The Ghost Mountain Boys, By James Campbell

James Campbell is one of the first authors to review the Papua/New Guinea campaign during World War II. While a laudable effort, the book is lacking in several respects in covering the campaign. On the positive side, this is one of the few books to cover this little known backwater of World War II.

With most resources being sent to a ‘Europe first’ strategy, and the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) being run by the US Navy and Marines, the efforts of the US Army is relegated to backwater status. But with General McArthur in command and a mission to pay back the promise to return to the Philippines, the first step from his HQ in Australia to the Philippines is through the steaming jungles of Papua/New Guinea.

The book does a good job of retracing the tortuous steps of the troops sent to endure both the impassible terrain and the Japanese defenders. The tales capture the human element, the immense suffering that occurs during this little known campaign. But several gaps prevent the book from being a definitive source on the subject. The first is a lack of tactical detail; little details are given on the thoughts of the leadership as these men slugged across terrible terrain, dealing with limited supplies and tropical diseases. After a more expeditious coastal route is found, little time is spent on focusing on why this poorly planned expedition was continued. From the Japanese side, very little effort is given to understand the strategic and tactical futility of their position. In essence, the campaign is treated as a microcosm instead of as part of a truly global conflict. Battle details are lacking; most histories draw you into the battle and the struggle of each soldier to survive. Campbell’s approach simply relates the challenges faced by the soldiers and their courage under fire. He focuses on the lack of rapid progress which is seen as cowardice by the senior officers in the rear. Again, no explanation is given to why MacArthur failed to grasp the tactical situation or why he didn’t send out a fact-finding mission (or if he did and had his suspicions confirmed).

In his conclusion, Campbell excoriates MacArthur, claiming that he learned a valuable lesson and never again attacked directly into enemy defenses. But he never fully explained why he chose attrition here or why he decided to press forward the attacks after the garrison was completely isolated; rapid exploitation of enemy weaknesses and bypassing strongpoints were hallmarks of his leadership style, such as his decision for the Inchon Landings in Korea. Lacking resources and needing to grab headlines to help his effort, a slow, frontal grinding attack is not behavior typically exhibited by MacArthur. There also is a lack of maps; those included lack details. While Campbell spends much time on the rugged terrain, none of the maps are topographical. Lastly, Campbell uses few references. While his study of the individuals involved shows an ability to gather research material, the tactics depend almost exclusively on the official US Army history. So while I applaud the effort to bring life to a little known theater in World War II, the book overall needs some drastic changes to be a true historical study.

2 Out of 4 Stars

Reviewed By: Michael Stefanac, Business and Accounting Division

Trent’s Last Case, By E.C. Bentley

Who would appreciate the classic mystery Trent’s Last Case by E.C. Bentley?

The plot of this brief novel offers nearly all the attractions enthusiasts of this genre expect: A Howard Hughes-type tycoon is murdered on the grounds of his grand English estate, his scratched and bruised wrists suggest a struggle. The valuables found on his body rule out robbery as a motive, but his clothing also suggests he dressed hastily to keep a late-night or early-morning appointment with his probable killer. The amateur sleuth is a glib, yet likable, artist, who is occasionaly persuaded to help Scotland Yard with tough cases. Suspects include a seductive French maid, an affection-starved wife, an unflappable butler, and, of course, the victim’s business associates.

Today’s mystery fans may enjoy Bentley’s wit, which continues to hold up 85 years after the novel’s initial publication (1913). Critics–and mystery royalty such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers–proclaimed the book a classic because detective Phillip Trent is the first fallible sleuth, unlike Sherlock Holmes and his predecessors. Readers are forewarned, however, that the style is somewhat dated: Two characters may sit at a table and converse for pages and pages, and each character may speak uninterrupted for as much as one-half a page! Contemporary readers accustomed to fast-paced authors such as Elmore Leonard may find this stilted and staid. Modern-day readers may also find difficulty in adjusting to clues obviously devised for Edwardian England. For example, how many of us know that waistcoat pockets fashioned to hold a pocket watch were usually lined with wash-leather? Really, this is a significant clue!

To return to the original question of who would enjoy Trent’s Last Case: The “summer soldier” mystery fan who reads mysteries only during holiday breaks and vacations may not warm up to Phillip Trent; however, the mystery devotee intrigued by the historic development of this genre over the decades will value this novel’s contributions to the modern detective story.

3 out of 4 Stars

Reviewed by: Mike Shin, Academic Learning Center

**Editor’s note — This novel is out-of-copyright in the U.S. and available for free (legally!) through the Project Gutenberg website.

Soul Circus, By George P Pelecanos

Most people know how much I love HBO’s The Wire (watch it, love it, then watch it again), and Pelecanos wrote a few episodes for the show. I’ve never thought I would like hard-boiled crime fiction, but his stuff is fantastic. You find empathy for the characters, even the street-level bangers who are in a situation they just don’t know how to get out of (another theme of “The Wire”). His main character, private investigator Derek Strange, is a terrific, complicated character to build a series around. The themes of one book are similar to the next, but the characters are so well-written, and the urban setting is so descriptive and well-established, you feel like he’s writing pure poetry of the streets. I can’t wait to read more of his novels.

4 out of 4 Stars

Reviewed By: Erin Payton, Library Services

Lost Cosmonaut, By Daniel Kalder

Daniel Kalder, a young travel author, takes comfort in the dilapidated state of the countries and republics that he visits throughout Lost Cosmonaut. He can be a bit abrasive, but it makes for interesting reading! For every time he offended my delicate sensibilities (not really, though) he also taught me something new about places I had never even heard of before picking up this book.

One thing I learned: The president of Kalmykia is the youngest president of a free republic in the world, he’s 30 years old. He spends a third of their national budget on their soccer team and posts billboards featuring pictures from his many photo-ops with international leaders and celebrities. Lucky for us, Kalder includes pictures of said billboards to prove it. Alongside his discussion of the current situation, Kalder also lays out the distant history of each country to give some perspective as to how it got that way.

Again, he has a penchant for making fun of the places he visits, but also takes the time to research them and bring to light how they got that way. I respect that and am glad he took the time to be a tourist in such unpopular places. I’d say this book is a keeper.

4 out of 4 Stars

Reviewed By: Steve Osler, Library Services