By Jack Cavanaugh
Bethany House
Paperback

It's six months after D-Day. The back of the Axis has been broken, and the Allies believe that Hitler lacks the resources to mount a major offensive.

Nurse Annie Mitchell of the 67th Evac Hospital finds herself in the midst of one of WWII's bloodiest engagements - the Battle of the Bulge.

Annie's new husband, Keith, has been waylaid by German troops in the Ardennes Forest.

Dear Enemy Excerpt She and Mouse were in big trouble. They'd left their post without permission and stolen an ambulance. And that was just the tip of their iceberg of trouble. As the ambulance rumbled down M1 road, Annie had time to think about it. Even if they found General Maxwell and Keith, who knew if the hospital would still be in Malmady when they returned? Skoglund said they'd received orders to retreat, only Annie hadn't stuck around long enough to find out when. An hour? Two? Fifteen Minutes? She had no idea. ©2005 Jack Cavanaugh Published with permission from Bethany House

Annie and fellow nurse Marcy Hanson, a.k.a. Mouse, launch an unauthorized rescue attempt with a stolen ambulance.

The rescue goes terribly wrong and Annie is captured. What she discovers behind enemy lines challenges everything she holds true.

Early scenes depicting the 67th Evac Hospital, reminiscent of the M*A*S*H television series, evoke a sense of warmth and humor. The good nature of the story continues in endearing moments involving Burma Shave signs and Christmas carols in the snow covered forest.

The book proves most powerful, however, when describing the darker aspects of war. These moments include the large-scale massacre of Allied troops in the Ardennes and Annie's near rape at the hands of Nazi captors.

Bookworm's Briefing
In Dear Enemy, Jack Cavanaugh weaves a tale of adventure, romance and mystery that moves readers to question their faith in God and their fellow man. A weak beginning, shifts between second and first person narration and awkward changes in point of view make the book difficult to read.