Shredded me, heart and soul, opened my eyes and brought some understanding to what our men (boys) dealt with in WWII. There is light romance that I think was used to ease some of the horrifying events. The romance provides a HEA. I wonder how many really achieved that. Like others I had no clue there were floating ships of POW's and our own government. I highly recommend reading this book and the afterword where there is more knowledge. Thank you for the advanced copy. I freely share my honest thoughts and opinions. #HoldStrong #RobertDugoni #JeffLangholz #ChrisCrabtree #LakeUnionPublishing #NetGalley

It's not often a book leaves me speechless. But what Robert Dugoni, along with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, have crafted is a story of a lifetime. A deep dive into a time in history that these wordsmiths admit is not one that is discussed nearly enough. And I'm in full agreement. The World War II Phillippines almost has felt to this reader as a part of the conflict that was settled with various important battles but always assumed that the main focus was on Europe and all the Nazis were destroying. However, as I have now learned, the atrocities cast upon the brave POWs in those South China Sea waters were nothing short of horrific. And that's putting it mildly.

As we follow Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber from their small town in Minnesota to the ravages of war, I fell happily into the beautiful story that was their young love and the decisions they had to make to escape the aftermath of the Great Depression. The book is divided into parts, as we watch Sam enter the military as a way to make money and eventually save the family farm, while the brilliant Sarah goes to college, determined to come back to Eagle Grove and be the teacher she has always dreamed of. But when the US is thrust into WWII after Pearl Harbor, both of their well-thought-out journeys are set on a new course and only time will tell whether or not their ultimate dream of being together forever will come to fruition.

The main focus of the story, however, is what Sam and his fellow POWs suffer through at the hands of the Japanese military. I'm still shaking at the evil that was cast upon these brave men. Dugoni et al. don't hold back as they used real accounts from survivors of that time to describe what these soldiers went through with Sam as our unfortunate guide. These were just babies in my eyes who had to become men overnight and do their best just to make it through another day. Where not only were their bodies ravaged from slave labor, frequent beatings and starvation, but their souls were tortured even more fiercely.

We are privy to the camaraderie for Sam, in particular, of a few truly great men who held him up when he couldn't stand and who helped him keep a modicum of faith even when it was anything but easy to do so. I am still in shock thinking of not only what these young men had to endure but that they did all they could to not only save themselves but their fellow soldiers daily. It was a fight no one could ever be fully prepared for, yet even with thoughts of escape, they pushed on in any way they could just to survive one more day.

The contrasting viewpoint of Sarah's life and her pivot to become crucial to the war effort was awe-inspiring to say the least. I loved that she took the chance and became a WAVE and then a secret codebreaker, doing her part while her guy was fighting for his life. There are moments of true greatness for Sarah, and times of great guilt yet she shined in her new roles and I was thrilled to find out about her and the other women who were tantamount in destroying our enemies. They were truly the miracle we needed.

But for me, despite all the death, destruction and sadness, the love that Sarah and Sam shared for one another was a wonderful way to direct this story. There are plenty of technical passages along with gruesome moments that are forever seared into my brain but these authors created a storyline that kept the humanity alive when all else may have felt lost. With the hope that Sarah and Sam would forever be in love and would find their way back to one another as we witness Sam holding tight onto Sarah's high school ring as the ultimate symbol of faith and determination.

I could write literal pages on how much this book affected me. How my eyes were opened to a big part of the war that is not discussed nearly enough. How a couple of teenagers become wary adults and how their lives no matter how separate they may have seemed, intersected in the most incredible of ways during one of the worst periods in our history. But also how the power of love continued to be the beacon of hope when all else failed. I am honored to have been able to experience this journey with Sam and Sarah and want to thank the authors for telling their story.

I also have to thank the authors for providing a thorough Afterword and Notes. Their attention to detail, making sure what they wrote was beyond accurate, added a special touch after reading such an incredible book. Their notes are rich with new information and offer up more truths to this remarkable storyline.

