Mercenary

by David M. Gaughran

Lee Christmas gets drunk and falls asleep at the throttle of his locomotive, plowing straight into an oncoming train. Blacklisted from the railroad and his marriage in tatters, he flees New Orleans on a steamer bound for the tropics.

In Honduras, he begins a quiet new life. But trouble has a way of finding Christmas. With unrest sweeping the countryside, he's kidnapped by bandits. Soon, he finds himself taking sides in an all-out civil war--as leader of the rebellion.

MERCENARY is the story of the USA's most famous soldier of fortune: the hard-drinking drifter who changed the fate of a nation.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Amazon, Adventure, Action

Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2014

About the author

David M. Gaughran is Irish but lives in Portugal these days, somewhere north of Lisbon in a lovely little fishing village. He likes dogs, whiskey, collecting old records, laborious puns, and also cooking elaborate feasts and inviting exactly nobody around to share them. He is also fond of slow cars, fast walks on the beach, movies which contain some form of time-loop, and any kind of song with a call-and-response element. He is the author of several historical adventures like Liberty Boy, Mercenary, and A Storm Hits Valparaiso, and a number of books for authors - as well as some science fiction - under another name. Visit DavidGaughranBooks.com to get a free book.

Reviews

[Charles van Buren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wrote a review two or three years ago but it seems to have disappeared from Goodreads. Here it is again:

An American drunk rises to prominence in Honduras

Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: January 16, 2020
Language: English
ASIN: B083ZL5YWP
384 pages

The description of this novel claims that Lee Christmas is the most famous American soldier of fortune. I would argue that Frederick Townsend Ward and William Walker are much better known and were certainly far better soldiers. In modern times Mitchell WerBell III was quite famous as a mercenary among other things and is probably known to more people than is Lee Christmas.

Mr. Gaughran fails to adequately explain how and why Lee Christmas rose to prominence in Honduras despite many shortcomings. Nor is there any hint as to how he inspired loyalty in his troops. So far as his competence as a military commander is concerned, Gaughran makes it seem a case of, "In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king." Battles are decided by who makes the dumbest mistakes or runs from the battlefield first. If the Three Stooges staged a battle....

After completing this novel, Lee Christmas remained an unappealing character to me. The primary impression left in my mind is of a drunk who couldn't maintain a personal life but somehow stumbled to limited success in public life.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

The true life story of Lee Christmas. A hard living railroad engineer who was let go for a train collision.

So, he moves to Honduras and begins a new life. With revolution sweeping the country, Christmas is kidnapped by bandits. Soon, he finds himself taking sides in an all-out civil war – as leader of the rebellion.

Lots of minute facts and a quick paced story.

Recommend.

[Tony Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and gripping account of how a lowly railroad worker came from nothing to somehow become a man who toppled governments! What makes the story all the more incredible is knowing that it's true - that a life so dramatic was actually lived by a real person. The story is a roller-coaster of highs and lows, as Lee Christmas recovers from blow after blow, somehow rising through the ranks of one revolutionary army after another... I won't get into specifics for fear of giving away some of the twists and surprises, but it's an epic and exhilarating read, beautifully realised and impossible to put down. Strongly recommended!

[Dava Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. I love David Gaughran's blog and have read it off and on for years, so I know that he is a good writer.

After the first few pages, I thought "well, maybe this was just a sort of preface, and it will get better as it goes." But, it just didn't.

This book has lots of good reviews -- clearly other people enjoyed it. I read about a book per week most of the time. Reading is my escape from the day to day grind and offers a tiny, mini-vacation every day. I found myself avoiding reading this book. I actually found ways to procrastinate in order to avoid reading. That's very unusual.

So, it sat on my Kindle app for several months, and now and then I would read a page or two before falling asleep at night. Since I review everything I read, I feel it's only fair to finish everything. How can one try to be at all objective without finishing? This book made me feel guilty.

