting aspects. Read and enjoy, I recommend this one.
July 17, 2018
Not bad, if you have the time.
Okay, finished it - decent story line, okay characters, different writing style than I am used to. Recommend it, and yes there is a sequel.
Okay, finished it - decent story line, okay characters, different writing style than I am used to. Recommend it, and yes there is a sequel.
May 14, 2019
Great reading keep them coming.
😄great book please keep them coming.
You keep the reader looking for what comes next. You have a great talent
😄great book please keep them coming.
You keep the reader looking for what comes next. You have a great talent
July 22, 2020
A Handful of Might is the first book in the Blake Drysdale series and is a fabulous start to this series.
This book is fast-paced and action-packed from start to finish and is set at the end of the Vietnam War. Blake Drysdale and his crew of rogues race against time, the CIA, and the Soviets in his attempt to save the world... and maybe get rich in the process.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
This book is fast-paced and action-packed from start to finish and is set at the end of the Vietnam War. Blake Drysdale and his crew of rogues race against time, the CIA, and the Soviets in his attempt to save the world... and maybe get rich in the process.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
June 22, 2018
4.5
a very entertaing read if you like adventure thrillers. has some nice surprises too. and Blake and his crew are simple loveable. it's even more fun with all the quotes from the 70s. i'm looking forward to the next one
a very entertaing read if you like adventure thrillers. has some nice surprises too. and Blake and his crew are simple loveable. it's even more fun with all the quotes from the 70s. i'm looking forward to the next one
June 17, 2021
Joel Green can sure write! Wonderful character portrayal. His descriptive material is pure prose,
and warranted rereading many times. Reading was so page-turning fast...it just ended too soon.
What a pleasure to read someone who has honed his writing skill so beautifully. FIVE stars!
and warranted rereading many times. Reading was so page-turning fast...it just ended too soon.
What a pleasure to read someone who has honed his writing skill so beautifully. FIVE stars!
December 9, 2021
A fun read.
This book has full mixture of characters. It that’s each to make the book work. The CIA man and the naked Nazi are the two most in need of a brain job. All of the characters are fairly well developed and interesting. The parrot was probably the best of them all. The story goes from Vietnam to the Cuba with several stops in between. It takes the whole to put the story together. It’s worth reading.
This book has full mixture of characters. It that’s each to make the book work. The CIA man and the naked Nazi are the two most in need of a brain job. All of the characters are fairly well developed and interesting. The parrot was probably the best of them all. The story goes from Vietnam to the Cuba with several stops in between. It takes the whole to put the story together. It’s worth reading.
March 22, 2018
This shows a different cover than does Amazon. It's more apt because it's the main character's plane, the Reluctant Bride, which he flies around the globe. Blake Drysdale travels with his band of friends, smuggling loot and discovering a mystery that dates back to WWII. Clever writing, moves fast. Good for those who enjoy adventure novels.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews