There are some bits of history here that that are worth mentioning. First, the name of Faraday’s plane, Blind Date, comes from an actual aircraft lost during a bombing mission to Tokyo on May 23, 1945. The people of the Philippines, especially guerrilla forces, were important allies during the campaign. They were considered US nationals until the Philippines became an independent nation on July 4, 1946. The rescue mission and the POW camp are fictionalized for the story, but are inspired by the cruel conditions in real-life. General MacArthur really did issue a warning about the treatment of POWs shortly after landing on Leyte and several Japanese officers were punished accordingly after the war.

It almost goes without saying that some of the language and attitudes on these pages are appropriate to the World War II setting but are avoided today. Japan is now one of our great democratic allies in a challenging world order.

Finally, thank you to the usual team that has helped bring another book to reality, including Aidan, Mary, Mike, Deny, advance readers Dano, Charles, and Paul, the talented narrator Scott Bennett, Streetlight Graphics, Intracoastal Media, and Castle Walls Editing. There are many others too numerous to mention whose support and help over the years are deeply appreciated — including you, dear reader. Writing a book is a leap of faith where you just try to do your best to tell the story. To quote Deacon Cole, “I reckon that I get lucky now and then. Like my daddy used to say, you can’t hit any of the targets you don’t shoot at. In other words, you have to take your chances now and then.”

— DH

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Healey lives in Maryland, where he worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. He is an author member of the International Thriller Writers.

Check in with him on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/david.healey.books

ALSO BY DAVID HEALEY

The Pacific Sniper Series

(Deacon Cole)

Pacific Sniper

Rising Sniper

Jungle Sniper

Hunter Sniper

Savage Sniper

The Caje Cole Series

(WWII and Korean War)

Ghost Sniper

Iron Sniper

Gods & Snipers

Ardennes Sniper

Righteous Sniper (2024)

Red Sniper

Frozen Sniper

Sniper Ridge

Fallen Sniper

Sniper’s Justice

The Rebel Series (Civil War)

Rebel Dawn

Rebel Guns (2024)

Rebel Fever

Rebel Train

Stand-alone Novels

Sharpshooter

Time Reich

Deadly Anthem

Beach Bodies: A Rehoboth Beach Thriller

The House that Went Down with the Ship

The Duelist (Novella)

The Sea Lord Chronicles

First Voyage

Ship of Spies

Non-fiction

Great Storms of the Chesapeake

Delmarva Legends & Lore

1812: Rediscovering Chesapeake Bay’s Forgotten War

Pirate Moon: Collected Essays and Stories