Review: The Kurdish Episode by Joseph E. Fleckenstein

The Kurdish Episode by Joseph E. Fleckenstein is a sparkling example of the “everyman with a shadowy past” who proves his mettle. What begins as a simple, yet mysterious task for an everyman quickly swells into an emotional rollercoaster of love, loyalty, and the determination to survive.

Running a small gun shop in the backcountry of Pennsylvania is exactly the type of slowed-down life Sean McDougal is looking for after his recent tour in the Army. At least, that’s how he feels at first, but as the weeks run into months, his old hunger for action and adrenaline creeps to the fore. When he is offered a lucrative opportunity from the government to accompany a shipment of weapons overseas to the Middle East, he agrees, eager for a bit of adventure.

What he doesn’t realize is how controversial and potentially deadly this protection gig will be, nor what he will eventually be forced to do. Quickly sucked into an escalating conflict, Sean must put his old training to good use to save himself and the soldiers who will soon be looking to him for guidance.

Many novels have the protagonist’s past affect his or her abilities and emotional stability in the present, but Fleckenstein drops McDougal right back into an older part of his life, a battlefield, so it’s a good thing he knows how to use guns, not just sell them. It is this element of the book that provides so much of the depth and intrigue to the story – the novel patiently reveals the protagonist’s hidden secrets and then drops him right into the action. McDougal proves himself to be a fierce fighter and a natural leader, and the action scenes peppered throughout this book have the echoing boom of authenticity.

Fleckenstein knows what a battlefield looks and sounds like, he articulates military strategy with ease, and draws readers directly into the firefight. The depth of research or background knowledge of the military and cultural groups represented in this book, including the Kurds and ISIS, make this story even more compelling and timely. This may be a work of fiction, but the setting and historical context are all too real.

Over the course of the book, Fleckenstein tends to put more effort into action and plot progression than patient character development, but there are the occasional moments of vulnerability and humanity that make the hero of this story a bit more relatable to readers. The writing does get a bit procedural at times, with a lot of declarative, expositional sentences telling readers directly about the action. There is also a dearth of emotional depth for much of the book, although the action manages to keep the energy and interest up. Delving deeper into some of the characters would make for a richer reading experience, and broaden the appeal for such an action-heavy book.

As a whole, The Kurdish Episode is a well-crafted and believable military thriller, highlighting a violent and confusing conflict still raging in the headlines today.