The Foreign Service Journal, November 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2015 45 Leipzig. She earned her Ph.D. in history from the University of Hamburg and has published numerous works of history and his- torical fiction. Her novel St. Louis’ Knight won the 2014 Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction set in the High Middle Ages. Defender of Jerusalem Helena P. Schrader, Wheatmark, 2015, $8.99/Kindle, 521 pages. The second book in Helena P. Schrader’s biographical novel series picks up with crusader Balian d’Ibelin and describes the fateful decade leading up to the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187, including the Battle of Hattin. While the dying King Baldwin IV struggles to defend his kingdom from external threats, succession may tear the kingdom apart from the inside. Now the Baron of Ibelin, Balian is married to dowager Queen Maria Comnena and is relied upon to help keep the Holy Land safe. Throughout, Schrader immerses the reader in action-packed scenes and introduces a cast of characters that bring the Cru- sades to life. She details not only the events taking place, such as construction of a protective fort on the Upper Jordan, but also the people and their emotions during a turbulent era. The final book in the Balian d’Ibelin series is set to be released in 2016. Africa’s Heart: The Journey Ends in Kansas Mark Wentling, Peace Corps Writers, 2015, $29/paperback; $8.99/Kindle, 534 pages. The final volume in Mark Wentling’s trilogy, Africa’s Heart introduces aspiring journalist Robin Fletcher, who has come upon a book describing the mysterious disappearance of a man known only as J.B. from a town in Kansas. Intrigued, Robin sets off on an investigation with his cohort, Molly, which leads the pair to the fictional African country of Kotoku. Here, they meet Letivi, a young half-caste village chief with an important connection to the elusive J.B., and find an Africa they weren’t expecting—one filled with political corruption, poverty and despair. Letivi agonizes over the possibility of growth in his country and is in the midst of developing a cocoa processing plant when he accompanies Robin and Molly back to America. From here, cultures clash and calamitous events are set in motion that will forever change Letivi and his small village. As a Kirkus review notes: “Logistical issues affecting rural Africa—sustainable farming, education, the evolving role of the village, etc.—are raised in considerable detail, and the activist’s call to awareness is ever present at the periphery.” Mark Wentling is a retired Senior FSO with USAID who began his international career with the Peace Corps in 1970. He has traveled to all 54 African countries. After working in every corner of the continent for nearly 45 years, he recently settled with his family in Lubbock, Texas. Wentling was born and raised in Kansas, but says he was “made” in Africa. Old Gorge Road: A Kentbury Mystery Cheryl Nugent, iUniverse, 2014, $27.95/ hardcover; $17.95/paperback; $3.99/ Kindle, 274 pages. Murder reigns again in Kentbury—the small, fictional New Jersey town that serves as the setting for Old Gorge Road, the second book in Cheryl Nugent’s mystery series. In her first book, The Light from Maggie’s View , two young sleuths get entangled in a serial killer’s grasp during the summer of 1958. Now set in 1951, the storyline starts as the befuddled police department investigates the mysterious and violent death of resident Gaffer White. Clues from the past along with a second murder of local newspaper reporter Etta Marx only further complicate things. Desperate for answers, Chief of Police Bull Campbell and Deputy Terry Kramer enlist renowned Princeton psychiatrist Oliver Appleton to help. Everyone must work together to trap the killer who just may be lurking in plain sight. Nugent draws readers into the suspense with a cast of eccen- tric characters and scenic landmarks. Return readers will enjoy revisiting Kentbury’s bucolic, small-town charm. A third book in the series, Brookside Farm , is currently underway. Cheryl Nugent has lived in Burma, Thailand, China, Austra- lia, Paraguay and the island country of Palau, accompanying her husband during his diplomatic career. She currently lives in South Carolina and is the author of Amy Knows Best (Hol- laday House Publishing, 2014) and The Light from Maggie’s View (iUniverse, 2012), a manuscript finalist for the 2008 Ru pert Hughes Award for Fiction.