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lizaroo71's review
3.0
Black is a lieutenant that hasn't seen any combat. In his office duties, Black is determining whether he should remain in the military or not when he receives a case in a remote base high up in the mountains of Afghanistan. Black has to investigate an incident that involves some of the soldiers on the base and some locals from a nearby village.
Black has a week to investigate before an envoy will deliver supplies and pick him up to return to his posh life on the base. What should be a simple investigation turns into a week of eye-opening pronouncements.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but a military thriller was not it. The story kept me engaged, but I have to say that there are a lot of characters that I had to keep up with and I wasn't sure, in the end, whether I cared enough about any of them. In fact, there is a pretty big reveal at the end, and it fell flat for me because I couldn't recall the guy that they mentioned!
I feel that given the ending, this may end up being a series of some kind, but I may be wrong. Definitely some insight into what it feels like to be at an isolated post in a foreign country while at war.
Black has a week to investigate before an envoy will deliver supplies and pick him up to return to his posh life on the base. What should be a simple investigation turns into a week of eye-opening pronouncements.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but a military thriller was not it. The story kept me engaged, but I have to say that there are a lot of characters that I had to keep up with and I wasn't sure, in the end, whether I cared enough about any of them. In fact, there is a pretty big reveal at the end, and it fell flat for me because I couldn't recall the guy that they mentioned!
I feel that given the ending, this may end up being a series of some kind, but I may be wrong. Definitely some insight into what it feels like to be at an isolated post in a foreign country while at war.
kuyakojo's review
5.0
A well paced mystery steeped in the murky comings and goings along the borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lt. Black is assigned to investigate an incident of property damage by American gunfire. His efforts uncover more important questions and he finds that true loyalties in the outpost, as in the Valley itself, are not easily discovered.
liberrydude's review
4.0
This reads more like a detective mystery than a war novel and it's a good read. We have a 2dLT in the rear with the gear, the Battalion S-1, who is assigned a low level investigation. He is an infantry officer who has gotten into some trouble and is all set to get out of the Army. It's such a waste of time too- the bureaucracy and the CYA mentality at work. Some warning shots were fired at some Afghan civilians. He has to leave the safety and security of the FOB for a remote combat outpost on the border with Pakistan that has a bad reputation for nastiness. His plan is get there and get it done and get out. But once he gets there he is met with such hostility he quickly figures out something is very wrong at this COP. The simple investigation morphs into a quest to find out what is going down. His attempts to find out who he can trust as he conducts his investigation keep you turning the pages. It's what you figure might be at the root of the problem but it's more. The author does a good job of keeping the plot flowing butI was very confused at the end as to who was on first and what exactly happened. Still a good read.
kitty_kat21's review
3.0
This is not a book I would have ordinarily have been interested in just by reading the blurb - I was so glad I gave it a chance.
Lieutenant Black is living a fairly mundane life as part of military administration on an U.S. base in Afghanistan. He has become somewhat disillusioned with his military career, when he is sent to a remote command post in one of the huge valleys in the Nuristan mountains. Black is tasked with investigating a warning shot fired in a nearby village, pretty mundane stuff for routine paperwork. Of course not all is what it seems there...
I loved this book pretty much as soon as I started to read it, I found the descriptions of military life and procedures absolutely fascinating. I loved how everything as explained simply, as I knew pretty much nothing about the U.S. Army. The book really gripped me, I was dying to know just what the heck was going on at the command post - sadly as the book reached its conclusion I was left scratching my head.
There are a lot of revelations to keep track of, I didn't really understand why some events were significant. Who was actually involved in what, and what the heck did that all mean and why was it a problem. Also there was a lot of mistaken identity, by the end of book I didn't understand who was supposed to be who. It was just confusing. Also there is a huge italic part near the end that I couldn't work out. Was that a flashback? What was the deal with the professor? So confused!
Great subject matter, convoluted conclusion. I came away from this book feeling I had missed something, or several something's.
***Disclaimer***
I received an advanced reader copy for free through Goodreads First Reads. The opinions stated this review are entirely my own.
