Title: Charlie’s Land
Author: Gary Welsh
Publisher: Authors’ Tranquility Press
ISBN: 978-1543463453
Pages: 234
Genre: Mystery / Thriller & Suspense
Reviewer: Tony Espinoza

Read Book Review

There is an interesting thing that happens when it comes to justice. The idea of justice and what it means changes from person to person, depending on a person’s perspective. Whether it is the justice of a grieving parent or loved one mourning the losses they’ve suffered, or the justice of a soldier committing to what they were trained to do in specific situations, or the justice a community demands when wrongs have been brought upon them by corrupt officials. Justice is often blind and often takes shape in the eyes of the beholder.

Justice and the idea of what it becomes is the theme driving author Gary Welsh’s Charlie’s Land. The story follows Charlie, a young marine returning home from WWII after his parent’s untimely death. When he discovers a close friend of his, Roland, loses his own family in a similarly freak accident, a conspiracy begins to take shape as Charlie finds himself forced to defend his life by using his military training to take out three criminals hired to attack him and his parents’ home. When Charlie discovers the new governor has been attempting to buy up local land and taking out anyone who refuses a buyout, Charlie must join forces with Roland and their allies to stop the attacks before it is too late.

In a dark and twisted tale, the author found a heartfelt and compelling cast of characters for the reader to get behind. The complexity of protagonist Charlie, in particular, was so engaging to read about, as his military training often painted different pictures of himself in the minds of those around him, from some seeing steely determination and calm in the face of danger, to others seeing cold and heartless indifference in the face of so much death. The world building and atmosphere this created as the story progressed was thrilling to delve into and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This is the perfect novel for those who enjoy mystery thrillers, especially small-town murder mysteries with a post-WWII era story. The way the author used this narrative to also explore things such as racism and class separation during this period of time, as well as the mental and psychological impact of the war on the soldiers who survived, makes this story even more heartbreaking and engaging. The honesty and depth of reality the author infused into this narrative will keep the readers right in the heart of the action, and the intense character development, and leaves readers emotionally invested all the way to the book’s final pages.