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The Broken Hallelujah
The Broken Hallelujah is a heart-wrenching tale of family, the lasting impact of lies, and the human consequences of truth.
1969 Martin Carter's plan is to survive his tour in Vietnam and return to his wife and newborn daughter. He refused his commission to keep from lying to his men but ultimately becomes a leader to his team and to a small group of Vietnamese villagers. He must find whoever is running drugs through the camp before he can safely get home.
2019 Robin Carter's plan is to care for her grandmother and restart her career after a disastrous divorce. Martin's footlocker is unexpectedly delivered to their home--he's been missing in action for 50 years. His journals record his harrowing sixteen months in Vietnam. Robin is determined to find the grandfather she never knew before her grandmother's memories fade.
1969 Martin Carter's plan is to survive his tour in Vietnam and return to his wife and newborn daughter. He refused his commission to keep from lying to his men but ultimately becomes a leader to his team and to a small group of Vietnamese villagers. He must find whoever is running drugs through the camp before he can safely get home.
2019 Robin Carter's plan is to care for her grandmother and restart her career after a disastrous divorce. Martin's footlocker is unexpectedly delivered to their home--he's been missing in action for 50 years. His journals record his harrowing sixteen months in Vietnam. Robin is determined to find the grandfather she never knew before her grandmother's memories fade.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2022
109 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Wendy H. Adair
2 books4 followersWendy H. Adair is a longtime Houstonian living in a one-hundred-year-old bungalow with her yappy white schnauzer, Jade, and serene Russian blue feline, Yara—the real-life Shasta and Caterina. Her first novel, The Broken Hallelujah, (written under her full name, Wendy H. Adair) won the 2024 BookFest Gold Medal for Best Audiobook, the 2023 IPPY Bronze Medal for Wartime Fiction from the Independent Publishers Book Awards and was a finalist in the International Book Awards and the Page Turner Awards. She is currently working on the next two books in the Brentwood Women Mysteries: Deadly as a Walk in the Park and Murdered From Time to Time.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 13, 2023
Immersed in history
I felt like I was there with Martin in the jungles of Vietnam, and with Robin as she discovered the truth of what happened to her grandfather. I loved this book and the journey the story took me on! Highly recommend.
I felt like I was there with Martin in the jungles of Vietnam, and with Robin as she discovered the truth of what happened to her grandfather. I loved this book and the journey the story took me on! Highly recommend.
February 5, 2023
This story follows present-day Robin Carter as she cares for her grandmother and begins to dig into what really happened to her grandfather Martin’s disappearance in the Vietnam war.
Martin has been MIA for fifty years when suddenly his footlocker is delivered to his widow. Inside the footlocker are Martin’s journals. As Robin reads them, she gets a sense of the honest and brave man her grandfather was. She also suspects there has been a coverup in the details of his death.
Adair’s vivid descriptions made me feel like I was there looking over Robin and Martin’s shoulders. It was an emotional read as the coverup's depth and consequences emerged. About halfway through the book, I found that I just couldn’t put it down. I could feel the heartbreak Robin’s grandmother experienced when she lost the love of her life just as their marriage had hardly begun. Martin, trapped in Vietnam, would never see his unborn daughter. I was breathlessly hoping Robin would find her grandfather's remains before her aging grandmother’s memories of him faded away.
Overall, I loved the book, loved the writing style. Adair uses excerpts from Martin’s 1969 journals to move the reader effortlessly back and forth between past and present. However, I did get tired of the excessive cursing and the way-too-frequent mentions of the “swear jar.”
Martin has been MIA for fifty years when suddenly his footlocker is delivered to his widow. Inside the footlocker are Martin’s journals. As Robin reads them, she gets a sense of the honest and brave man her grandfather was. She also suspects there has been a coverup in the details of his death.
Adair’s vivid descriptions made me feel like I was there looking over Robin and Martin’s shoulders. It was an emotional read as the coverup's depth and consequences emerged. About halfway through the book, I found that I just couldn’t put it down. I could feel the heartbreak Robin’s grandmother experienced when she lost the love of her life just as their marriage had hardly begun. Martin, trapped in Vietnam, would never see his unborn daughter. I was breathlessly hoping Robin would find her grandfather's remains before her aging grandmother’s memories of him faded away.
