Joseph Phillips

The Soldiers of Summer Joseph Phillips

Set in 1978, my novel deals with a group of police officers doing their two-week summer camp for the Army Reserve. What they think will be a "vacation" turns into a nightmare of forced marches and battle simulations under adverse conditions, due to their nearly psychotic commanding officer. Along with these ordeals, each man must face ghosts from their pasts in the recently concluded Vietnam War. During their off time, they travel to Lake George, NY and Kingston, Canada where some comedic situations occur. In the end, their expertise as police officers is needed when their Captain holds a Division Colonel hostage at gunpoint after his mind snaps. Adding to the pressure, if they cannot disarm him, a Special Forces sniper sits on a rooftop waiting to resolve the crisis his way. I am a retired NYPD police officer with one published novel, Beyond This Place Of Sin And Tears, and a number of published short stories, print and online.