I have given quite a bit of thought as to why I struggled so much with this one, and have chosen to write a review even though I didn't finish it. First, here's what it's about: a guy named Lee Christmas, who was an actual person (I didn't know this until I read some other reviews). Lee is basically no good. He starts out okay, but then turns into a drunkard. Drunkards can be lovable, but Lee wasn't. At least, I didn't love him.

He works hard to win the love of his childhood sweetheart, they marry, have three kids, he's doing pretty well working at the railroad. He gets drunk, crashes a train, finds out he's colorblind, loses his job, gets even drunker, and loses his wife. There's also a bit of a plot about how he wants to get involved in politics, but as usual, his drunkenness messes with his plans.

Then, having lost his love and being weak, he drifts away to Honduras. He remains a dissolute drunkard, his wife divorces him, he marries another woman, I think has a few more children, but can't remember, and is generally not at all admirable.

Then, he hooks up with some rebels and seems to find his calling as a "soldier."

Here's why I didn't finish:

- Nothing about Lee Christmas appealed to me at all.He's just a crappy man. Selfish. Drunk. Pathetic.
- Although there is some dialog, the story is mostly "telling" rather than "showing." I hate the tired advice to writers to "show, don't tell," because it is so often given when the critic can't think of anything else to say. But I think it is applicable here. I think it's the reason I didn't care about Lee Christmas. The story is revealed through long passages of text: "Lee did this, then he did that, then he went here and did this."
- For me, as a reader, plot is often secondary to character. That's not true of all readers, but it is for me. I like good characters -- the ones that reflect the good and bad bits of human nature, that are complex and have intricate motivations. Since Lee Christmas was a real person, he clearly had some good and some bad. But I just loathed him. It's hard to read about a character you loathe.
- It seemed like the relationships were just barely there. There's a whole lot of time spent in the beginning of the book establishing the fact that Lee loves his first wife. But then, we see very little of their relationship. We know that she loves him, and tries really hard to hold the marriage together. But we have no idea WHY. Is he sweet to her? Does he make her laugh? Is he kind and gentle with his children? (I can't recall a single passage describing Lee with his children. There may have been some, but I can't remember them.) Along the same lines, we know that Lee loves his wife, but there's no indication of why. She's pretty. But is she smart? Does she make him feel special? This is true for all of the characters Lee meets. The meet. They talk. Stuff happens. But it's like we just observe without speculating on the personal motivations of the participants.

All of that combined to make this book really difficult for me to read. I thought that maybe I was just being unfair and going through a phase where I didn't feel like reading (unusual, but it does happen every once in a long while). We had to take a long car trip last week, though, and I always read in the car. I started another book just to see if it was me or Lee. I read the other book (The Dangerous Thaw of Etta Capstone) beginning to end in about 48 hours, giving me reason to think it was Lee.

In the end, I've decided to not finish Mercenary. The book has plenty of good reviews, so I hope that no one takes this one too seriously. Apologies to David Gaughran -- it seems harsh to write a negative review without finishing, but there are lots of books waiting in my Kindle app and it's time for me to move on.

[Elisabeth Zguta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larger than life, Lee Christmas was a man loved and hated, sometimes both by the same person. This novel went deeper than mere historical facts, and pulled the reader into the life stream of one of the craziest and most daring men of his day. He loved deeply, punished himself when he fell short of his obligations, and dared to dream of reaching greatness. David Gaughran did a wonderful job showing the man while remaining reverent to the history. The battle scenes during the revolts, the carousing and family scenes, all spilled across the page vibrantly - keeping the reader entertained. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a good historical fiction and larger than life characters.

[Thomas Pride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee Christmas, Mercenary

David M. Vaughan has created a wonderful picture of a larger than life hero of Latin America. Lee Christmas was born poor and craved money and fame throughout his life. He stumbled into Honduras and made the most of many opportunities.

[David Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical biography

A historically-based biography of an American mercenary and entrepreneur with the somewhat improbable but real name of Lee Christmas, who was active around the dawn of the 1900s, primarily in Honduras.

