Books by Walt Gragg

Walt Gragg – Berkley Books (Penguin Random House) Thriller Author

With so many incredible novels from which to choose, picking ten was a highly selective endeavor. These, however, are some I enjoyed. Hopefully, you’ll find a read or two on this list that will become one of your favorites.

1. Mila 18 by Leon Uris

Although not mentioned as often as some of his other masterpieces (Exodus, QBVII, Trinity), Uris spins an unforgettable tale that combines fiction and nonfiction in a way few authors have been able to match. It is an unforgettable rendering of the events involved in the 1943 uprising against the Nazis in the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw.  Mila 18 provides incredible insight into people’s determination to stand against their fates in even the direst of circumstances.  It is well worth the read.

2. Shogun by James Clavell

Set in 1500, an English navigator’s ship crashes off the shores of Japan.  He ends up falling into the hands of a determined warlord seeking to become the Shogun, the ruler of Japan.  Caught in a totally isolated, alien world, he struggles to both survive, and learn.  Masterfully written, the story contains a classic, but tragic, love story, tons of action, and a life and death struggle for power.

3. Centennial by Robert Michener

Set in the town of Centennial, Colorado, the story, like so many of Michener’s works, moves through the centuries from the Arapaho who inhabited the area, to the fur trappers, to the first settlers, all the way to modern times. Each generation is filled with incredible, remarkably vivid characters.  Filled with action and heart rendering people, if you enjoy historical works and broad tales, this American epic might be for you.

4. Catch-22 by Joseph Helle

Heller’s classic is one of the funniest, yet poignant, stories in American literature.  Set in Italy in World War II, it is the tale of a young American airman, Yossarian, who, as his bombing missions increase, struggles with the insanity of a war being played with ever-changing rules he cannot comprehend.  Being able to write such a hysterical work against the backdrop of a world in flames is truly remarkable, yet Heller more than excels at it.

5. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

As one who believes we can’t understand where mankind is going if we don’t understand where we’ve been, this is a story I’ve never been able to shake. Based on his years as a German soldier in the trenches of World War I, Remarque’s novel is a masterpiece on the realities of war.  Inside its pages you will find a vivid, incredibly realistic tale, compelling characters, and a gut-wrenching story.

6. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

An operative in a CIA deep cover program, Jason Bourne awakens with retrograde amnesia after being shot during a botched assassination. The story revolves around him attempting to uncover who he is, and as he does so the reality of his life comes into view. While the movie is excellent, the book is even better. Lots of action and intrigue in this one.

7. From Here to Eternity by James Jones

This epic tale was a National Book Award Winner and was named as one of the 100 best novels of the 20^th Century.  The story focuses on the members of an Army Infantry Company stationed in Hawaii in the months before Pearl Harbor. The story’s setting and cast of strong characters make it a memorable read.

8. The Winds of War by Herman Wouk

Wouk is an exceptionally gifted storyteller. The Winds of War is an immensely gripping story of an American Naval commander serving as an attache in Berlin just prior to the start of World War II. Using the commander and his family as the central thread, this one has lots of engaging sub-stories that keep the reader engaged from beginning to end.

9. Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy

No list would be complete without including Tom Clancy and this book was one of his stronger efforts. Clear and Present Danger is about an Hispanic-American sent undercover to disrupt Columbian drug cartels. Because of my own Army service I instantly took to this story and its characters. And, of course, Jack Ryan is as present as ever.

10. The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth

Taking place in 1963, The Odessa File is an excellent thriller about the hunting down of a former SS Commander. In the story a crime reporter attempts to infiltrate Odessa, which in German spells out the Organization of Former Members of the SS. This highly exciting, tangled tale, is filled with twists and turns with plenty of edge-of-your seat moments and is well worth the read.

While the books on this list are works of fiction, each provides compelling insights into the human psyche and are filled with nonstop action.  If you’re looking for something new, something significant, something skillfully crafted, you might want to explore these classic authors.  

Walt Gragg lives in Austin, Texas. His first novel THE RED LINE was a 14^th Annual American BookFest Best Book Award Winner, a finalist for the prestigious International Thriller Writers Best First Novel and received an elite “boxed,” “starred” review from Publishers Weekly. His second novel was the critically acclaimed THE CHOSEN ONE. His third novel THE LONG NOVEMBER is being released on May 21st, 2024.