The 13th Cohort

K.E. Pottie was nominated for "Best of Connecticut Author" by Connecticut Insider Magazine! The 13th Cohort wishes to see the rise of the 4th Reich. Powerful men and women have found the Spear of Destiny and plan to use its rumored magical properties to create a new Hitler.Can Jack and Emily stop them before it is too late? Back in 1944, Henri, Sonny and Captain Robertson attempt to stop the Nazis from escaping with the spear.

About the Author :
Ken graduated from Norwich University in Vermont in 1980 and spent 13 years in military service in the Army, attaining the rank of Major. During this time, he served as a company commander during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, earning the Bronze Star, Kuwait Liberation Medal and Combat Air Medal.

Review :
K.E. `Ken' Pottie's spy novels THE CODE NAME SERIES are addicting. Having followed his stories since the inception in 2012 with CODE NAME SONNY and progressing through MOUNTAIN OF FIRE, it is with great expectations (and well met) that THE 13TH COHORT is greeted. As is well known by now from his awards, the series is based on his father's experiences behind enemy lines in World War II. He is young - graduating from Norwich University, Vermont in 1980. Where Pottie learned his skills as a writer is not evident from his resume: his knowledge of military history and the interstices of espionage within resistance groups is understandable in that spent 13 years in military service in the Army, leaving at the rank of Major. During that time, Ken served as a company commander during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, earned the Bronze Star, Kuwait Liberation Medal and Combat Air Medal. The rest comes naturally. For those who fell under the spell of CODE NAME SONNY and MOUNTAIN OF FIRE, be alerted that THE 13TH COHORT is every bit as good, and if those first books are still in your memory bank (which they doubtless are) then this novel has the same sense of watching a special series like HOMELAND or NEWSROOM on television. That may be a poor comparison for some - reading is always a better pastime than passively watching a TV drama - but the idea comes across. Pottie knows how to create and build suspense and thrills that makes the decision to put the book down once started a challenging one! The story weaves in and out from the 1940s to the present - and for very good reason. We have passed through the Cold War of the second novel and now find a resurgence of a Neo-Nazi movement -the so-called 13th Cohort. There are elements of a spear that apparently has treacherous power - the Spear of Destiny (fraught with religious significance as the spear that pierced the side of Christ) - and if the elements of the spear can be found (supposedly hidden in the Castle Wewelsburg in Germany) then a new Hitler can be created to lead the Fourth Reich. Pottie weaves all the characters who have survived the first two novels of the series into the action of this third episode and there is the same mixture of intrigue, genetic connection, historical persistence, love, strange medical situations and Pottie keeps the dialog embedded in the narration of the story in a manner that aids the flow of the unraveling sequences, and he successfully creates a contemporary situation based on his own life experiences that serve as the author's way of explaining the secrets that war tattoos on the minds of veterans. Few writers have described the war and its permutations as well. Another fine story. Don't fear the length of 600 pages: the author and editor have wisely spaced the legible font at a near double spaced manner that allows the eyes to avoid fatigue to the very end. - Grady Harp My wife brought home Code Name Sonny after visiting with the author and his wife on a business trip. Not knowing what to expect, I started reading, hoping that this author's first novel would at least be bearable. Before I knew it I was on the last page, wanting more! I was hooked. I love the characters and the story, as well as the connection between events in World War II and the present. The 13th Cohort picks up where the last two books left off -- with our erstwhile hero and his wife fighting evil in the present day much as Sonny and his compatriots fought the Nazis. With intrigue and plot twists, the story keeps the reader hanging on every word through the last page. A great story that would make a fantastic movie! I am definitely looking forward to more from this author. - Bill W