Lieutenant Black is living a fairly mundane life as part of military administration on an U.S. base in Afghanistan. He has become somewhat disillusioned with his military career, when he is sent to a remote command post in one of the huge valleys in the Nuristan mountains. Black is tasked with investigating a warning shot fired in a nearby village, pretty mundane stuff for routine paperwork. Of course not all is what it seems there...
I loved this book pretty much as soon as I started to read it, I found the descriptions of military life and procedures absolutely fascinating. I loved how everything as explained simply, as I knew pretty much nothing about the U.S. Army. The book really gripped me, I was dying to know just what the heck was going on at the command post - sadly as the book reached its conclusion I was left scratching my head.
There are a lot of revelations to keep track of, I didn't really understand why some events were significant. Who was actually involved in what, and what the heck did that all mean and why was it a problem. Also there was a lot of mistaken identity, by the end of book I didn't understand who was supposed to be who. It was just confusing. Also there is a huge italic part near the end that I couldn't work out. Was that a flashback? What was the deal with the professor? So confused!
Great subject matter, convoluted conclusion. I came away from this book feeling I had missed something, or several something's.
***Disclaimer***
I received an advanced reader copy for free through Goodreads First Reads. The opinions stated this review are entirely my own.
david_agranoff's review
4.0
With a title like The Valley you horor readers may think that this was a Bentley Little novel written under a pen name. Nah, this is a novel I learned about from a facebook post by Steal Team 666 author Weston Ochse. Now Weston is a man who served in country and when he praised the book I became interested. Little side note. This is why it is good to support the book-o-sphere by talking about and reviewing the books that you like. This novel would not have been on my radar any other way.
The Valley is a mystery thriller, set against the back drop of the never ending military occupation of Afghanistan. Written by a former intfintry man turned Lawyer the Valley is from what I am told a realistic look at the occupation wrapped in a thriller. Sounded cool to me. This books has more detective novel tropes than war novels ones. That is what makes it interesting.
I suppose it is bot a murder mystery as the investigation that Lt. Black is sent to do is a not a murder. A platoon at a remote outpost is at the heart of this story. A goat at a remote village was killed this has potential to destabilize the remote Valley that gives the novel it's name.. No one in the book seems to mind that goat was shot, it was a warning shot and a tribe's dead goat is what sends Lt. Black in to action. Keep in mind he has not left base in a long time, and being sent to investigate something as seemingly trivial just seems like a waste of time. There is of course more going on.
I am trusting that this setting is accurate, the accuracy of the world seems to be there but what do I know. Considering the praise of those who have lived in country I will buy it. The mystery is not about something as simple or standard as a murder. the mystery is complex but it also highlights many of the confusions that come from the culture clash caused by military occupation.
The writing is very good, the prose is simple but driving. Stylized over written prose would work against a story like this. Not to say it is poorly written. Renehan is an excellent writer who unfolds the story close to perfection. The mystery stays intact through 3/4 of the book but we get enough clues to be interested, confused and ultimately paid off.
As a war novel this work is not preachy infact everything it says about the occupation is do very subtly, so don't think Platoon this is more like a mystery that just so happens to be set against the back drop of America's longest engagement on foreign soil. your political feelings wont factor in most readers judgement of this book.
The Valley is a mystery thriller, set against the back drop of the never ending military occupation of Afghanistan. Written by a former intfintry man turned Lawyer the Valley is from what I am told a realistic look at the occupation wrapped in a thriller. Sounded cool to me. This books has more detective novel tropes than war novels ones. That is what makes it interesting.
I suppose it is bot a murder mystery as the investigation that Lt. Black is sent to do is a not a murder. A platoon at a remote outpost is at the heart of this story. A goat at a remote village was killed this has potential to destabilize the remote Valley that gives the novel it's name.. No one in the book seems to mind that goat was shot, it was a warning shot and a tribe's dead goat is what sends Lt. Black in to action. Keep in mind he has not left base in a long time, and being sent to investigate something as seemingly trivial just seems like a waste of time. There is of course more going on.
I am trusting that this setting is accurate, the accuracy of the world seems to be there but what do I know. Considering the praise of those who have lived in country I will buy it. The mystery is not about something as simple or standard as a murder. the mystery is complex but it also highlights many of the confusions that come from the culture clash caused by military occupation.