My last thoughts about Hold Strong are these: GO AND READ THIS BOOK. You'll be swept away by the journeys both Sam and Sarah follow and you'll be forever changed with respect to your knowledge of a time that is never to be forgotten. You will shed many a tear but I'm sure as those last few pages are read, you'll sigh happily with a huge smile on your face. Grateful you took the chance.

5++++++++++ huge stars.

There are some stories that have to be told, that have to be dug out of the archives and brought into the light in order to expose the truth. Better still if such a story can be fashioned into a work of ‘fiction’ and given a human face so that readers can fully comprehend its import.

I can think of no safer hands for this task than Robert Dugoni, whose meticulous research, powerful storytelling, and resplendent evocation of time and place combine here to deliver an illuminating and unforgettable read.

Set against the darkest days of WWII, Hold Strong is the story of high school sweethearts Sam and Sarah, who are forced apart when Sam signs up for the US military and is shipped to the Philippines, where along with thousands of other GIs, he is captured and held in a Japanese POW camp. Sarah, meanwhile, puts her mathematical genius to work by serving in Hawaii in an elite corps of codebreakers.

Based on the horrifying events precipitated by Japan’s refusal to acknowledge the Geneva Convention, Sam’s is an extraordinary account of suffering, resilience, heroism and brotherhood. We learn of Japanese ‘hellships’, of incomprehensible brutality, and of the incredible resolve of one man to survive to bear witness.

Dugoni’s storytelling is electrifying. Raw, gritty and with no care for sensitivities, it transports the reader straight into the wretched depths of Sam’s years-long nightmare, and culminates in a sickening twist of fate that sees his and Sarah’s paths cross despite the thousands of miles of ocean separating them.

This is not a book that can be read and put back on the shelf. It demands pause for thought. As deeply disturbing as it is, it stands testament to the awful truth of war and begs the question what lessons have been learned in the intervening years.

Nor can you read this without also reading the Afterword, which details Dugoni’s research and his reason for bringing these lesser-known events into a public space.

It’s only January, but I can confidently state that Hold Strong will finish the year amongst my top reads of 2025.

This book is a story that I’m glad was told. It is a piece of history that I didn’t know. I am glad I read it although I thought the story took a tad too long to fully develop and there were a few too many cliches.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review

My grandparents came to Brazil before Japan entered WWII and they never talked much about how life was before they immigrated, they only mentioned that there was famine and poverty. To say I was shocked to read about the POW camps in the Philippines and what went on the ships is more than heartbreaking, it's impossible, for me, to understand why people do what they do to other human beings. The romance between Sam and Sarah is a powerful sign that even under impossible circumstances truth and love will prevail. Although sometimes hard to read, Hold Strong is one of those stories one must-read and talk about with a view to ensure that such crimes against humanity will never happen again. Highly recommended!
I thank the authors, their publisher, and NetGally for this ARC.

I'm a fan of Robert Dugoni's writing and I have a weak spot for WWII fiction, so of course I added Hold Strong to my shelves as soon as I first heard about it. I was even more excited when I saw its focus on the Philippines and the POW camps, as it's not something you often read about... And I always love a good code breaking angle as well. This book is a collaboration between Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, and I think the obviously extensive research and multiple eyes on the project only made the story feel more authentic.

Hold Strong is based on true events, and like I mentioned before it is obvious that the authors spent a lot of time researching the topic before putting together this story. There are pages and pages of notes and references at the end of this book, telling you exactly which events were real and which parts were fiction. It's a shame I couldn't see these notes while I was reading this story on my kindle, because I think the true events would have made an even bigger impact if I had known... That said, Hold Strong is nothing short of shocking, harrowing and often heartbreaking. Especially the chapters focusing on the POWs are brutal! This is without a doubt not a story for those with a weak stomach.

I do have to say that the story started out slower than expected and it took a little while for the ball to start rolling... I understand why we had to meet Sam and Sarah before the war and read about their deep connection for the rest of the story to make sense, but there was something about their relationship that never quite hit home for me. That said, once the story starts focusing on the war, I was getting more and more invested... And especially the second half had me fully hooked. Sam's chapters probably stood out most, although I did love Sarah's POV once she arrived in Washington DC (and especially once the code breaking appeared afterwards).

