What early readers are saying about 27 Knots

“27 Knots is a groundbreaking novel about the neglected after-curse of war: moral injury. It reads like a love letter wrapped in a fever dream, and more than deserves a place of honor between Sophie’s Choice and The Things They Carried. In its spare, wry, tragic humanity, this novel is a masterpiece.”

“In this poignant and powerful novel, Martin J. Smith reminds us that though the echoes of the Vietnam War may have faded, the wounds remain. In the intimate, confessional tones of a personal letter from the narrator to his wife of 50 years, 27 Knots lays bare the kind of terrible secret that lies deep within the memories of so many veterans of war. But Smith is too gifted a storyteller to get lost in the past. The present-day story proceeds with haunting turns both surprising and inevitable, each character emerges from the page with a complex and vulnerable humanity, and the ending will not be forgotten for a very long time. I cannot recommend this book more highly.”

“The propulsive voice of 27 Knots grabs you from the get-go and never loosens its grip. This is a war novel, yes, but measured on a human scale, about how we go on living and trying to love in the wake of hard choices and moral conundrums. Compelling, fierce and all too bittersweet. Martin J. Smith has created characters who will live in your head for years to come.”

“27 Knots never slows down, a seamless, unrelenting vision of the Vietnam War and the wounds that remain open 50 years later. Driven by character, plot, action, heart and tragedy, this book has surprises around every corner. The best book I’ve read this year, and I’ve read a lot of books.”

“27 Knots is as harrowing as a nighttime recon mission through the jungles of Vietnam, circa 1969, with tripwires, land mines, and punji sticks (some real, some psychological) around every turn. Martin J. Smith is both an intrepid researcher and an enchanting storyteller, and he takes full advantage of those two great gifts in this surprising, fleet-footed novel.”

“Some wars never end — 27 Knots reminds us why. A shadowplay of a book, Smith’s novel paints a portrait of light and dark, reminding us that while Vietnam may technically be over, its memory lives on touching every generation.”

“Suspenseful and haunting, grounded in authenticity, 27 Knots is a lyrical and timely reminder that the moral cost of war never fades. Please read this book.”

“This moving and raw story is a sober reminder, in a time when our collective long-term memory seems to be in short supply, of the lasting effects of placing youth in unimaginable situations and asking them to do the morally impossible. At the same time, 27 Knots is a love story: to friends, to partners, to families, to survivors. Never gratuitous but always convincing, Martin J. Smith gives us a story of love, war, and what it takes to carry on in the face of unthinkable consequences.”

“Martin J. Smith weaves a masterful story of the physical, psychic, and moral wounds inflicted on those who bravely served in the Vietnam War. The darkness of the past permeates the present in 27 Knots, taking a complex chapter from American history and bringing it vividly, sometimes harshly, to the forefront of our lives and times. It is at once a tale of corruption at the highest levels of government and an intense portrait of the men who, willingly and unwillingly, executed their duties at the expense of their souls. Smith is a fine and talented writer.”

“In Martin J. Smith’s terrific new novel, three veterans of the Vietnam War’s Brown Water Navy get together fifty years later for the funeral of a fourth, ‘the only innocent one.’ What ensues are enough twists and turns to satisfy the most plot-hungry as crimes of the past and present overlap. But overlaying it all is the novel’s message, one that still resonates today: ‘They send us to war knowing right from wrong. Then they reward us for the wrong.’”

“Martin J. Smith’s gripping novel, 27 Knots, is a horrifying, fascinating, and unexpectedly fresh take on the emotional wounds inflicted on Vietnam veterans. This alternately terrifying and touching thriller, told by a highly trained Navy sniper, reminds us that America’s tragic war is still alive in minds and hearts.”

“The year’s best war story! Martin J. Smith’s 27 Knots opens with Vietnam’s riverine combat before plunging into one veteran’s lifelong battle to repair a shattered moral compass. A heartbreaking tale of ‘profound love and appalling violence.’”