Lee Christmas's life story offers the author rich material to work with. He grew up in an American South gripped by poverty and with few opportunities to better himself, yet he was clearly a man of great natural talent. He was also seriously flawed. Christmas is billed as the man who single-handedly changed the course of history in Central America. This claim has some partial truth to it, but it is not the whole story. Christmas was certainly influential in key ways in the events described in the book, but he did not act single-handedly, and the author's sources ultimately go back to Christmas himself to a great extent, so the reliability of the reports of his actions may be open to question. However, what is clear nevertheless is that Lee Christmas was a real life man who lived life to the full, and then some.

The biggest problem I have with the book is the writing style. It is very ordinary and seems unengaged with the characters and the events. The book reads like a newspaper article, or an encyclopedia entry. The action scenes were a tiny part of the book - probably less than five percent of the whole. There is no real characterization as such; it is all based on describing the historical man as best Gaughran has been able to exhume him. Other reviewers have reported being unable to finish the book, and I believe that the dull writing style is the reason.

Perhaps the comparison should be made with a history book, because the author has made a serious and commendable effort to properly research the Lee Christmas's life and the events in which he was involved.

One oddity of the book (the Kindle edition) which struck me as I began reading it was the lack of a table of contents near the front. The book in fact does have a table of contents, but for whatever reason it is located on the very last pages, so that one finds it when one has finished reading the story.

Recommended for history buffs of the turbulent times in Central America at the dawn of the 20th Century.

[Steve Vernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the difference between truth and fiction is an awfully thin gray line.

I picked up a copy of this e-book for free a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed the read. The whole way through I kept wondering if the protagonist, Lee Christmas, was actually based on a real life person.

Well, I was stubborn and I did not resort to Google until I had ACTUALLY completed reading the novel - just because I did not want to risk reading any spoilers.

The book was a solid action-filled read. Lee Christmas was a marvelously flawed hero who kind of reminded me a little of William Holden in THE WILD BUNCH - or better yet, Lee Marvin in THE PROFESSIONALS.

Only bigger.

He was a drunkard and a warrior and he loved his children and he loved his wives and he loved life.

Lee Christmas cast a big old shadow across any landscape and this was a heck of a story.

I would recommend this e-book for any fans of military literature.

Yours in storytelling,

Steve Vernon

[Donald Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mercenary” by David Gaughran: ISBN – 13:978-1500620080 (Arriba Arriba Books)
“Mercenary” is a big barnstorming romper of a book that took hold of me on the first page and didn’t let go till the last. It’s billed as historical fiction but, so far as I can see, it sticks pretty close to historical fact. But what fact! An adventure story as fast paced as any I have read with an extraordinary man, at its heart who roars through life like an express steam train with the engine’s throttle on full.
Lee Winfield Christmas, born February 2nd 1863, died January 24th 1924. The son of a Louisiana planter, Lee might have enjoyed a rich and pampered childhood but before he emerged from the womb his father’s plantation went up in the flames of the American civil war. Consequently hard times were with young Lee from the outset and they grew even harder with the premature death of his father, due almost certainly to tuberculosis accelerated in its course by a combination of the hard times and hard work.
What remained of the family moved to Mississippi and Lee, with zilch education, found work on the railroad where he eventually progressed to the position of engineer. He also proposed to his childhood sweetheart and persuaded her to elope. Children followed and so might mundane family life. But, due to a combination of hard work and hard living with emphasis on the hard living, Lee fell asleep at the controls of his engine, missed a halt signal and drove straight into an oncoming train.
The collision should have ended his life. It didn’t. However It did end his job on the railways and started him on what for most would have proved a ruinous road of womanising, drinking and drifting which, along with the termination of his marriage, led him from the American south to South America and involvement in a continuum of sometimes farcical, sometimes brutal, revolutions, counter revolutions and wars in the course of which he managed three more marriages along with a further assortment of offspring and endured enough life threatening situations to see off a cat. He also proved himself a naturally gifted military tactician and a fearsome fighting man. Consequently, instead of a ruin, he emerged from the fray triumphant, a generalissimo: In fact chief of armed forces to President Manual Bonilla Chirinos of Honduras, no less.
Such are the bones of the story. But, of course, it is the manner in which Mr Gaughran puts the bones back together and fills them with life that makes “Mercenary” such a great read. The author’s style seems plain; it seems straightforward and even simple. But an attempt at imitation or emulation quickly proves that simple it is not. He employs short, punchy sentences that generate excellent dialogue dripping with irony, dead pan humour and wit. This, mixed with good descriptive prose, draws the characters – and what characters they are – along with the tumultuous events in which they participated amidst the stinking, steaming heat of the South American jungle, out from the past to the present; alive, scheming, drinking, womanising and fighting, onto the written page.
In short Mr Gaughran is to be congratulated because in “Mercenary” he has come up with one hell of a rip roaring story lifted straight out of history and told it in one hell of a rip roaring way. For me, “Mercenary” is a must read I’d give it five stars any day.
D. A. Barker: (author of “Killing for Christmas,” “What Am I?” & in composition, “Suzanne”.)

