Andy Kutler

I received this book through the Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review. Honorable Profession follows a disgraced Secret Service officer, his daughter, and his daughter’s professor on a political journey. The characters in the novel are believable and we’ll developed. As a reader, I felt I “knew” everyone. The plot was a bit far fetched, but I was able to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the book. At times it felt like the author was trying to teach us about politics and not just let the plot take off. In that way, it felt like The Invisible Heart which is a fun read that teaches economics at the same time. Don’t take this as a slight of the book, but just know it feels like a college lecture hall at times. All in all, it’s a fun read. 3.5 stars.… (plus d'informations)

Salinger wrote in Catcher in the Rye (I'm paraphrasing), you know it's a good book if, when you finish it, you wish the author was a friend of yours and you could call him (or her) up on the phone. Well, I wish Andy Kutler was a friend of mine because I thoroughly enjoyed his novel Honorable Profession. It is a political novel about a "retired" Secret Service agent, his daughter, and a political science professor in Las Vegas who decides to run for president. The story line was intriguing. The characters were believable. Although I'm not sure I can buy that the president of the United States would want someone to ask her out on a date. But it fit the story. The plot is very timely. Mr. Kutler certainly knows politics. As a retired government employee myself, I thoroughly recommend this book.… (plus d'informations)

Officer Malcolm Kelsey is aboard the USS Nevada the morning of December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attack. He makes the difficult decisions to maneuver the ship and save crew members. During the attack, Kelsey receives a head injury and goes into a coma. While unconscious, he is taken to the other side and given a choice. Kelsey can stay in his current timeline with his painful memories of his deceased daughter and wayward wife or be placed into a different timeline with no memories of his current life. The decision is not difficult for Kelsey, he takes the deal and is transported back to the eve of the Civil War. Kelsey feels duped, transported from one war to another with all of his memories from his past life in tact. There must be a purpose to all of this though, and Kelsey might have found it in a name he remembers from his past life, Travers. There are also new people that bring hope to Kelsey's new life, like Garrity.

I was really intrigued by the time travel aspect of the book as well as the historical fiction. The whole other side was very interesting and I loved the scenes that happened there between Kelsey and his guide, Leavitt. Kelsey was also an amazing and well developed character: brave and determined, he has pain hidden deep inside, is a self-described ass-hole, but would do anything to help another member of his team. This made him perfect to go back to the Civil War. One thing that threw me though was the changing point of view between Kelsey and Garrity, an officer in the Dragoons where Kelsey first awakes in 1861. I wasn't really expecting so much of the book to focus on someone else, especially so soon. For much of the book the perspectives are taken back and forth between Kelsey's experience and Garrity's. This does have a purpose in the end, but at first it was a little disorienting. Anyhow, the context into the Civil War with a view from each side was very detailed and graphic. Much of the battles, prison conditions and medical treatment was done with historical accuracy. The ending was inspiring and surprising, nothing that I saw coming.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)