THE 13TH COHORT

K.E. `Ken' Pottie's spy novels THE CODE NAME SERIES are addicting. Having followed his stories since the inception in 2012 with CODE NAME SONNY and progressing through MOUNTAIN OF FIRE, it is with great expectations (and well met) that THE 13TH COHORT is greeted. As is well known by now from his awards, the series is based on his father's experiences behind enemy lines in World War II. He is young - graduating from Norwich University, Vermont in 1980. Where Pottie learned his skills as a writer is not evident from his resume: his knowledge of military history and the interstices of espionage within resistance groups is understandable in that spent 13 years in military service in the Army, leaving at the rank of Major. During that time, Ken served as a company commander during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, earned the Bronze Star, Kuwait Liberation Medal and Combat Air Medal. The rest comes naturally. For those who fell under the spell of CODE NAME SONNY and MOUNTAIN OF FIRE, be alerted that THE 13TH COHORT is every bit as good, and if those first books are still in your memory bank (which they doubtless are) then this novel has the same sense of watching a special series like HOMELAND or NEWSROOM on television. That may be a poor comparison for some - reading is always a better pastime than passively watching a TV drama - but the idea comes across. Pottie knows how to create and build suspense and thrills that makes the decision to put the book down once started a challenging one! The story weaves in and out from the 1940s to the present - and for very good reason. We have passed through the Cold War of the second novel and now find a resurgence of a Neo-Nazi movement -the so-called 13th Cohort. There are elements of a spear that apparently has treacherous power - the Spear of Destiny (fraught with religious significance as the spear that pierced the side of Christ) - and if the elements of the spear can be found (supposedly hidden in the Castle Wewelsburg in Germany) then a new Hitler can be created to lead the Fourth Reich. Pottie weaves all the characters who have survived the first two novels of the series into the action of this third episode and there is the same mixture of intrigue, genetic connection, historical persistence, love, strange medical situations and Pottie keeps the dialog embedded in the narration of the story in a manner that aids the flow of the unraveling sequences, and he successfully creates a contemporary situation based on his own life experiences that serve as the author's way of explaining the secrets that war tattoos on the minds of veterans. Few writers have described the war and its permutations as well. Another fine story. Don't fear the length of 600 pages: the author and editor have wisely spaced the legible font at a near double spaced manner that allows the eyes to avoid fatigue to the very end.

- Grady Harp

My wife brought home Code Name Sonny after visiting with the author and his wife on a business trip. Not knowing what to expect, I started reading, hoping that this author's first novel would at least be bearable. Before I knew it I was on the last page, wanting more! I was hooked. I love the characters and the story, as well as the connection between events in World War II and the present. The 13th Cohort picks up where the last two books left off -- with our erstwhile hero and his wife fighting evil in the present day much as Sonny and his compatriots fought the Nazis. With intrigue and plot twists, the story keeps the reader hanging on every word through the last page. A great story that would make a fantastic movie! I am definitely looking forward to more from this author.

- Bill W

When I read the first book Code Name Sonny, I almost didn't sleep that first night because I wanted to finish the book in one sitting. I have always been a big fan of espionage novels and this one delivered. I devoured the second book in the series, Mountains of Fire, in the same way. I couldn't wait for this one to come out, but was worried about how can the author continue the crazy plot twists and driving story. When I finally got around to reading this book, I was not disappointed. Ken continued to deliver the great story and crazy plot twists. I felt like I was right there in the story - he has a vivid way of describing the areas this group of heroes goes to. He brilliantly ties together the past and the future! I truly loved this book (as well as the others in the series). I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers and crazy plot twists.

- AJW

• Code Name Sonny: Book One of the Code Name Series by K.E. Pottie
  Its 1942. Joe is representative of many young American men of his generation: America and its Allies are at war with the Germans and the Japanese, and this New Hampshire teenager wants to be in the thick of it.
• Mountains of Fire by K.E. Pottie
  K.E. Pottie, the award winning author of Code Name Sonny, continues the thrilling story of Henri, Madeline, Charlene and the French partisans as Jack and Emily uncover a plot to attack New York City with a dirty bomb.
• BLACK DAWN by K.E. Pottie
  A powerful organization that will hold the world hostage. With their new leader Nik Alevras, will our intrepid pair of spies be able to stop a returning evil, before the dawn?