Hold Strong switches between Sam and Sarah as we learn more about what happened to both of them during the war. These characters are fictional, but they represent both POWs in the Philippines and women working in the war effort. Sam's POV is probably the strongest overall with the focus on the brutal conditions in the POW camps, the Arisan Maru and his escape afterwards... Although Sarah's POV becomes more interesting once she sets her math degree to work. The romance itself wasn't as strong as it could have been, but I still liked what it represented and how it ended.

If you like well researched and well written WWII fiction and don't mind things getting pretty graphic and brutal along the way, I can highly recommend Hold Strong. Especially the part about the POW camps in the Philippines is fascinating albeit harrowing to read about.

Headline: Epic! Profound, gripping and unputdownable!

Book Review: Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree
Published by Lake Union Publishing, January 28, 2025

★★★★★ (5/5 Stars, Rave!)

In the mold of his most notable, must-read bestsellers, "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell" (2019), and "The World Played Chess" (2021), Robert Dugoni co-authors an epic, historical fiction account of what can arguably be considered as the one of the deadliest, least known scourges of the war in the Pacific. The Japanese "Hell Ships" of World War II.

The Hell Ships.
Hell Ships (term coined by Allied POWs themselves) were Japanese "maru" merchant ships used by the Empire of Japan to transport POWs to mainland Japan and Japanese territories, to be used as forced labor.

Inhumane conditions, heavy toll. From 1942 to 1945, an estimated 134 Japanese hell ships transported roughly 126,000 Allied POWs via more than 156 voyages, during which the POWs were treated worse than animals, under the most horrific conditions which led to unspeakable depravities.

More deaths than Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge. "...A total of 21,039 POWs died during the voyages, making the phenomenon deadlier that well-known events such the Normandy campaign (16,000), D-Day (4,414), and the Battle of the Bulge (19,000)..." //

Hell Ship: "Arisan Maru (阿里山丸)".
Named after a mountain in Formosa (now Taiwan), on its final voyage the Arisan Maru was transporting POWs northbound toward Takao (now Kaohsiung) from the Philippines when it was torpedoed by an American submarine, the USS Shark.

Of the 1,781 POWs onboard when the vessel sank, only 9 lived to tell the tale.

// "Hold Strong" by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree (2024) //

Eagle Grove, Minnesota.
The story is told through the eyes of two composite characters, young adults in love, from a typical, small midwestern town, even as the world plunges into World War II.

Sam.
Sam Carlson, son of a farmer, joins the Army and ends up as a Tank Commander in the Commonwealth of the Philippines, then a United States colony. Now Sergeant Carlson, Sam was on the ground at Clark Field when it was bombarded by the Japanese Imperial Army following the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He fights in the Battle of Bataan as a "Battling Bastard", gets captured and survives the Bataan Death March and internment conditions at Camp O'Donnell.

Sam "holds strong" under the most adverse circumstances. But thus far was not to be the end of his ordeal. Far from it!

In October, 1945, just about the time when General Douglas MacArthur sets foot back on the shores of his beloved Philippines in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Sam is loaded with several hundred POW comrades destined northbound onboard a Japanese freighter. The Arisan Maru.

Sarah.
University math major, Sarah Haber, joins the wartime US Navy's "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" (WAVES) as a non-commissioned ensign. Her math skills land her deployment as a cryptanalyst at the Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Areas (JICPOA) in Honolulu, and is instrumental in cracking Japanese naval codes. On one of those decryptions, Sarah's team sets an submarine interception and ambush of a Japanese naval convoy code-name MATA-30, including three destroyers, supply ships and merchant freighters.

The last ship, trailing the convoy at a maximum speed of 7 knots, was unmarked. It did not have internationally mandated Red Cross markings although it carried prisoners of war.

1,781 POWs to be exact...

------

Epic! Heavily-researched, profound story. Gripping and unputdownable!

Review based on an advanced reading copy courtesy of Lake Union Publishing, Amazon Publishing and NetGalley.