The writing is very good, the prose is simple but driving. Stylized over written prose would work against a story like this. Not to say it is poorly written. Renehan is an excellent writer who unfolds the story close to perfection. The mystery stays intact through 3/4 of the book but we get enough clues to be interested, confused and ultimately paid off.
As a war novel this work is not preachy infact everything it says about the occupation is do very subtly, so don't think Platoon this is more like a mystery that just so happens to be set against the back drop of America's longest engagement on foreign soil. your political feelings wont factor in most readers judgement of this book.
drey72's review
4.0
John Renehan's debut The Valley is a gripping, engrossing story. Lt. Black is pushing paper in Afghanistan when he's tagged to investigate an incident, one that's supposedly fill-out-and-file-the-paperwork easy. Only thing is, he has to get to a remote outpost to interview the soldiers involved.
Once he's there though, nothing's as he expected, and this easy-peasy assignment turns into a whodunwhat that threatens to bring the wrath of the locals on the heads of the soldiers stationed in an inhospitable land.
The Valley's plot has more layers than an onion. The soldiers' responses to Black's questions send him down a trail that, as he peels back the layers, turns into quite the rabbit hole. The only question you're left with is, will he be able to piece the puzzle together before it's too late?
I could not put this book down, I had to know what's going on! Renehan does an excellent job with the pace, the plot, the characters, and the backdrop. All of the pieces not only fit, they fit perfectly. I can't wait to see what this author offers us next.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
This review was originally posted on drey's library
Once he's there though, nothing's as he expected, and this easy-peasy assignment turns into a whodunwhat that threatens to bring the wrath of the locals on the heads of the soldiers stationed in an inhospitable land.
The Valley's plot has more layers than an onion. The soldiers' responses to Black's questions send him down a trail that, as he peels back the layers, turns into quite the rabbit hole. The only question you're left with is, will he be able to piece the puzzle together before it's too late?
I could not put this book down, I had to know what's going on! Renehan does an excellent job with the pace, the plot, the characters, and the backdrop. All of the pieces not only fit, they fit perfectly. I can't wait to see what this author offers us next.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
This review was originally posted on drey's library
alipickle's review
2.0
I hate to leave less than favourable reviews but I finished this book feeling somewhat left in the dark. I felt that things had been figured out and the reader hadn't been told. I don't understand the significance of a certain soldiers death.
Not for me.
Not for me.
aksimmo's review
4.0
Shock and awe! Shock, initially, because I'm still surprised I picked up a war/troops/man book to start with. Awe because I actually liked it! Lieutenant Black finds himself sent to The Valley, an area where the heaviest fighting is. Things there are not what they seem and Black finds himself caught up in the mystery of what actually happened in the village of Darreh Sin. The language is coarse as would be the case in an all male battalion, but when it seems to be a natural part of the story rather that just gratuitous cussing I am okay with it. What bothered me about this book is that the closer to the ending I got, when the author generally gives you a few more clues so you can start to unravel the mystery, author John Renehan closes up and the secret becomes tighter and more confusing. By the end I was puzzled and not sure that I still understand the ending. But because a book outside my usual genre kept me reading I have to give it 4 stars.
ericwelch's review
5.0
I picked up this book for $1.00 at Dollar Tree. It was worth forty times that. It was extraordinary. I had a terrible time putting it down. Terrific blend of mystery, investigation, spy and war story.
The Valley was a long ribbon of ever narrowing gorge leading to the Pakistan border. The furthest outpost from the FOB Omaha was known as Vega and was manned by a platoon under almost constant fire. It was supplied weekly and Lt. Black, relegated to administrative desk duties for some as yet unspecified violation of Army tradition or protocol, has been randomly assigned to investigate a case of a warning shot that had killed a farmer's goat. Black is universally despised by the rest of the troops. His commander, Lt. Colonel Gayley wasn't a bad commander, as things went. He was classic army and Black's description is priceless:
True, the beating bureaucratic heart of the Army had a slobbering crush on officers like Gayley. Somewhere in a lab at West Point his instructors had mixed him in a bowl. whipping into him the precise proportions of accountability. flawless attention to detail. chipper optimism, and bold cooperativeness. folding in a hardy tolerance for paperwork and a relentless professional ambition, with a dash of tanned physical perfection for flavor. They had tried and failed many times before, but when they poured Gayley into the mold and pulled him from the oven, they saw what they'd made and cried, 'That's it!' its' then hugged one another and drank reasonable amounts of sparkling cider to celebrate.
