Tom Burkhalter is the author of 9 novels. Everything We Had was published in 2015 and is the first in his No Merciful War series. It is the 47th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R. The book starts in November of 1941 before the US officially entered WWII. Japan has been at war with the Chinese for years. But it is not until 7 December 1941 that they expand their targets to include the British Commonwealth, the US, and other nations of Southeast Asia.

The US forces located in the Philippines are under the command of General Douglas McArthur, and they are far from ready. Brothers Jack and Charlie Davis arrive in the Philippines. Both are US Army Air Corps pilots, though they fly different aircraft. Second Lieutenant Jack Davis is a fighter pilot while his brother, Captain Charles Davis flies B-17 bombers.

They are part of the token reinforcement being sent to defend the Philippines. The novel tells of their desperate efforts at survival in the days after the Japanese attack.

I enjoyed the 8.5+ hours I spent reading this 370-page historical fiction novel. The author did a great job describing the technical aspects of aircraft and air combat sequences. He also correctly depicts how unprepared the US was to confront the Japanese war machine. I like the chosen cover art. While the black-and-white image is dull by today’s standards, it does give the book a vintage look. I give this novel a rating of 4.5 (rounded to 5) out of 5.

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A very engaging and personal historical fiction about the action in the Pacific in WW2.. Well written and well researched.

Wow! Put out of your mind that this might be just another cookie cutter novel of the Second World War - it really isn’t!

OK, it’s not up there with Herman Wouk’s magisterial The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, but it’s way above the standard gung ho all action fighter pilot action story. What could be a cliche - a story wrapped around two brothers, one a fighter pilot, the other a bomber pilot, is instead a carefully and reasonably accurately told story of the relatively little known campaign that led to the Japanese defeat of a large American force as they captured the Philippines in the early stages of the Second World War.

The narrative cleverly captures the disorganised and unprepared defences of the Philippines, despite last minute efforts to stiffen and strengthen the forces deployed to defend key American bases in the western Pacific. It also portrays - again, reasonably accurately - the gallant efforts of young American pilots who attempted to stem the Japanese advance. Above all, however, it manages the clever balance of weaving a credible and well told account of a series of aerial encounters with the personal stories of a group of ordinary USAAF personnel as they faced extraordinary challenges.

Highly recommended.

Tom Burkhalter’s book takes place in the few months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It involves the story of two airplane pilots, brothers Charlie and Jack. Charlie is a bomber while Jack is part of an Intercepter Squadron. Most of the action takes place in the Pacific, where there is an uneasy peace between the United States and Japan.

Mr. Burkhalter has an incredible command of airplane knowledge, and is able to describe how each plane works, the sights and sounds one would experience if flying the planes in the book, and even adds items that spice up the action, such as the height when the atmosphere begins to play havoc with the engine and may possibly cause it to stall. This is the author’s five-star element.

There are times when this knowledge spills into the conversations, with pilots talking about airplanes the same way people might dissect a Sunday afternoon of football games. While the knowledge is precise, after a while it can become overwhelming.

Although the author has designed this as a series (this being book 1), the story can be read as a standalone. I found the dogfights to be exciting and could almost smell the engine oil and hear the sounds of bullets whacking the wings and bodies of the planes. This is a good historical fiction that holds knowledge for those who are interested in history. Four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

i really enjoyed reading this book, i liked the historical setting of the book and look forward to more from the series.

An interesting storyline for what appears to be the first book of a new series. The author has used the first book to develop the characters in the series, and therefore there is not a lot of action, until the last few chapters of the book. However, the book did keep my attention and I look forward to the next one to see what happens. Overall a good read for a first book in the series.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.