This is a wonderful heart wrenching romance, full of ups and downs with with wonderful friendships.

It reads like real life taking you to the Philippines POW.

A great story with strong characters in all directions.

This was a powerful and difficult read. Sam lives in Elk Grove, Minnesota, it's the depression and his family has lost their farm. Sam joins the National Guard for the money but then the United States enters the war and he is sent to the Philippines. In the meantime, his high school sweetheart goes to college for mathematics and is recruited by the Navy and becomes a code breaker.

Sam was a hero but not the only one. His fellow prisoners include a priest, Father Tom, who is always there to help his men. Pete Chavez kept everyone's spirit up with his jokes and optimism and there were others.

For a woman to have a masters in mathematics was quite rare. I wish the story showed a bit more of her side and the relationships she had with the others she worked with but that is a tiny flaw. The writing never lagged and even with three authors the prose was seamless.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Lake Union for providing me with a digital copy.

Never disappoints. This stand alone was an excellent story is remarkably current. Always a pleasure to read a well written book, learning the history of my country.

Buy it, red it, listen to it, get from library or borrow from a friend. It is a great book to start your 2025 reading adventure.

A highly compelling and engaging WW2 story about young sweethearts Sam and Sarah, whose life plans are thrown into disarray by Sam’s deployment to the Far East and Sarah’s maths and language skills get her a top secret job in code breaking, specialising in Japanese code breaking. This fictional tale is based on true events which are powerfully told in Sam’s story and the people he comes across as he tries to escape from the Japanese. Not the usual fare from Robert Dugoni, and I am interested in the input of his co-writers as this is a well-structured and brilliant example of storytelling at its best - in other words it doesn’t come across as having been written by a committee!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A gripping tale of perseverance, family loyalty, and the unyielding strength of the human spirit. Set against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, this deeply immersive novel intertwines historical and contemporary timelines to deliver a story that is both heart-wrenching and inspiring.

The narrative centers on Colin, a modern-day commercial fisherman struggling to keep his family’s business afloat, and his ancestor, Owen, a sailor in the 19th century who battles the harsh realities of life at sea. Dugoni masterfully weaves these parallel stories together, showing how the threads of legacy and determination transcend time. The vivid descriptions of the unforgiving ocean and the emotional depth of the characters pull the reader into a world where survival means resilience and sacrifice.

What sets Hold Strong apart is Dugoni’s ability to balance the historical elements with personal drama. The characters feel achingly real, their challenges relatable even in their distinct eras. The book is a celebration of grit, the bonds of family, and the power of hope, making it both an engaging read and a meaningful one.

For fans of stories that explore generational struggles and triumphs with emotional authenticity, Hold Strong is a must-read. Dugoni once again proves he’s a master storyteller who knows how to tug at the heartstrings while keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this advance copy for my honest, voluntary review.

#HoldStrong #NetGalley

I rarely give 5 stars for any book, but I can’t find anything I didn’t like! I’ve read a bunch of Dugoni books in the past but this may be my favorite. I do understand he usually writes mystery. The story was very interesting as I find the Japanese portion of WWII is less told. I found all the authors did extensive research to get the facts right. I would highly recommend and thank Netgalley for an advanced copy. Well done! I hope he writes more Historical fiction in the future!!!

A Story Of American POWs Suffering And Code Breakers Working

This novel starts in 1944 in the Port of Manila. The Japanese are loading 1,800 POWs onto the Arisan Maru. While boarding, a POW, Sam, and a priest noticed that there was not a Red Cross on the ship, designating it as carrying non-military cargo. The ship's hold into which the POWs were being directed was a hell of muggy, stifling heat with the familiar, horrific stench of sweating bodies, excrement, soiled clothes, vomit, and diesel fumes from the ship’s engines. The POW choked back vomit and waved at swarms of flies. Beneath him, men moaned in agony, cried out for water, and pleaded for air.

