Review: The Deserter by Wayne Turmel
Today, I'm delighted to welcome author Wayne Turmel to Ruins & Reading. I'm sharing my review for The Deserter – a thrilling, fast-paced desert adventure. It's well worth checking out, especially if you enjoy riveting stories!
The Deserter is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Find other fascinating tour stops HERE!
The Deserter
A Tale of the Foreign Legion
by Wayne Turmel
Review:
The Deserter is a novel that draws you straight into the action. In the backstreets of Marseille, one early dawn, we meet Gil, a former English soldier from the South African campaigns. He is saying a final goodbye to a good friend, then promptly enlists in the famous Foreign Legion. Keen to leave his checkered past behind, and to escape from the clutches of some gangsters he upset, Gil signs up and gives in to his fate.
He soon finds himself in the barracks, surrounded by a ragtag group of volunteers from all over Europe. While he wants to be left alone, he finds two men trying attach themselves to him. An inexperienced youngster who gave himself the daring by-name of LaForce and an older soldier called Dupre.
After intensive training, groups of soldiers are sent out to various excercises, to become used to long days in the desert, but also to discover where the Berber tribes were causing a risk to travelling groups.
As Gil had looked after horses during the Boer war, he was chosen to be in charge of the mules used for traversing the great distances. These stubborn, intelligent animals are more hardy than horses for carrying baggage across the desert. He soon learns their quirks – and their dangers!
When a fellow recruit frames him for a murder, Gil sees no option but to go after him, risking being regarded as a deserter himself, with all that entails.
But has Gil put himself in the direct path of danger in trying to capture the fleeing culprit? Or will he return a hero, having captured a real deserter? Read the novel to find out!
The Deserter is a riveting (mule) ride across the Algerian Desert, where the Foreign Legion was actively pursuing Berbers and other insurgents. The author adds much detail about their daily routines, which makes for compelling reading. Life was hard, and very basic – the food simple and almost inedible; the pay pitiful; and the conditions often rough. There were shoddy bars, serving expensive (for poorly-paid recruits) alcohol, and we discover the dark side of such large collections of men in one place. Women, traded by their menfolk.
We see events through Gil's eyes. He seeks his own peace, through order. His bed is made meticulously; his backpack packed neatly. He ignores the jibes from others and watches them being punished for being messy...
We learn some of Gil's back story, but his overarching aim is to get his life in order, and then see what happens. And being part of a legion of mercenaries, under strict orders, suits him well. He is a likeable character, but deeply flawed, but throughout the story, we keep hoping he finds his redemption eventually.
I really liked how he regards animals, and I empathise with him. He uses the mules, as is necessary, for their transports, but with respect and care, and he can't abide men abusing them. That's my kind of hero.
His rush to go after the man who framed him gets him into big trouble, and whilst I perfectly understand his impetuous actions, he also keeps secrets. That causes him even more bother, as events around him begin to unravel!
The Deserter is a thrilling tale – somewhat old-fashioned in style, but compelling throughout. We feel the relentless heat from the desert sun, burning skins and parching throats. We meet men from all walks of life coming together for one joint purpose, and the conflicts this brings. We see attitudes and views of the times, but never gratuitously. And we accompany one man on his arduous journey to redemption.
Highly recommended.
~~~
Blurb:
Algeria 1908.
Gil Vincente is a Boer War veteran, broken and adrift on the rough streets of Marseille. Desperate, he seeks discipline and renewed purpose in the unforgiving ranks of the French Foreign Legion. At first, he finds it, but not for long. When a treacherous soldier frames him for murder, it forces the new legionnaire to run for his life.
Now Gil must fight to clear his name while pursuing the real killer through the rugged Atlas Mountains. With the Legion on his heels and time running out, will he find justice or be forever branded a coward and deserter?
Praise for The Deserter:
'The Deserter evokes classic blood-and-sand adventures like Under Two Flags and Beau Geste. With meticulous research and compelling characters, Turmel has brought the desert saga back to thrilling life.'
~ Frank Thompson, author of The Compleate Beau Geste
'A two-fisted historical adventure that weaves visceral action, rugged landscapes, and raw emotional depth into a haunting tale of honor, betrayal, and the elusive hope of redemption.'
~ David Buzan, bestselling author of In the Lair of Legends
Buy Link:
Wayne Turmel
Wayne Turmel is a Canadian ex-pat now living and writing in Las Vegas. He’s the author of seven novels, the latest is The Deserter- a Tale of the Foreign Legion. His short stories have earned critical acclaim, including nominations for the prestigious Pushcart Prize. Turmel's longer works delve into the rich tapestries of history and the thrilling depths of urban fantasy, inviting readers into meticulously crafted worlds. At times humorous, sometimes dark but always with a careful eye for dialogue and detail. He lives with his wife, The Duchess, and Mad Max, most manly of poodles.
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