Review of Rescuing General Patton
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Manik Chaturmutha
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Review of Rescuing General Patton
[Following is a volunteer review of "Rescuing General Patton" by Curtis Stephen Burdick.]
Curtis Stephan Burdicks' novel Rescuing General Patton is a historical fiction set amid the Second World War. The novel asks the question: Was General Patton captured by the Germans in the summer of 1943? And, then, goes on to answer it as Burdick takes us on a thrilling, action-packed rescue mission.
John Harding, a historian, meets Julia Patton Walton, the granddaughter of the great General Patton, at the book signing of his latest book. She promises him that she might have something he would be interested in and hands him over a journal that her mother had bestowed upon her. The journal turns up to have some shocking facts about General George S. Patton and the top-secret mission that may have had affected the outcome of the war and had remained unknown to the world until then. As the author digs deeper into the matter, it reveals something interesting that becomes the subject of his next book. The story then goes back in time, taking us to a war-torn Sicily in 1943, right before the Allies invaded Italy. General George S. Patton's army jeep is on its way to a military camp when it hits a minefield, killing two of his companions and injuring the General. As the German soldiers close in, General Patton switches his identity with a dead companion of a lower rank, as he knows that if he is captured and if Germans realize his true identity, they would torture him for classified information. He then sends a messenger, another companion who was injured during the crash, to General Bradley, informing him of the situation and the General's capture. And now it all falls on General Bradley to plan a rescue mission without letting out that General Patton was captured by the enemies. He entrusts Captain Pizzio and his Rangers with the deadly mission. The soldiers must fight against all odds to make this mission a success, a mission that could possibly change the course of the war.
The best aspect of the novel lies in its descriptions. Burdick has provided such a vivid description of the scenes that it's worthy of a screenplay. Reading the book transported me to a war-torn Sicily of 1943 as I escaped mines and camouflaged within the forests. Another thing that stands out about Burdick’s writing is his characters. Burdick keeps shifting his POVs from General Patton to Major Pizzio to General Bradley. This gives a deep understanding of each of the character's mental states. Even though these characters are flawed in their own way, the readers can’t help but sympathize with them as Burdick humanizes these war-hardened soldiers. Also, the book doesn’t get overly emotional and maintains the thrill throughout with unexpected turns of events.
The novel has some military jargon but, it doesn’t come in the way of the reading as it is easy to pick up. The dialogues are peppered with some profane language that soldiers commonly use, but it only adds to the authenticity of the story. It makes the experience of visualizing the events even better. The book is very well researched and it successfully aligns the timeline of the true events and the fictional events of the book. The authenticity of the book would at some point make you question whether it’s just fiction or an elaborated conspiracy theory. I did not find any grammatical errors and can therefore conclude that the book is professionally edited. I give this book a 4 out of 4 stars for its authenticity, creativity, and great visual descriptions.
I would recommend this book to people who love history and historical fiction. In general, I believe anyone who loves the mystery and thriller genre would enjoy this book. It is a short and thrilling read, mixed with historical facts and fiction, telling a tale that is exciting and, at the same time, harrowing.
******
Rescuing General Patton
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Curtis Stephan Burdicks' novel Rescuing General Patton is a historical fiction set amid the Second World War. The novel asks the question: Was General Patton captured by the Germans in the summer of 1943? And, then, goes on to answer it as Burdick takes us on a thrilling, action-packed rescue mission.
John Harding, a historian, meets Julia Patton Walton, the granddaughter of the great General Patton, at the book signing of his latest book. She promises him that she might have something he would be interested in and hands him over a journal that her mother had bestowed upon her. The journal turns up to have some shocking facts about General George S. Patton and the top-secret mission that may have had affected the outcome of the war and had remained unknown to the world until then. As the author digs deeper into the matter, it reveals something interesting that becomes the subject of his next book. The story then goes back in time, taking us to a war-torn Sicily in 1943, right before the Allies invaded Italy. General George S. Patton's army jeep is on its way to a military camp when it hits a minefield, killing two of his companions and injuring the General. As the German soldiers close in, General Patton switches his identity with a dead companion of a lower rank, as he knows that if he is captured and if Germans realize his true identity, they would torture him for classified information. He then sends a messenger, another companion who was injured during the crash, to General Bradley, informing him of the situation and the General's capture. And now it all falls on General Bradley to plan a rescue mission without letting out that General Patton was captured by the enemies. He entrusts Captain Pizzio and his Rangers with the deadly mission. The soldiers must fight against all odds to make this mission a success, a mission that could possibly change the course of the war.
The best aspect of the novel lies in its descriptions. Burdick has provided such a vivid description of the scenes that it's worthy of a screenplay. Reading the book transported me to a war-torn Sicily of 1943 as I escaped mines and camouflaged within the forests. Another thing that stands out about Burdick’s writing is his characters. Burdick keeps shifting his POVs from General Patton to Major Pizzio to General Bradley. This gives a deep understanding of each of the character's mental states. Even though these characters are flawed in their own way, the readers can’t help but sympathize with them as Burdick humanizes these war-hardened soldiers. Also, the book doesn’t get overly emotional and maintains the thrill throughout with unexpected turns of events.
The novel has some military jargon but, it doesn’t come in the way of the reading as it is easy to pick up. The dialogues are peppered with some profane language that soldiers commonly use, but it only adds to the authenticity of the story. It makes the experience of visualizing the events even better. The book is very well researched and it successfully aligns the timeline of the true events and the fictional events of the book. The authenticity of the book would at some point make you question whether it’s just fiction or an elaborated conspiracy theory. I did not find any grammatical errors and can therefore conclude that the book is professionally edited. I give this book a 4 out of 4 stars for its authenticity, creativity, and great visual descriptions.
I would recommend this book to people who love history and historical fiction. In general, I believe anyone who loves the mystery and thriller genre would enjoy this book. It is a short and thrilling read, mixed with historical facts and fiction, telling a tale that is exciting and, at the same time, harrowing.
******
Rescuing General Patton
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Soraya Bayah
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I believe your summary was perfectly written and drew me in so much that I want to read this book at once. A nice thriller is my cup of tea, so I'm sure I will enjoy it. Thank you for the amazing review.
Latest Review: The Lockdown Collection by Barry Jacob
