Broken Eagle

 

When the widow of a Marine pilot killed in a crash of the controversial XV-11 “Sea Eagle” aircraft visits Raleigh, North Carolina attorney Jake Baird, he is hesitant to get involved. Cases against the military are almost impossible to win. Yet soon he finds himself in possession of classified documents stolen from a secret file in the Pentagon that reveal a massive government cover-up.

 

 Jake’s world is now crawling with men in dark suits and sunglasses who are intent on recovering the stolen XV-11 secret file and who are willing to do anything—including murder—to stop the dissemination of the damaging information. Jake is confronted with risks to his own personal safety and the question of how to use the stolen classified information to help Lisa Thorpe—if he decides to take her case. But how can he, himself an Reserve Army aviator, remain silent, knowing that the aircraft’s flaws endanger the lives of U.S. servicemen and women? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Readers Are Saying...

 

 

 

"Former helicopter pilot, James T. Crouse, writes about a world he knows well,

and takes us on a tense read that will leave any citizen wondering about the intersection between military security and the lure of billions in taxpayer money. Crouse’s thriller shows his blow-torch conscience when it comes to the national interest of the United States."

- William E. Jackson, Jr.,

Huffington Post contributor, former government and politics professor at

Davidson College, and former foreign and defense policy scholar at the Brookings Institution.

 

 

 

 

"Broken Eagle gets to the core of real issues in this fast-paced fictional setting. It is a believable story well written and an easy read.  In my aviation professional work, I spend most of my time reading  technical manuals and reports and rarely have time to read for pleasure. But James Crouse did such an outstanding job bringing this story to the reader with his unique style and classic military flare that I postponed some appointments in order to read this book cover to cover.  You will too." 

   - Ben R. Coleman,

 NTSB/FAA accident investigation expert, Commercial pilot, mechanic,

parachute rigger, aviation safety industry advocate.  

 

 

 

"James Crouse's gripping drama resonates with realistic details from his deep knowledge about the law, aviation and the military. It's a page turner in the mode of Scott Turow and John Grisham."

- Sara Just,

Executive Producer, PBS NewsHour and Senior Vice President WETA,

formerly ABC News Nightline producer for 17 years.

 

 

"A good man is hard to find, but the unputdownable – and deeply moral – Broken Eagle gives you two for the price of one: Jake, the finely drawn ex-Army lawyer and everyday hero, and Crouse, his creator, who clearly knows the world and ways of the law, the military and the South inside out – and who writes as assuredly and convincingly about women (hallelujah!) as about combat, aviation and courtrooms. In this tale’s troubling and all-too-believable tangle of Washington politics, murderously venal business interests and scorched-earth tours of duty, you’ll want both of these guys on your side."

- Karen Shook,

Books Editor, Times Higher Education

 

 

"I could not put Broken Eagle down. I had to find out what was being covered up and why, who knew about the defects in the XV11 aircraft, and how Jake would live through all of the challenges he encountered.  A great military-legal thriller!"

- Gary Little,

former USMC Helicopter crew chief on MARINE ONE.

 

 

 

James T. Crouse, author of Broken Eagle, was born and raised in North Carolina.

Mr. Crouse is a lawyer, aviator, writer of thrillers, husband, and father of three. He has taught Aviation Law at Duke Law School, The George Washington University School of Law, and at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. To find out more about Mr. Crouse,

go to the "About" page.