This novel starts with one thread: Two high school sweethearts, Sam and Sarah, struggle to make choices in life and love nine years into a devastating depression. While they want to stay together, the pending war separates them. Sam was shipped to the Philippines in mid-1941 and stationed on the Bataan Peninsula. Soon after the Japanese invade the Philippines, he is captured and becomes a prisoner of war. He survives the Bataan Death March, the horrors of Camp O’Donnell, and finally, a voyage on a hell Maru heading back to more secure Japanese territory. The second thread follows Sarah as she volunteers for an unacknowledged effort to break the Japanese Naval Code. She succeeds spectacularly. She joins a group in Hawaii and focuses on decrypting and translating messages on the statuses of the Japanese Marus. U.S. submarines used this information to sink these cargo ships to strangle Japanese armed forces of needed supplies. While this is a work of historical fiction, the unimaginable horrors that the POWs endured are well documented. While reading, I researched the Arisan Maru to know what was in store. Even knowing this, I was riveted to continue to read. This is such a compelling story.

The actions of Sam and Sarah throughout the novel demonstrate their well-defined characters. Their personal sides are seen both when they are together and while they are separated. Sarah had to make hard choices that could affect Sam’s survival, and Sam’s choices always had a chance of immediate death. Sarah’s relationship with Captain Russell was quite poignant. It adds a touch of sadness that occurs in human life. There is also a C-storyline in the novel. The lives of two teenagers, tempered by the flames of war, became very mature, and they made mature decisions at the end of the novel. These aspects of the novel enhanced my reading enjoyment.

For the three aspects of a novel that can trouble some readers, there are some here. There are not any intimate scenes, only a few necking scenes. The primary issue is the very graphic depiction of the depravities that the POWs had to endure. This novel can be disturbing because while the work is fiction, what occurred is well documented. This novel ends at just under 80% of its length. The rest contains a selected bibliography and notes documenting various events, a treasure trove of information in and of itself.

My major issue with this novel occurred in the novel’s chapters involving the USS Shark. It really needed editing by someone familiar with submarine operations. I counted eleven inconsistencies that are impossible to occur on a submarine. I believe that these were to heighten the tension of the scene. It may not be noticeable if the reader is unfamiliar with submarine operations, especially WW II boats. I really liked the inclusion of a biography and notes. I also discovered that one of the POWs on the Arisan Maru was an actual POW on that ship and was one of seven survivors of the ship’s sinking. He and others escaped as the fictionalized Sam did. Another nice nitoid was the telling of discovery by a recognizance aircraft flying out of Clark Field discovering a line of buoys from Manila Bay that pointed to a Japanese-held island. This is a true event.

If you are interested in reading stories about World War II, I highly recommend this novel. Even with my issues, I rate it five stars.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version through NetGalley from Union Lake Publishing. My review is based solely on my own reading experience. Thank you, Union Lake Publishing, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

I received an arc from Brilliance Audio along with an ebook from Lake Union. The narrator was spectacular. He brought the emotions out in this story. Made you feel all of the characters laughs and tears. The pain. The sadness. And the love between the main two characters. It was narratorated to perfection.

This is my second book by Robert Dugoni. The first being Sam Hell. This book is another great one. But a very emotional story. It's fiction based on actual events. Events that I have never read before. I've read only a couple of books based on the Japanese during WWll but none like this one. None where you see what happened to POWs held by these very cruel and heartless people. The Japanese soldiers were some of the most cruel and horrible I've read and this one no different. Such horrors. I'll never understand how anyone can have so much hate in them. Or inflict such pain on helpless human beings.

This is a story of two young people who fell in love while still in high school. Both looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together. Both wanting to go to college and make a life. But the war had other plans. Sam joined the National Guard hoping to do something useful and be able to afford college. Sarah received a scholarship to college. During Sam's time in the National Guard he and fellow guardsmen had to serve their country full time. The world was at war. Pearl Harbor had been bombed. These young men were terrified but also ready to do their part.

When the unit that Sam served in was captured and they became POWs in the Philippines. Sarah decided she could not sit still and do nothing. Her and other women had been offered a place in Washington to break the codes the Japanese were sending. Sarah was very good at code breaking. She had no idea how much this would affect Sam and the other men held captive aboard a Japanese ship.

