PRAISE FOR COLD WAR CANOE CLUB 

 

“Jeffery Hess combines a flair for gripping storytelling with a powerful lyrical sensibility to produce that rarest of birds: a book full of page-turners that read like literary fiction. Like Tim O’Brien and Kevin Powers, Hess writes with absolute authority about the military men whose lives he sees with utter clarity and intimacy.”

—Pinckney Benedict, author of

Miracle Boy, The Wrecking Yard, and Town Smokes 

 

“Eerily timely and rendered with gritty realism, Cold War Canoe Club beckons us to recall a time when actions and attitudes appeared motivated by an entire world perpetually hovering along the brink of utter destruction. Each tightly woven gem of a short story represents a microcosm of the Cold War macrocosm, and dares to expose Hess as a genius for his artful juxtaposition of humanity’s brash boldness with humanity’s amnesic naiveté.”

—Tracy Crow, author of

Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine

 

“Hess is one of those rare talents who tells a great story with compelling characters, pacing and action.”

—Terrence McCauley, author of

The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood

 

“Cold War Canoe Club presents an eclectic array of situations and stories all tied together by Hess’s hard-edged prose style and deeply-developed characters. In the smart, snappy tradition of Elmore Leonard and James Lee Burke, Hess is a writer who pulls no punches and delivers authenticity in rapid-fire doses.”

—Steph Post, author of

Lightwood

 

“Smart, poignant, often slyly funny, these are stories that will both take your breath away and take you places you’ve never been before. A true and honest salute to much more than those who serve in the Navy, rich with history real and imagined.”

—Fred Leebron, author of

Welcome to Christiania

 

“Jeffery Hess reminds of the glory days or noir: wayward women, brawling sailors, and shadow-lurking heroes who were too hung over when redemption dawned. If you want a quick literary jab to your heart, any of Hess’s short fiction will do. Just finish burying that body, pal, and read.”

—James R. Duncan, author of

Blood Republic