A Police Action

LOCAL AUTHOR

A brilliant intersection of coming-of-age and romance, AA Freda’s A Police Action is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam-war era, an unusual love story between two young people who happen upon each other by chance. When James Coppi meets Samantha Powers at the Country Honky Tonk in Colorado Springs, the attraction between the two is strong, and they get quickly into each other. But each of them has something that could stop them from evolving into a couple — while James is assigned to Vietnam, Samantha is pregnant from someone else. There is a lot to consider before moving forward, but can they and can this “love at first sight” find nourishment to last while James is away fighting in Vietnam?

Fluid, beautifully crafted, and emotionally rich, this novel follows the journey of two souls — apparently unsure of what they really want — as they explore each other’s world, experiencing difficult moments together, especially the abortion. The question that hits the reader is whether this attraction can ultimately bloom into a love capable of sustaining these two young souls as they face the cruel realities of life and war. The rest is for the reader to find out.

One may think that the spark between James and Samantha happens too fast, but one can’t help the feeling that it is real. Many readers will be able to identify with the sense of desperation and the restlessness that the two key characters experience from the start of the novel. The characters seem genuinely flawed, and it is interesting to follow both the psychological and the physical conflicts within which their story evolves. The writing is graceful and friendly, and readers will definitely be seduced by the vivid descriptions of scenes, the lively conversations, and the surprises that are sprinkled throughout the narrative. The setting is wonderfully handled, and its historical elements enrich the story and give it a lot of life. A Police Action is an engaging story with solid characters; it’s a novel with a strong conflict and a satisfying denouement.