Tom Burkhalter writes dramatic stories in the tradition of James Jones, W.E.B. Griffin and C.S. Forester that share a no-nonsense view towards war and an attention to substance that is extraordinary.
Author Tom Burkhalter has announced the release of a new WWII novel, Boxcar Red Leader: a Novel of the Pacific Air War, May 1942. In this new historical fiction novel, intense, edge-of-the-seat dogfight action scenes are skillfully balanced with technical and tactical details to create a WWII aviation novel unlike any other available today. Boxcar Red Leader is the third book in the No Merciful War Series. It is available in Kindle, paperback and Kindle Unlimited versions.
All of Burkhalter's books are enhanced by a level of technical and historical detail that is unparalleled. He maintains a laser-sharp focus on providing the reader with an experience that will take them into the very heart and soul of WWII. In addition to James Jones, W.E.B. Griffin and C.S. Forester, his writing style has been compared to Louis L'Amour, David Baldacci and Vince Flynn.
In Boxcar Red Leader, the Imperial Japanese Navy sails to invade Port Moresby, the last Allied base between the Japanese and Australia. If the Japanese take Port Moresby, Australia’s supply line to the United States will be cut. Jack Davis is sent to Port Moresby to command a flight of untrained young pilots flying a dangerous airplane no one wants, the P-39D Airacobra. Charlie Davis, now flying the B-17E Bronco Buster II, flies dangerous reconnaissance missions looking for the Japanese fleet. The Allies have lost the Philippines and Java. Can they hold Port Moresby?
Burkhalter has received rave reviews for all of his books. Harold Coyle, author of Team Yankee, said, "Brilliant! The books that are part of Tom Burkhalter’s ‘No Merciful War’ series are, without exception, rare gems that are entertaining, historically spot on, and a joy to read. Tom has not only created a cast of characters who are as real as the officers and enlisted men I have had the privilege of serving with, he leaves you wanting to see more of them. Even more impressive is his ability to succinctly depict the tactical and technical aspects of aerial combat. A must read for anyone interested in the Pacific War when victory was far from certain."
Another reviewer said, “Buy it, read it and tell everyone you know. Tom Burkhalter is as good as Clancy and Griffin.” Mark Lardas, writing in the Daily News of Galveston County, wrote of Everything We Had that it “feels like a book which could have been written in the 1950s or 1960s by a veteran of the Pacific War.”
Top 500 Reviewer Dee Arr said, "Mr. Burkhalter has an incredible command of airplane knowledge, and is able to describe how each plane works, the sights and sounds one would experience if flying the planes in the book, and even adds items that spice up the action, such as the height when the atmosphere begins to play havoc with the engine and may possibly cause it to stall. This is the author’s five-star element."
A seventh book in the series, working title Gomorrah, is in preparation. No release date as yet, but hopefully some time between August 31 and December 31 of 2021.
Other books by Tom Burkhalter include:
Everything We Had: a Novel of the Southwest Pacific Air War, November-December 1941
Japan surrounds American possessions in the Philippines with overwhelming force on three sides. The US Army desperately attempts to reinforce the Philippines garrison, but the armed forces of Imperial Japan may attack at any moment. Two brothers, Jack and Charlie Davis, are pilots in the US Army Air Forces. When they are sent to the Far Eastern Air Forces in the Philippines, they must depend on every ounce of courage, training, and skill they have to survive the coming war.
A Snowball’s Chance: a Novel of the Pacific Air War, January-February 1942
The victorious Japanese come south in overwhelming numbers, heading for the rich oil fields of Dutch possessions in Java and Borneo. The Allies send Jack and Charlie Davis and their friends, outnumbered and in obsolescent airplanes at the end of a long vulnerable supply line, to help the British and Dutch attempt to stop the Japanese Army and Navy. As the Dutch say, “Luck to the fighters!”
Thanks for the Memories: a Novel of the SW Pacific Air War, July-September 1942
The Japanese invade Papua New Guinea’s north coast to try to capture Port Moresby overland. Still outnumbered, improvising repairs to their tattered airplanes and suffering from jungle diseases, the Americans and Australians fight in the air and on the ground as the Japanese slog over the Kokoda Track through the rugged Owen Stanley Mountains, with the prize of Port Moresby before them. The fighting, in the air and on the ground, nears a last-ditch effort for the Allies.
The New Kids: a Novel of the Air War on the Home Front, September 1942
Jack and Charlie Davis have survived nine months of vicious air fighting. When they get home new challenges wait for them, challenges of long-deferred love, of living with memories, and the responsibilities laid on combat-proven pilots and leaders as new pilots arrive to train for a different air war over Europe. They survived the Pacific, but the war has only begun.
Shoestring's End: a Novel of the Pacific Air War, Dec 1942 - March 1943
Shoestring’s End begins as the disastrous year of 1942 ends. The Japanese toehold on the northern New Guinea coast, remnant of their advance almost to the gates of Port Moresby, has nearly been wiped out. The Japanese focus their efforts on reinforcing their forward base at Lae, on the Huon Gulf. The mission of the 5th Air Force is to cut off Lae. They must do this while fighting at the end of a shoestring, a supply line ten thousand miles long, using airplanes like the much-patched B-17E Bronco Buster II or the worn P-39D Airacobras of the 35th Fighter Group. New airplanes and new tactics arrive in an uncertain trickle. The Allied infantry, Australian and American, based in New Guinea, are exhausted from fighting and jungle diseases. If the Japanese reinforce Lae, the outcome of the war in the SW Pacific will remain unpredictable.
Tom Burkhalter is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at boxcarred3@gmail.com. All of his books are available at major book retailers. More information is available at his website at http://www.thomasburkhalter.com.
About Tom Burkhalter:
Tom Burkhalter was born in Georgia. His parents could never decide if the first word he ever said was “airplane” or “star”. He lives in Hickory, NC, where he volunteers at the Hickory Aviation Museum and pursues his omnivorous tastes in reading.
Contact:
Tom Burkhalter
http://www.thomasburkhalter.com
boxcarred3@gmail.com
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