You get a very in depth feel for what the men in this POW camp endured. What happened while aboard the Arisan Maru will make you cry. Weep. Cringe. It was horrible and so hard to read about. What happened next was even harder. What the US did was awful in my opinion. Yes I understand that it was part of war and may have saved lives. May have brought about the end to this horrible war, but it was still awful and so sad.

Will Sam and Sarah be able to come together. Marry and be happy. Or will the things that happened be more than either can live with. As with most historical books this one made it so real. Made me shed so many tears. Made me angry. I rooted for the love story to find a happy ending. Whether it does or not you will have to find out for yourself.

There is a lot at the end of this book about the events that happened. The actual events. While it's fiction, it is strongly based on events that really happened. About a time in history that was beyond horrible.

Thank you #NetGalley, #LakeUnion, #BrillianceAudio, for this ARC.

Five big stars.

This is historical fiction at its finest. This book is reminiscent of some of the great historical nonfiction books by the author, Erik Larson, except that the main characters in this story are fictional. However, because the research for this book is so extensive, as evidenced by the bibliography, the blending together of fiction and nonfiction is seamless. It's also not apparent that there are actually three authors who wrote this book. The flow is so smooth.

The scenes of torture and cruelty that POWs suffered at the hands of the Japanese seemed so real. With the fight for survival at the core of each man's existence, the atrocities that they endured were laid bare on the pages. The outrageous treatment that the men experienced was inhumane and the telling was quite graphic and disturbing. Nevertheless, I don't know how the authors could have been true to the story without revealing what actually went on.

This is an amazing story of endurance, resilience, survival, and the power of faith, hope, and love. Fans of WWII fiction or nonfiction as well as fans of Robert Dugoni and/or Erik Larson are going to love this book. My sincere thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a DRC of this fabulous book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

To say thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC of Hold Strong is simply inadequate to the valuable piece of work that Dugoni, Langholz and Crabtree have produced. However, thank you it is along with my review.

I have read many of Robert Dugoni's books, both his series and stand alones. Without sounding like a crazed fan or an virtual stalker, I must admit I await his new books with all the patience I can muster. Not much! This book, Hold Strong, kind of snuck up on me and my brother read it before I had the chance. His one sentence response was, "I liked it, but it's not my favorite." I think The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell holds that place in his heart. So Hold Strong languished on my TBR for longer than it might have otherwise. However, over the course of five days, I placed myself in the shoes of Sam and Sarah and read this book. Great is the most inadequate, over-used, lacking word I can find to describe the experience, but it was all that and "a bag of chips" as they used to say.

I have read a lot of historical fiction about WWII. In fact, I recently read another book about this same time and events, The Long March Home by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee, which I felt was a superlative work on these horrific events. While both were clearly done with great attention to detail and a monumental amount of research, Hold Strong was the stronger (no pun intended) book, in my opinion. I have never seen a book so carefully and completely annotated as this one. It gives a level of authenticity and credibility lacking in some other pieces of historical fiction.

The pre-war story of Sam and Sarah, each of their war efforts, and contributions were depicted with heart and reality. Neither was spared attention when the spotlight turned to their POV. I enjoyed both perspectives. I also felt very connected to Sam's tank and POW buddies. They, too, got the attention they deserved and held their own in the book. All heroes!

I applaud all three of you, Mr. Dugoni, Mr. Langholz, and Mr. Crabtree for a job well done on what is clearly an underrepresented field of battle during WWII. Pat on the back, to Robert Dugoni, once again for a job well done. He keeps going to his well of talent and sharing the wealth with us.

This amazing retelling of what transpired in the Pacific Theater of World War Two made me angry, so angry but equally sad and beyond horrified at Man’s inhumanity. When I think of the atrocities of WWII my immediate thought turns to Hitler and his deranged henchmen, which is easily attributed to the plethora of books regarding the European front. Not having read nearly as much about the the engagement in the Pacific, I admit to being ignorant of “The Japanese Hell Ships”. Ignorant that the Japanese refused to embrace the tenets and conditions of the Geneva Convention. After finishing this book I was left in emotional shambles. I had nightmares. How were these brave soldiers left behind? How did any survive?

