Suomassalmi

Winter Sniper #4

by James Mullins

The sleepy village of Suomassalmi, Pekka’s hometown, is key to controlling Central Finland. The otherwise unremarkable village, home to several lumber mills sits astride a pivotal crossroads. Critical to the Soviet invasion plan, the town is the first step on the road to Oulu and cutting Finland in half. With the 163rd Rifle Division already in possession of the town, the situation for Finland is grim. Attempting to seal Finland’s fate, the Soviet Union has dispatched the elite 44th Motorized Rifle Division. These fresh reinforcements, ten thousand strong, are moving to link up with the 163rd via the Raate Road. Standing in the way of two full Soviet divisions is the Finnish 27th Regiment. When the 27th’s officer core is devastated during a failed attempt to retake the town, Pekka and Kivi are dispatched to replace two of the 27th’s recently fallen heroes. Will this be a bittersweet homecoming for Pekka or will he once again pull a rabbit out of his hat in the face of hopeless odds? Nea, unsure whether she is a widow and a single mom, has found safety amongst the people of Helsinki. She finds the people of Finland’s most populous city to be both kind and generous but longs for news of her husband. When danger looms from above, will she be able to keep herself, Aina, and the unborn life growing within her safe? Meanwhile Hale, remaining in Karelia, has come full circle. Once again alone in the vast frozen forests of Southern Finland, can he survive against harrowing odds and find his way to the Mannerheim Line? Standing in his way is an army over one hundred thousand strong including the only man to have ever defeated him in battle. Will the remnants of the special operations group survive these challenges or will long odds and the overwhelming forces of the Red Army reign supreme?

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2022

About the author

I was born into a military family in the United States. At a very early age I was able to travel the world. One of the first places my father was stationed at was Germany. Europe was a magnificent land dotted with castles and history. This invoked within me first a curiosity about history, and later a passion. I became captivated with tales of history.

After my experience abroad, history was filed in the back of my mind. We returned to the United States and went about our lives. School, a trip to Italy with my Grandparents to become acquainted with my Italian cousins, and finally my own tour in the military took me to more wondrous places full of history the Middle East and Iceland. These new experiences helped bring the love of history to the forefront of my thoughts once again.

As life always does, living life got in the way of my passion. More school, and several jobs later history came crashing back to the forefront of my thoughts. I read extensively of several authors here on Goodreads. Some of my favorites being Gordon Doherty, Simon Scarrow, and Griff Hosker to name a few, but my real inspiration was Harry Turtledove - a master of alternate history. This time was different. This time not only did I love reading, but tales of my own began to form in my mind. For my first book, Scourge of Byzantium, I combined my love of history with a more recent passion the walking undead.

My mind imagined a world in which the infection did not take place in the modern world, but during the later Roman Empire or Byzantium as that nation is known. Imagine how much better equipped a Roman Army is to deal with this problem. Now imagine how much harder it is to kill a zombie wearing armor! I hope you enjoy my first tale about Athos and his company of friends as they deal with changes to their world.

Thanks for Reading!

James Mullins

Reviews

[barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoying this series and you get the feel of what these soldiers and volunteers have to endure through freezing cold .
The dedication to there mission as they fight against the odds .
What is happening today with Russia and UkraIn .

[Jim Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short but bitter tale aptly demonstrates that Russia has never been able to be trusted.

The few but brave Finns continue to frustrate the not very capable Soviet armies sent to invade their country. A lesson for us from the past.

[Ted Aber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

The winter war has many parallels with what is happening today. This book showed the tenacity of the Finnish people against the invaders.

[Dawn L Yohannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great reads

This series is a great easy read. You’ll love them and the characters within! Get them ALL now! You’ll be sucked right in!