Falcons : A Novel

Army Air Force bomber pilot Ross Colyer forces Broderick Templeton III, the pampered son of a U.S. senator, at gunpoint to accompany him as he tries to save a B-17 from Japanese planes.

This well-crafted first novel tells the story of U.S. heavy bombers at war, from the debacle of Pearl Harbor to the low-level raid on Ploesti, Romania, in 1943. Its central characters are bitter rivals: rough-hewn warrior Ross Colyer and Broderick Templeton III, a senator's son more at home in a staff billet than in the cockpit of a B-24. Their interaction, predictable and conventional, is shaped by Rosenbaum's sensitivity to the novel's milieu. A veteran of the 8th Air Force, he is remarkably successful in presenting the training and operational problems of the war's early years, and in establishing the complex human relationships of a bomber crew. Crisp dialogue, plausible scenarios, and a page-turning, hair-raising climax make this work a must for both techno-thriller fans and students of World War II.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Long-range B-17 and B-24 strategic bombers become the ultimate weapons used by the newly formed U.S. Eighth Air Force in England to bomb Germany. Hermann Goering, leader of the Luftwaffe, has his Focke-Wulfs and Messerschmitts ready, not only to defend but to attack. Bomber pilot Ross Colyer must lead his crew of officers and enlisted men, now assigned to North Africa, on a top-secret mission to destroy Ploesti, Romania, which harbors an enormous complex of refineries. The B-24 Liberators will fly at an altitude of 250 instead of the customary 20,000, requiring pinpoint navigation. Aerial combat dominates the raid and forces Colyer, whose bomber has been hit, to land in Turkey, a questionable ally. The crew's escape, complete with a doctored bomber, is the climax of an extremely satisfying book. The premise is familiar, as are the characters. However, Rosenbaum, a former B-17 bomber pilot writing his first novel, knows his subject well and keeps the story moving at a rapid pace. Despite the use of cliches, Falcons is an excellent addition to the increasingly popular World War II shelf.
- Ralph DeLucia, Willoughby Wallace Lib., Branford, Ct.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.