There is a basic down home attitude and a wartime love story that meanders throughout which helps to give the story meaning and gravitas. The role of women in the war effort is highlighted in many chapters and loud applause to the authors for shining the light. The conundrum of how to play the wargame, who to believe, who to save, who to sacrifice, was well told yet hard to accept. The character depiction, from the protagonist to his fellow soldiers, officers, capturers and torturers was so believable to incite real emotions, first disbelief, then abject sorrow, then rage and hatred. The inclusion and insertion of humor fitted each situation and gave necessary relief.

The collaboration by the three authors was perfection, as was the research and attention to the books listed in the bibliography. So many thanks to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for an advance copy.

To tell a story is one thing. To tell a story that captures the essence of Man's inhumanity to Man is quite another.

Raw, blistering and almost unbearable in its account, Hold Strong lifts the heavy curtain of time and reveals an unspeakable chapter in the war brutalities upon the innocent.

I am stunned. With hands to my face and eyes pressed shut, I cannot even fathom what I have just read. Robert Dugoni and fellow authors follow eye witness accounts and have sifted through tons of impeccable research. (I must admit that I went to a Veterans website for backstories on these accounts myself.) Dugoni doesn't fabricate here. The horror is real. Deadly real.

The calm before the storm takes place in little known Eagles Grove, Minnesota where we will meet Sam Carlson and his girlfriend, Sarah Haber. It's May of 1938 and America is still bogged down by the Great Depression that started in 1929. Families have lost their farms. Small businesses have gone under. People didn't have two dimes to rub together.

Newly graduated high school sweethearts seem to plan a future that will propel them in a vastly different direction in the coming years. Sam has joined the National Guard. It's then that Pearl Harbor has been hit by the Japanese. Sam is shipped to Manila Harbor in the Philippines. By March of 1942, General Douglas MacArthur abandons the Philippines and the men are ordered to surrender. Japan will have a heavy leg up on the forces of the Allies.

In the meantime, Sarah finishes her degree in advanced mathematics. She teaches high school for a semester, but her eyes turn to the war effort. She leaves for Washington, D.C. and joins the Waves. It is here that Sarah will become a cryptologist with privy information that will have a profound impact on what is happening in the South China Sea.......so much so that it will leave an ugly stain of deception on America for years to come.

Dugoni and his co-authors will shine a light on the Bataan Death March and the POW encampments held by the Japanese. Although a work of fiction, shockingly, there are real individuals threaded throughout this novel. We will meet Father Tom who ministered to these POW's with intense bravery and compassion. Accounts have been checked and double checked as experienced through pages and pages of historical facts at the end of this novel. That in itself is jaw-dropping.

Hold Strong will not be for everyone. But if you are a truth seeker, you can't help but pick this one up. You will walk alongside those POW's devastated by starvation and brutal treatment. It's an opportunity to learn something that boggles the mind and tears at the heart. Hold Strong publishes 1/28/25.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to the talented Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree for the opportunity.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Hold Strong’ written by Robert Dugoni in collaboration with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber are high school sweethearts brought up in Eagle Grove, Minnesota. Sam joins The National Guard to fight the Japanese while Sarah, wanting to do more for her country than stay in Eagle Grove and teach, moves to Washington to take up a top-secret Government job. This is the story of events that happened in their lives during the years 1938 to 1946.

‘Hold Strong’ is a story recreated from unbelievably horrific true events that occurred during WWII and tells of the atrocities committed by the Japanese who refused to accept the Geneva Convention. It was heartbreaking to read of the horrendous treatment suffered at their hands by the 1,800 American POWs who were forced into the Arisan Maru prison ship where they were given limited rations and a spoonful of water a day with very few surviving. Although the events were true the characters were fictional but the descriptions were so exceptionally presented that they felt true to life, especially those of Sam, his friend Pete Chavez, Father Tom Scecina and Major Paul Jones. It’s a disturbing story of bravery, heroism and enduring love that had me gripped from page one and was impossible to put down. I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to read it.