Pun Salad

Superficial me, I was unimpressed with the lackluster cover art. Which is maybe why I waited so long to read this 2017 novel by Derek B. Miller. Ah, but what's between the covers is just fantastic.

The opening scene is 1991 Iraq. Saddam has been driven out of Kuwait, but remains in power. And is ruthlessly hanging onto power by sending out troops to ruthlessly suppress any possible Shiite sources of opposition. And murder their wives and children, just to be sure.

American policy is to not get involved (further), so Arwood Hobbes, US Army machine gunner has little to do at Checkpoint Zulu, 240 kilometers inside Iraq, just outside the town of Samawah. Which has had the temerity to overthrow their Sunni government. Arwood meets British newspaper journalist Thomas Benton, and (sort of) goads him into entering Samawah to report on the locals. Unfortunately, hell picks that time to be unleashed. Benton and Hobbes attempt to save a girl (wearing green) from the carnage, but tragically fail.

And then, twenty-two years later, Hobbes notices the girl in green again. In Syria. Under mortar attack. He contacts Benton and they inject themselves into that carnage, and things threaten to unfold tragically once more.

There's a lot going on here, and I've only skimmed the surface. Miller has a vast and detailed knowledge of the various forces and ethnicities in the Middle East, and also knows how NGOs and the UN play their roles.

Miller's also an expert at mixing horrible violence and offbeat humor. Sometimes on the same page. Seems like a difficult thing to bring off, but it worked for me.

This (sigh) means I've read all Miller's novels. Hope another one will drop soon.