[Dusty Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercenary was quite an interesting read, and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. David Gaughran has crafted a colorful, action-packed piece of historical fiction, based on the true story of the life of Lee Christmas.

I'm a fan of historical fiction, having read almost everything I can get my hands on from James Michener and his like. Mercenary is a worthy addition to the genre, placing the reader in the time and place of some important events in world history. Unlike with Michener, Gaughran's cast of primary and supporting characters were actual real people (Michener's were largely ficticious, as was many of his specific locations). This perhaps further blurs the line between historical fact and historical fiction, though I had come to trust that the author had stuck to verifiable facts for important dates, locations, people and events, only leaving specific details such as dialogue to his imagination.

As a work of straight fiction, some readers may find the prose somewhat dry. Indeed, Gaughran does sometimes present information more like a textbook than a novel. And in those instances perhaps he could have fleshed out the sights, sounds and textures more fully, in order to immerse the reader more completely. But this wasn't a universal complaint of mine, as there were many instances where I was delighted by the detail of happenings, the colorful language and depictions of Lee Christmas' cantankerous manner.

Christmas is a hard character to like, as he is indeed his own worst enemy, moving from failure to failure until he finally finds success amid the incessant coups of a small foreign country. Nor were his nasty treatment of his wives endearing. But I found myself rooting for him nonetheless, as I would root for Don Quixote tilting at windmills.

All together Mercenary was a fascinating story, made even more interesting by the fact that these were real people and true events. And I'm very much looking forward to digging into Mr. Gaughran's other historical novels.

[Leo Passi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, whatever license the author may have taken with the facts for I had never heard of General Lee Christmas prior to reading the book. He's definitely something of a Marmite character - divides opinion.

As several reviewers point out, he's quite a selfish man in so much as he pursues adventure and adrenaline at the expense of many of his close relationships. He has a propensity for hard drinking and fraternizing bars. That said, in the context of the time, and the apparent lack of any decent male role models, one can perhaps view these shortcomings with a touch of empathy. What comes across to me is a somewhat conflicted character - he wants to do right by his Mamie, his first wife, but is given to fits of melancholy when things don't go his way, and something akin to mania when he's got the wind in his sails.

His particular aptitude for reckless and impulsive behaviour is a foil to his gentler side - the family man who somehow convinces all his children by his first marriage to come and live in Honduras with him and his third wife, some thirty years his junior. That is one of the most compelling things about the book, his propensity to draw people in with his charisma, to make them believe in him.

Although the author could have gone into some aspects of his character in a little more depth, it would perhaps detract from the rip-roaring narrative sagas into which the General propelled himself with regularity. By no means a defining biopic, but a good backdrop against which to explore the history of the time and place.

[Carole Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

To my surprise...this is based off a real story. Huh. Learn something new every day.

