Published: July 2, 2019
Pages: 381
Special Agent Jackson Fischer is a man after truth. When a military operation to extract a high-ranking ambassador from the war-torn, border-world of Stonemeyer ends in disaster, Fischer is called in to investigate.
A whole platoon went in, but only three Alliance Marines returned home, the rest killed in action along with hundreds of civilians. With tensions between the Holloman Alliance and Stonemeyer rising, Fischer attempts to stitch the pieces together. One thing becomes more and more certain: The surviving Marines are lying.
As the truth unfurls, Fischer begins to realize this was far more than a simple rescue mission...and that the truth might be something best left buried.
I picked this audiobook up during a 2 for 1 credit sale on Amazon (or maybe a 3 for 2 credits sale, but I don't think I've purchased during one of those in a while and this is a somewhat recent purchase). I tend to avoid military based books in any genre because I've found either the author is so clueless about the military that I, as a former Army spouse, know more about military protocol than they do, or the author knows exactly what they're talking about and then it's so technical about the military aspect that I get bored. But this was an audiobook shared by a woman I graduated high school with, because she's married to the author. And I'd been meaning to check out his books for a while since I found out he was an author, and this seemed like as good an opportunity as any.
My personal problem with this book is that it felt like a self-insert story. That's not something I've ever considered may be a problem because I typically don't know any of the people who may be reference points. I ended up getting a bit icked out early on by a description of the main character's wife, not because it's super graphic, but simply because I already had the face of someone I know on her, and that colored my experience with the rest of the book, even without any further descriptions for the rest of the story. That connection also provided a knowing smirk for me later on in the story, but it wasn't enough to wipe out the original ick, unfortunately.
As far as the details in this book go, they were detailed enough to indicate that Hayes clearly knows his stuff about both the military and police work, but they didn't feel overbearing. The battle descriptions were more detailed than I personally would have liked. They felt super-realistic, and I could have done without that (again, I tend to avoid books with a military bent).
In spite of my early ick, and my distaste for the detailed battle scenes, I was pretty fricken invested in the overall plot. I needed to know what actually went down on Stonemeyer to lead to Fischer's involvement in the investigation. I wanted answers and justice for the woman who returned from the mission. And I wanted to see what Fischer would do with the knowledge once he had it.
Overall I give Edge of Valor 3.89 out of 5 stars. - Katie
A retired police officer, Josh Hayes is the author of the Valor Trilogy, the Tranquility series w/ Devon C Ford, Stryker’s War (Galaxy’s Edge), and The Terra Nova Chronicles w/ Richard Fox, along with numerous short stories.
His debut solo novel, Edge of Valor, was a finalist for the 2020 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel.
Ever since he watched his first Star Trek episode (TNG not OS), Josh has loved science fiction. Watching it, reading it, and writing it. He grew up a military brat, affording him the opportunity to meet several different types of people, in multiple states and foreign countries. After graduating high school, he joined the United States Air Force and served for six years, before leaving military life to work in law enforcement. During his time with the Wichita Police Department, Josh served as a patrol officer, bicycle unit, community policing officer, and was an assistant bomb technician on the Bomb Squad.
His experiences in both his military life and police life have given him unique glimpses into the lives of people around him and it shows through in the characters he creates.
Josh is also the creator and president of Keystroke Medium, a popular YouTube show and podcast focused on the craft of writing. For the best author interviews, news, and craft discussion on the internet today, visit www.keystrokemedium.com or subscribe to their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium.
When Josh is not writing, he spends his time with his four children and his wife, Jamie.
You can find out more about Josh and his writing at www.joshhayeswriter.com and join his fan club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/joshhayes
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