He was a little of everything and a little of nothing. He yelled at the right people, didn't yell at the wrong people, didn't fail in his duties, didn't cause surprises or embarrassments. He was just so.
When Black arrives at Vega, he's met with hostility. The soldiers know Black doesn't have a clue what they go through almost on a daily basis. He thinks the 5-16 is bullshit. They know it's bullshit Just the day before his arrival, a new soldier had lagged just a few feet behind his squad on patrol in the fog and disappeared, to reappear the next day, ball-less, intestines hanging out, tied to a tree in front of the outpost, and alive. But he didn't cry out because he knew anyone who came to help would be shot by snipers in the hills overlooking their post. And they know the villagers they are there to help participate and help the Taliban. Shades of Vietnam. It's all so fucked up.
But.... so they all think.
Note: The attack on COP Vega bears a striking resemblance to a real event, the attack on COP Keating in 2009. Renehan has referred to it as well as Jake Tapper's book a bout COP Keating. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528359-the-outpost?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=UQX21U7WLd&rank=2) or Red Platoon by a Medal of Honor winner who was there. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109393-red-platoon?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=DKQZZDTkVl&rank=1)
For a summary of that battle see https://mohmuseum.org/copkeating/. Who builds a base at the bottom of a valley surrounded by mountains?
The Valley was a long ribbon of ever narrowing gorge leading to the Pakistan border. The furthest outpost from the FOB Omaha was known as Vega and was manned by a platoon under almost constant fire. It was supplied weekly and Lt. Black, relegated to administrative desk duties for some as yet unspecified violation of Army tradition or protocol, has been randomly assigned to investigate a case of a warning shot that had killed a farmer's goat. Black is universally despised by the rest of the troops. His commander, Lt. Colonel Gayley wasn't a bad commander, as things went. He was classic army and Black's description is priceless:
True, the beating bureaucratic heart of the Army had a slobbering crush on officers like Gayley. Somewhere in a lab at West Point his instructors had mixed him in a bowl. whipping into him the precise proportions of accountability. flawless attention to detail. chipper optimism, and bold cooperativeness. folding in a hardy tolerance for paperwork and a relentless professional ambition, with a dash of tanned physical perfection for flavor. They had tried and failed many times before, but when they poured Gayley into the mold and pulled him from the oven, they saw what they'd made and cried, 'That's it!' its' then hugged one another and drank reasonable amounts of sparkling cider to celebrate.
He was a little of everything and a little of nothing. He yelled at the right people, didn't yell at the wrong people, didn't fail in his duties, didn't cause surprises or embarrassments. He was just so.
When Black arrives at Vega, he's met with hostility. The soldiers know Black doesn't have a clue what they go through almost on a daily basis. He thinks the 5-16 is bullshit. They know it's bullshit Just the day before his arrival, a new soldier had lagged just a few feet behind his squad on patrol in the fog and disappeared, to reappear the next day, ball-less, intestines hanging out, tied to a tree in front of the outpost, and alive. But he didn't cry out because he knew anyone who came to help would be shot by snipers in the hills overlooking their post. And they know the villagers they are there to help participate and help the Taliban. Shades of Vietnam. It's all so fucked up.
But.... so they all think.
Note: The attack on COP Vega bears a striking resemblance to a real event, the attack on COP Keating in 2009. Renehan has referred to it as well as Jake Tapper's book a bout COP Keating. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528359-the-outpost?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=UQX21U7WLd&rank=2) or Red Platoon by a Medal of Honor winner who was there. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109393-red-platoon?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=DKQZZDTkVl&rank=1)
For a summary of that battle see https://mohmuseum.org/copkeating/. Who builds a base at the bottom of a valley surrounded by mountains?
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