Robert Capko

"The Long Road Home" by Robert Capko picks up where "Say Bye" left off. John Paxton is rescued from Serbia and airlifted to the U.S, Base in Italy. The mission is over and John could return home to his wife and family. Instead, he discovers that he has brought back the "fake" package and the real one is now in the hands of terrorists. They are planning to sell it to Iraq in exchange for barrels of nerve gas, which is capable of killing millions of innocents. John Paxton can't allow that to happen and volunteers to go back to Serbia to stop this transaction and make things right. He teams up with a couple of Navy Seals who will help him with this mission, but first they must find and rescue McMurphy, who is held prisoner by the Russians [his true identity was leaked to the Russians by an informer in the Pentagon] - he is the key to the success of this mission. However, before they leave, Paxton is arrested for destruction of government property - Major Thompson brought him up on charges even after Paxton saved his life and rescued him from Serbia.

I thought this book was much more intense than "Say Bye". There are several times when I thought the mission was completed and John could return home for good - but there always seems to be yet one more thing that needs to be taken care of first. Meanwhile, John Paxton's stateside boss, Colonel Ward, is kept in the dark and led to believe that John is still in Italy being debriefed - General Reed never told him John went back to Serbia. Frustrated that John is not calling home during this time, his wife begins putting the pressure on Col. Ward. As a goodwill gesture, he arranges to fly the Paxton family to Italy to meet up with John in between these briefings. Little do they know, the Pentagon leak and traitor is planning to meet the family when they arrive.

There is so much going on here that readers will have a difficult time putting this book down - a real edge of your seat page turner!

I did find typos and errors again in this tome, but not to the extent of Robert's first book - so I didn't take away a star this time. I still recommend that the author invests in a proof reader for both books and republish afterwards. I would still recommend reading both books - back to back - to fully enjoy the adventure. Great job Mr. Capko! Looking forward to seeing more from you in the future!

John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel… (más)

As a military author myself, I participated in a Veteran's Day Charity event with Mr. Capko and joined 40 other military veteran authors, who pledged the royalties for all book sales made on that day to a charity of our choice. I saw "Say Goodbye" on the list of books offered and was intrigued by the book description - ultimately, purchasing it and a couple of others that looked interesting.

"Say Goodbye" by Robert Capko is an intense and captivating read. John Paxton is a Pararescue Jumper Trainer who is contemplating retirement and spending more time with his wife and two children. Suddenly, he and a team of PJ's are ordered to Serbia - a Stealth Bomber was shot down and the team must rescue the downed pilot. Time is not their friend and it is imperative that they leave immediately for this top secret mission. There is no time to call the family, in fact, the brass confiscate John's cell phone and then orders the pilot of the C-17 aircraft to disallow any of the team members access to the radio for personal calls. A lone civilian, McMurphy, joins the team on this flight, but keeps to himself; he is extremely secretive and informs John Paxton that he has a mission of his own and will not join the team on the ground. Once in the air, the team is stripped of their clothing and identities then ordered to wear green fatigues similar to those worn by the Serbian Rebels. Since there is no evidence that they are American Soldiers, if caught on the ground, they will be treated as spies and probably shot.

John Paxton begins to question the mission - everything just doesn't add up. Who is McMurphy? What's his mission? U.S. PJ's are stationed in Italy and could have responded to the downed aircraft immediately, why fly this group there from Texas? Why is the team dressed like Serb Rebels to rescue a downed pilot? Are they being set-up? Are they pawns in a much larger mission?

The action starts right away and it will be difficult to set the book down to see what happens next. There are many twists and turns which keep readers on the edge of their seat, feverishly turning pages and hoping to solve the mystery. Are there spies and traitors among us? Who is the real enemy? Pick up this book and see how it plays out!

The story is great and highly recommended. I've already downloaded the next book in the series and plan to start after completing this review. Note that I would have given "Say Goodbye" five stars, if not for the typos and other errors encountered - a proof reader should have caught them.

John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel… (más)