Review: Rousing Read! Hang on...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 12, 2014
In 1935, Twice Medal of Honor recipient, retired USA Marine General Smedly Butler released a small book entitled, WAR IS A RACKET. In it's few pages, he outlined his active military work, as basically a corporate thug, in Central America during the Banana Wars, twenty-five years earlier. His factual exploits mirror those of David Gaughran's incredible, larger-than-life, whiskey soaked, part-time hero, Lee Christmas who is the primary character here.Mercenary is a rousing, immersive look at just one of the adventurers who found fame and fortune as a paid gun and military leader in the Honduras of the turn of the last century. Lee Christmas... Generalissimo  Lee Christmas, I should say, led a roaring life on and off the battlefield, the Gin Palaces and brothels. Gaughran's great, fast paced read keeps you right alongside all his exploits -- both the ones he was proud of and the ones he wasn't. The detail and plentiful period touches add authenticity to a work that is ostensibly historical fiction. The voice is light and conversational, even folksy. Some of it seems so far fetched, that it pushed me to my own research. I found that yes, those days in Central America were particularly ripe for a man of action who knew how to re-invent himself when the wind turned. The active characters are memorable and the settings, including New Orleans, (one of my very favorites) bring the sounds and smells of a Banana Republic right into your reading armchair. Add a star if you're a fan of military fiction and can hang on for dear life!