But yes Lee is a piece of crap. I say this with what I know from the book. Maybe there is more to the real story? Maybe not? But I am going based on the book here. Lee messes up his career for being an idiot drunk. Ruins every single marriage he gets and he KNOWS why, but doesn't do anything to fix it. The only thing he is good at is killing and leading an army. Oh and he is good at drinking too.

The story was interesting enough. However, it was hard to really like the story because of Lee. Yes, yes, I always say I like complex characters and I do like a good baddie and a story about an anti-hero. But oh my goodness how I hated Lee. A drunk idiot. You can't label him as an anti-hero and you can't say he is complex. He was a simpleton who has no one to blame but himself for his misery in life. STOP MARRYING PEOPLE AND STOP HAVING BABIES!!! Just be content with being a mercenary! That is all you are good at. Sighs.

The writing was good and I wouldn't mind reading more by this author. I should do some research on this Lee fellow, but ugh. I have a feeling this story was pretty on point. We shall see though.

In the end...the story was an interesting read, but it was hard to really like it because of the main character. He was an idiot. I wanted to kick him. I don't blame his wives for dumping his butt. I'll give this 2 stars.

[Scot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the tale of an American mercenary in Central America in the early 20th century when financiers and capitalists were going after the natural resources of the area and rebellions against sitting governments were as common as changes in the weather. Lee Christmas is a tall, lanky, daring and dashing railroad engineer, a heavy drinking Lothario and con man. He is reckless, brave, bold, and a charmer.

It made me recall a biography I read a few years back on William Walker, an even more famous American mercenary in the same region in the same period. The difference is, that was told as history. This is one long rambling recounting of this wild fellow's incredible hijinks and life, as if told by some former sidekick in a saloon. All very conversational, simple narrative, with colorful dialogue occasionally thrown in. It's more or less a recasting of an actual historical record I expect, but it's the sort of thing to read aloud around a campfire, roasting marshmallows. Quick. exciting, and surprisingly light hearted, for all the violence, death, racism, and exploitative injustice it recounts.

[Jason H · Rating 5 out of 5]

*****I received this book for free through the Kindle First program.*****

I honestly don't remember buying this book (for free). I was scrolling through my Kindle and found it buried deep and decided to give it a shot. I'm very glad I did.

With a long train ride to read, I finished it in under a day. As someone with no interest in the subject matter, I was amazed at just how engaging this historical fiction was -- a super cool American history figure wrapped up in a number of grand adventures, tragedies, and loves. From the train crash to the wars to the marriages, this book really allowed me to connect with Lee Christmas and his surroundings.

The writing is top notch and the pace is especially excellent. Never boring, never dragging out, it was a pleasure to read. I would never have sought this book out, but I'm glad it found me.

I was honestly sad when it came to an end, and I can well imagine the impact the man had on everyone around him. Bravo.

[Donald Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true conman if there ever was one.

Mr Christmas certainly is right up there with the famous con man of America , only he appears to have done everything that makes him the man he tried to be. The author captures the true flavor of a person that truly believes in his own ideas no matter how wild the seem. And his never ending power to continue working on his ideas when all else around him appear to be against him. Found some parts of the story difficult to stay with , I think it was those sections got to wordy and drawn out., but a fascinating storyline and worth every minute spent reading this fascinating story. Thank you for writing about a person I wouldn’t have known about if you hadn’t put your great talent to the task of writing it.

[Mike Calabrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't help but like the guy

When I started reading this book I thought it was fiction. But I did a search on Lee Christmas and found out that he really existed. Not sure if the author did additional research on him or if the details were embellished. Anyway Lee Christmas had his good and bad qualities like everyone else. He tended to go through marriages and not support his families at times. But he was ambitious, friendly and was a very good soldier/officer for various Central American armies. He always managed to think of some way to make money, which he usually ran out of AT some point. I enjoyed reading this book.

[Linda Acaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable romp through the life of Lee Christmas – a man bearing such an outstanding name I had to look him up to check he was real. Gosh yes, and so were his exploits.

