Book Review and Giveaway-Red Rain by Tim Wendel

Title: Red Rain
Author: Tim Wendel
Publisher: The Writer's Lair Books
Published: 2008
ISBN: 978-0-9754402-1-6
Pages: 251


From the Publisher:
As the B-29 bommbers began to pound Tokyo and most of the other major Japanese cities to rubble, the Japanese military became desperate to find a way to once again instill fear in its enemies. Out of such eforts was born the greatest secret of WWII-the fire ballon. Yoshi, camouflaging her identity, is sent to uncover these delicate but deadly creations.


My review:
Tim Wendel takes a true story of the secret of the Japanese fire balloons and weaves a story of fictional characters around it. Yoshi, who is born an American, yet is placed in an internment camp with her family due to being from Japanese descent, is the central character of the story. She is recruited by the military to become a spy and travel to Japan to find out about the balloons and help America fight against this weapon. The story is filled with intrigue and romance and I could not put it down until I had read every single page. The writing is good, although at times, I would have liked more details and/or background information on certain characters. Yet, that did not detract from the story. I felt my heart race and my body gain excitement as I traveled along with the characters in their search for the balloons and the quest to stop them. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in historical fiction or just in need of reading a really good story.

About the Author:
Time Wendel is the author of a half-dozen books, including Castro's Curveball: A Novel; and The New Face of Baseball: The One Hundred-Year Rise and Triumph of Latino's Favorite Pastime, which was named the Top History Book for 2004 by the Latino Literary Awards. His stories have appeared in Gargoyle and The Potomac Review, and his articles in The New York Times, Esquire, GQ, Washingtonian and USA Today, where he is on the Forum's op-ed Board of Contributors.

Wendel received a Master's Degree in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and has worked on both coasts, covering everything from the Olympics to the America's Cup. He lives in northern Virginia with his wife and their two children. More of his stories can be found at www.timwendel.com


I have one copy of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment below with your email address to enter. This is open to US only. The winner will be chosen on August 3.