Overall, I loved the book, loved the writing style. Adair uses excerpts from Martin’s 1969 journals to move the reader effortlessly back and forth between past and present. However, I did get tired of the excessive cursing and the way-too-frequent mentions of the “swear jar.”
November 26, 2025
Undeniable character and characters!
Absolutely riveting and heartbreaking at the same time. The juxtaposition between the descriptions of the scenes of the Vietnam War with the scenes of the modern day family keep you on your toes. The characters are well-developed and so was the plot. I didn't see the end coming but it made perfect sense when everything came together.
I think this is an important book because the veterans of the Vietnam War continue to deal with PTSD and the effects of exposure to Agent Orange. There are also families who are still waiting and wondering what became of their loved ones whether they are MIA from the Vietnam War or other conflicts.
Absolutely riveting and heartbreaking at the same time. The juxtaposition between the descriptions of the scenes of the Vietnam War with the scenes of the modern day family keep you on your toes. The characters are well-developed and so was the plot. I didn't see the end coming but it made perfect sense when everything came together.
I think this is an important book because the veterans of the Vietnam War continue to deal with PTSD and the effects of exposure to Agent Orange. There are also families who are still waiting and wondering what became of their loved ones whether they are MIA from the Vietnam War or other conflicts.
February 28, 2023
What a wonderful book! Adair very effectively flips between a soldier’s experience in Vietnam and his granddaughter’s current-day mission to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Delightful characters (best friend, feisty grandmother, love-to-hate-him ex-husband, hunky new love interest), great plot, and a very satisfying ending. Adair has a cozy mystery coming soon and I’ll be one of the first to buy it. This is an author to keep an eye on!
July 10, 2025
So glad I came across this book
What an amazing story! I read The Women earlier this year. I grew up during the time of Vietnam. I hated that “war”…that “conflict.”
This book tells of a family, and friends they make along the way, trying to find out what happened to their husband, father, grandfather and friend.
So well worth the read$
What an amazing story! I read The Women earlier this year. I grew up during the time of Vietnam. I hated that “war”…that “conflict.”
This book tells of a family, and friends they make along the way, trying to find out what happened to their husband, father, grandfather and friend.
So well worth the read$
September 22, 2023
fascinating story about family in the Vietnam war
I grew up in this era and watch too many friends go to Vietnam. This was both a love story, and a history of what some of the hardships were for the young men serving our country. Highly recommend this book.
I grew up in this era and watch too many friends go to Vietnam. This was both a love story, and a history of what some of the hardships were for the young men serving our country. Highly recommend this book.
March 23, 2025
I couldn't finish this book, which is unusual for me. The storyline attracted me but the characters were flat and I lost interest, despite trying to power through. I was in high school when the Vietnam conflict ended and know many Vietnam vets (I'm married to one). This book just wasn't for me.
June 6, 2025
What a wonderful story this was. As the mystery unfolds as to what happened to this young woman’s grandfather during the Vietnam war, her development as a strong woman becomes a story in itself. It’s a book you won’t want to put down. I am now off to read another of this author’s books.
March 13, 2023
Powerful!
Couldn't put it down. As someone who was a young woman during the Vietnam war, it was especially poignant for me.
Couldn't put it down. As someone who was a young woman during the Vietnam war, it was especially poignant for me.
April 1, 2023
Not really my cup of tea but an interesting approach to a novel through multiple storylines.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2023
Good book
Not quite my type of book,but I think it would be great for someone who was in Vietnam or knew someone who was.
Not quite my type of book,but I think it would be great for someone who was in Vietnam or knew someone who was.
October 3, 2024
A story that needs to be read
A story with mystery, history, family, friends, heartbreak and !ove. I didn't know from the title that my views on so many issues would be raised.
A story with mystery, history, family, friends, heartbreak and !ove. I didn't know from the title that my views on so many issues would be raised.
November 29, 2025
A beautifully poignant and heart felt read. May bring tears at times, but it is an exciting and interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews