Mustang

 

A Novel of World War II

by John J. Dwyer

Climb into the cockpit with Dust Bowl farm boy Lance Roark as he arrives in England commanding a B-17 Flying Fortress at the height of World War II. A prologue, 2017’s Will Rogers Medallion Gold Medal winner, Shortgrass, set the stage for young Lance as he made the crucial decision following the bombing of Pearl Harbor to depart from the pacifist doctrine of his Mennonite upbringing and go to war. Now, still cheerful and pious, he and his best friend, famed Oklahoma Sooner Waddy Young, tackle a new opponent—history’s most fearsome air armada, the German Luftwaffe, which has bested every other force that has dared confront them.

Audacious, cool under fire, and a born aviator, Lance piles up the missions and decorations and somehow survives to complete his tour of duty—barely. Even as he gains renown as a relentless air warrior, though, his lifelong faith is shaken as the body count of those around him mounts. Driven by a desire for vengeance against his enemies, he turns down service back Stateside to return to battle in one of America’s sensational new P-51 Mustang fighter planes.

As the greatest aerial war in history rages in the skies over bleeding Europe, Lance hits a low-point in his life just as a terrifying new adversary appears to challenge him. Pushed to the breaking point, he will need every bit of skill and experience he can muster in an unforgettable showdown over Dresden in the war’s most legendary air raid. (312 pages)

Published:
Publisher: Hat Creek
Genres:
Historical

Tags:
World War II novels, WWII novels

About the Author

John J. Dwyer

John J. Dwyer is longtime Adjunct Professor of History and Ethics at Southern Nazarene University. He is former History Chair at a classical college preparatory school, newspaper publisher, and radio host. His books include the non-fiction historical narrative The War Between the States: America’s Uncivil War and the novel When the Bluebonnets Come, both from Bluebonnet Press; the historical novels Stonewall and Robert E. Lee from Broadman & Holman Publishers; the two-book historical narrative The Oklahomans: The Story of Oklahoma and Its People from Red River Press, and the upcoming Shortgrass sequel, Mustang from Galway Press. John is a native Texan who grew up in Oklahoma. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma, did post-graduate studies in history at OU, and earned his masters degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. He lives with Grace, his wife of 29 years. They have one daughter, Katie, and one grandson, Luke.

Other Books By John J. Dwyer

Recommended Posts

Twice Upon a Crime

When Hollywood burns you, it’s time for a rewrite.
Fiona Moore is done playing nice with Hollywood. A former screenwriting star now sidelined by ageism and a biting sarcasm problem, she finds herself jobless, friendless, and left with only her dog and an impressive stash of disdain for the industry that’s ditched her. Enter Jack Reynolds, a bright-eyed, thirty-year-old film student with a boundless love for classic cinema—and a very distracting smile that makes Fiona question if a twenty-year age gap is really such a big deal. Despite her attempts to keep him at arm’s length, Jack is determined to help Fiona reclaim her place in the spotlight, and together they embark on a passionate, if snark-filled, quest to write the next great blockbuster.

But when their hard work is stolen by a sleazy Hollywood producer, Fiona and Jack decide to go off-script. Armed with a screenplay about the perfect crime, they set out to pull off the heist of a lifetime—one that’s clever, classy, and just this side of legal. As their partnership heats up on and off the page, they’ll discover that while Hollywood may be all about illusions, their feelings just might be the real deal.

Fast-paced, funny, and full of twists, Twice Upon a Crime is a madcap caper that will leave you cheering for this unlikely duo—because revenge is sweet, but falling in love is even sweeter.

 

The Long Goodnight

We’re not troublemakers. We’re trouble finders.
Step into a world where shadows hold secrets and cryptids rule the night. Ruby’s dream of exhilarating adventures takes a spine-chilling twist when she becomes an apprentice at The Goodnight Agency. But the supernatural underworld she thought she knew proves far more treacherous—and thrilling—than she ever imagined.
Goodnight is a hub for all things enigmatic and bizarre, a haven for creatures straight out of tabloid tales. Yet, as Ruby soon learns, mysteries are not merely stories. When an innocent old woman narrowly escapes murder, Ruby becomes a suspect .

Amidst the chaos, Ruby finds herself entangled with the Skohlars, a clandestine race of intelligent rats, entrusted with secrets potent enough to reshape reality itself. And as if that’s not enough, a group of kidnapped Sasquatches unravels a feud among The Scene’s own Guardians, leaving the agency in a perilous struggle.

The Long Goodnight is a pulse-pounding adventure where friendships are tested, mythical creatures come to life, and the line between reality and fantasy blurs.

 

Little Red Wraith

A tyrannical queen. A rising rebellion. A choice that will change everything.
All Anna wants is to grieve her sister in peace. But peace is the last thing she’ll get. After the tragic accident shatters her world, her life takes an even darker turn when her father is imprisoned in the castle and her mother is summoned by the ruthless queen. Terrified of losing what’s left of her family, Anna demands to go with them, despite the dangerous path ahead. As a shapeshifter who can’t transform, she’s already a target under the queen’s brutal laws—and the castle is the last place she wants to be.

Enter Redford, her sister’s former fiancé, with an offer she can’t ignore—join the Rising, a rebel force determined to tear down the queen’s rule. Redford promises refuge, but when a ghost from Anna’s past shows up with a twisted opportunity to serve the queen, the lines between right and wrong begin to blur.

Anna faces an impossible choice—join the Rising as their poison maker or stay at the castle and create a weapon so monstrous, it could change the kingdom forever.