The author did a great job of putting humanity, and human failings, on the skeleton of the protagonist’s known exploits, a man whose vocabulary did not include “can’t”. It was interesting to watch the drive of his younger years turn into obsession and, as he matured, the belief in his own hype, for it all to sour as he aged when he became, yet again, (almost) a nobody. I just pity his succession of wives, and his children living within the brightness of his light. Highly recommended.

[Diarmuid O'Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Tale, Poorly Told

This is a very interesting story and evidently well researched. However, the writing is not that good. The author goes heavy on exposition to get through the large amounts of activity in Christmas’s life. He takes plenty of artistic license in crafting scenes, but he never uses basic story-telling technique when writing them. This would be a good YA novel, but its a bit dull due to the expository writing style to recommend to anyone that isn’t a voracious reader. It is worth reading just because the main character is a real person that led a fascinating life.

[Rich Meyrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was several chapters into the book before I realised Lee Christmas was a real person. Naturally, this made the story all the more interesting.

The story of Lee Christmas’ life seems to be one of being in the right place and the right time, and then squandering the spoils, be they love, wealth or influence. As others have said, I can’t say I was much impressed by Lee Christmas as a person, but I nonetheless enjoyed David M. Gaughran’s retelling of his life story.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mercenary is a bit slow in many parts and some seem irrelevant to Christmas’s life. While the MC is involved in several battles, they all seemed to contain more luck than talent. As was his rise to “General”! He was depicted as personable to many but the opposite in his private life. I was disappointed in this retelling of his life. It is also littered with vulgar language.

Purchased from Amazon

[Tom Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zola-esque character

Lee Christmas had two weaknesses: liquor and women. He couldn’t hold either of them. This rags to riches tale has all the fate of a Zola character: real, tough, and at the mercy of the Fates. The writing is paced, and the action is quick. I really enjoyed his lust for fame and how he bargains his way through life. Excellent novel for this rainy season.

[Lois Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want to put this book down when I needed to cook or go shopping or clean the house---I wanted to see what happened next to Lee.

I could not believe what this man went through.

When you get to the end of the book--please read the section - About the Author and see if you find the surprise that I did.

[Harish P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything about Lee Christmas will have my attention. This book didn't disappoint. The narration flagged just a bit in the middle, I was contemplating a 4-star rating. However, the denouement is outstanding! This book is a fitting tribute to the "yanqui" whose maverick ways had set tge textbook standard for the machine gun warfare during the World War 1.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell of a book

That was an amazing read ! I kept thinking that this was fiction until i read the details after the end only to find out this guy is for real. Great characters! amazing dialog. Kept me going. A great page turner! I would reccomend this to anyone who likes this kind of reading. Great job! Keep up the good work!

[Christopher Ulrich]

An Incredible Tale

If you like history.

If you like biographies.

If you like uplifting tales and happy endings.

If you like stories of success against the odds.

If you like dreamers and doers.

If you've ever looked back at the turn of the19th century and wondered, "What if I were alive then?"

You'll enjoy this book.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

so very good.

From his poor beginnings to Commander-in-Chief of a Middle American army you will stand amazed by what Lee Christmas, an American, accomplishes in this book. The action runs hot and heavy in so many chapters. You’ll love everything about this book by the time you get to the last word.

[Joni Markowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I looked forward to this novel but after a few chapters in was disappointed and found it difficult to read. I plunged through hoping for a glimpse of promise. I was happy when I finished the book. I do not recommend this.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

Incredible. When I first started reading Mercenary, it took me a few chapters to really get into the story. I'm so glad I didn't give up. Within the first 10 chapters, I was completely hooked. I couldn't put it down. Excellent novel.

[shari lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rags to riches to rags

A mercenary leads a tenuous life and is always at risk of impeding doom. The protagonist of this novel is always in search of a better and easier situation. It makes for an interesting story and may be a realistic portrayal of a mercenary.

[Captain Dady Mody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially thought that i was reading a historical fiction until i verified that he was a real life scallywag who took any & every opportunity to better his otherwise debauched life. A bit long, at times boring but persevered but enjoyed it never the less.