The Thin Wall: A POW/MIA Truth Novel

8/20/1968 Prague, Czech Republic (Bohemia capital). The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia had begun.Mersk (town) had been seized.President Leonid Brezhnev (Soviet Union, 1906-1982) was much hated.Alexander Dubček (1st. Czech Communist Party Secretary, 1921-1992), Comrade Cernik, & Comrade Kriegel had all been arrested.With luck President Ludvík Svboda (Czechoslovakia, 1895-1979) would prevail.Russian agents seized Prague’s Ruzyne airport so their planes could land.Prague. Sergeant Major Dmitry Gurko (Soviet Army) was driving Colonel Grigori Dal (Soviet KGB officer, coldblooded killer) jeep.Private Mazur (Ukrainian Soviet Army), Private Potapov (Ukrainian Soviet Army), & Private Horbachsky (Ukrainian Soviet Army) had been handpicked for a secret mission.The poorly guarded château held Ernst Lugosi patriarch, & Andres Lugosi (oldest son, Moravian crime czar).Colonel Grigori Dal (KGB officer, coldblooded killer) mission was supposed to find Gunnery Sergeant Russell Edward Johnston (American USMC WWII POW).Why was Mayor Zdenek Seifert arrested?I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written Russian military thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Russian military thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.Thank you for the free author; Molon Labe Books; DailyFreeBooks; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; bookTony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

Set in Czechoslovakia during the cold war, this book tells the story of one Vietnam era POW who is being transferred from Moscow. The Russian commander, however, has been bribed to sell him to Castro and ship him to Cuba. Add to the mix a half-muslim heroine, a Czech doctor who was raised in Chicago but acted as a CIA operative and stayed in Czecheoslavakia after WWII, and a small Czech town of people being invaded by Russiana forces. Their mayor is held prisoner by the invading Russian forces while the towns people are guided to peaceful acceptance by the local priest, who himself had been imprisoned and tortured by the Nazis during WWII. The characters are developed in some depth so you have some empathy for them. The plot has enough twists and turns to hold your attention and encourage you to continue reading.This story is supposed to be based on facts: namely, that the United States has deliberately left some POWs behind and not negotiated for them for political reasons. There is a forward from a retired military officer attesting to the great possibility of this occuring.

This my first historical fiction book that I have ever read. I am quite partial to historical non-fiction. First time I ever read anything in relation to POW' MIA's was a book called Kiss the Boys Goodbye where the American Government indeed left behind POW's MIA's they possibly knew about. So when I saw this book I was interested in finding out more about the invasion of the Soviet Union into Czechoslovakia how the Russian invasion imposed it's Marxism, Communist and Leninism philosophy and idealism on upon the people of Mersk in the story. I was really intrigued by the fact that American POW's from Vietnam were being transported to Russia and Central Europe.I found the author doing a fantastic job with give you some brief historical facts about the invasion, a map of the area of Russia in relation to Czechoslovakia. He even provided a preface with all the characters of the book and who they were specifically in relation to the book and their storyline. The author did such a great job of weaving very well how the Russians did invade Mersk, the small town in the story and how obsession and tyrannical Col Dal tried to change the belief system of the people of Mersk to belief in the Communist and Lenin-ism way of life. It shows passion and courage from Anya Sahhat to stand up to the communist rule to try and get Col. Dal out of their small town so that Mersk can once again experience the freedom they once had. The author wrote beautifully on how the relationships between them were even more solidified once the invasion had taken place to fight the oppression of the Russian Invasion and Colonel Dal and his army.I personally never knew that Vietnam POW's were being transported to Russia and Central Europe. Since I do read more non-historical books, my interest was piqued as to what was the Russian's motives of taking Prisoners of War from Southeast Asia, where they being used as propaganda against the American government? Were weapons being traded for the POW's ? It left me questioning in some regards but I am sure that is from the typical factual reading that I am used to versus historical fiction. Even though there are factual elements in the story their is a fictional story line that the author uses to keep the readers interest.My suggestion to the author is to give an explanation of the abbreviations concerning the Russian intelligence agencies like the KGB, GRU and NKVD for example. I have no idea what they stand for with the exception of a KBG agent. I also suggested to the author that a small explanation about the philosophy of Marxism, Communism, and Lenin-ism would help the reader who may not be familiar with those concepts to get a general feel for the motivating factor why Russia was hell-bent in taking prisoners of war.I was getting a little concerned when not much was being mentioned about the POW's until toward the end of the book so I didn't know what the author's main focus was the story line of the invasion or as the subject matter about the POW's. and I wish there had been more details of how they were transported to Russia. Even though that is mentioned a little toward the end of the book but I would like to see more detail. The chapters leading to the end were so suspenseful I was getting so excited to find out what would happen next. The author has an unique way of creating a small crescendo into an epic ending. It definitely wasn't what I expected!I loved the book and how the author took some very detail facts and brought to our attention not only were their POW's in Korea, WWII, and Vietnam they also had a fate in Russia and Central Europe. It has now created a desire in me to continue my education in this subject and help the cause of trying to bring light that these men need to come home so that loved ones can have closure and our country who abandoned their men can find some redemption for their unacceptable and disrespectful act against the soldiers themselves and the American people. The soldiers fought for the American's freedom and put their lives on the live they deserve to come home.I was struck by the mere fact that we did really learn more about the POW's that were in the storyline, though they are mentioned briefly in the beginning but it isn't till the end of the book to you get a slight glimpse on how they were transported to Eastern Europe. That mere tidbit didn't deter me from finishing the book because the last few chapters kept me on the edge of my seat. I could see how the author wanted an explosive and epic ending and it indeed dramatic make it dramatic. The other key component for me is I could connect with each character and the story line and how all the characters relationships intertwined. Another surprise for me in the book is how one character had a double life that really made the story like a mystery and kept you guessing as to what their real purpose in terms of his role of living in this small town.I highly recommend this book as a great way to understand of what the invasion of Russia into Czechoslovakia was about despite the fact it is historical fiction. You could also increase your knowledge by doing research such as I and how the long term regime of Communism wore down the morale of the towns people. If can way for the reader to know plan to do and how the American prisoners of war were targets to be sent to camps or used as a political card in the struggle for world dominance. Despite the fact, this is historical fiction some basic facts that are interwoven in the storyline and you have to use your imagination of what this would really looks like in today's world but it's not hard to do with this fantastic book.I love the book so much it will be going into my personal collection of books that I keep and its have quite a special meaning! I hope this honest review let's you know that it is a great read and if will open your eyes to the problem of finding our men in service that need to come home for closure of a terrible cover up and for the families alike. I would even read this many more times because I have come to love it that much. The author gives a small glimpse into the overdue injustice to the soldiers that gave their lives to our country who prides itself on freedom. I give this book and the author a thumbs up and can's wait to read his next next novel!

Very interesting story about a subject we rarely hear about - the continued captivity of US POWs after the end of the War.The colonel is a real character, both cultured and suave, and cold-blooded fanatic. He uses the illegal invasion as a cover for nefarious deeds and personal enrichment believing that no one will stop him. He tries to strike fear into the locals so that they won't question his authority or deeds.Only two stand up to him - Ayna and the doctor. This is a David and Goliath story excellently told and a pleasure to read.

Good interesting story.