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2 out of 4 stars
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In A Shooter's Moon, D.J. Power chronicled the journey of an ex-marine, Sergeant James 'Jim' Coleman. Jim had just realized that his marriage was under severe threat, and he may very well lose his son Ricky if his demons were not faced. As an ex-marine who served during the Vietnam War, Jim had carried out operations that left him with a lifetime of nightmares and regrets. He was initially assigned to go to Iwakuni, but his orders changed when he arrived at Camp Pendleton in California. He had been reassigned to a detachment team with a very special assignment. The team received special intensive training for operations that they would soon realize might be suicide missions.
One thing that was so apparent in this book was the presence of errors and mistakes that indicated that the book had not been edited. The beginning of the book was heavily marked with errors; it was pretty discouraging to continue reading the book. It did get better towards the middle of the book and the ending. But the book had already left a less-than-desired first impression. One of the most jarring mistakes was how the author started new sentences with lowercase letters. Also, there were punctuations placed in the wrong places.
It may be hard for readers to connect with the characters because there was not much background to them. Even with the main character, Jim, it appeared as though the author intended to create a fearless and strong character. However, it was not executed properly. Jim's character came across as a hot-headed, paranoid, and egotistical man with authority issues, as readers would see in his disposition towards his superior officers in the Marine Corps. His likability was further dampened by how he spoke to his girlfriend, Linda. Overall, his character was not impressive, even though it seemed this was the author's desire.
The only things that appealed to me in this book were the author's insights into the United States Marine Corps, like their motto 'Semper Fi,' which meant 'Do or die.' There were further insights into the Vietnam people, like the Montagnard — the mountain people. Readers would see the role played by the United States in the spread of communism in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. There was also a moment of suspense when I wondered why a special team was being put together. However, the timelines became a little bit confusing between Jim's time with the 'talking doctor' and the events that occurred at the end of the book. Readers may not be sure whether the book's ending was a cliffhanger that suggested a future continuation of the story or if it was linked to the book's beginning. So, it could either be a creative ending to a story and the beginning of another one or simply an incomplete story.
There was no doubt that A Shooter's Moon needed to be professionally edited because it would be easy for readers to be distracted by so many errors. This book may be appreciated by readers who enjoy stories about spies or those with a penchant for history. I'd rate it two out of four stars.
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A Shooters Moon
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