Title: Manning A Raptor
Author: AA Freda
Publisher: West Point Print and Media
ISBN: 978-1957582931
Pages: 314
Genre: Fiction / Adventure / Thriller
Reviewed by: Jake Bishop

Read Book Review

There have been a lot of husband-and-wife pairs over the years that have graced the pages of detective stories, crime novels, thrillers and more. While this tome is similar in its use of protagonists, it dwarfs many that have preceded it in the size of its couple’s fortune, the scope of its hero and heroine’s exploits, and the rather amazing chutzpa of its dynamic duo.

Set in the 1980s, James and Samantha Coppi run a far-reaching international business enterprise. Neither were born to wealth. Both were basically up-from-your-bootstraps types who have succeeded via brains, bravado, and built-in bullishness when it comes to getting what they want or need without compromising their scruples. This particular chronicle of their exploits takes readers on a rocket-fueled journey from their home and corporate business operation in Colorado Springs to South America, Africa, Europe and beyond. Plus, dipping back into the past to grapple with attempted murders that are not only threatening James’s life, but also the lives of some of his acquaintances and ex-veterans from the Viet Nam War.

While the aforementioned Southeast Asia related mystery is playing out, James and his wife Sam (for short), find themselves knee deep in possibly career, and maybe even marriage, wrecking activities. There’s a railroad they are trying to buy in the U. S. There’s a favor they agree to do for America’s President who is tight with a scurrilous Texas oil man. There’s a coup in Bolivia and arms (that might have their company’s fingerprints all over them) going to rebels. Their firm is mixed up with pre-genocidal violence going on between the Hutus and the Tutsi’s in Zaire. There’s a United States Senator trying to bring them up a charges, an FBI witch hunt into their company and their family’s finances, and oh yes, almost forgot, Sam is having a baby.

Author AA Freda imbues his principal characters with attributes that make readers pull for James and Sam even when their actions seem perplexing and potentially self-destructive. He creates compelling friction between James’s need for high intensity action and Sam’s desire for more family time around the friendly confines of their sprawling Colorado ranch. Multiple supporting players with their own interesting backstories round out this expansive tale of domestic drama, geopolitical gerrymandering, and intercontinental escapades.

The pace is fast, the content credible, and the ride is a fun one. Manning A Raptor is only one of the author’s tales of this highly intriguing twosome. If you’re into adventure with a heavy dose of connubial charisma, you might want to check out his offerings of other Coppi Chronicles as well.