Not Every Man is a Hero: A Novel Based on True Stories

By Andrew James Dick

The winter months in Hampton Roads often remind Police Officer Andrew Dick of just how miserable an unimposing evening can sometimes be. Some nights, the cold air triggers his thoughts to drift into the distant past-to an incident so dreadful he pretends the images are remnants of someone else's nightmare. During the final months of his police career, he's assigned a routine call for service, involving a welfare check of an elderly gentleman. While conducting a cursory search of the residence, he discovers the neighbor had committed suicide. Based on his preliminary observations, he learns that he and the victim share many of the same attributes, and they're both Marines. After retiring, his already failing marriage takes a turn for the worst. Unable to adapt to their changing lifestyles, his wife moves in with his oldest daughter and him into an assisted living community. In his newfound setting, nostalgia quickly becomes an essential part of his daily routine, creating an insatiable desire to rekindle his earliest memories. Several months later, he lapses into a deepening slumber where his mind enters into a never-ending stream of dreams. Throughout the night, images appear out of thin air, triggering memories more pleasing than the ones before, until he senses something is wrong. Startled to wakefulness, he soon realizes that the worst of all his memories had found its way into his dreams. Unlike childhood fantasies that fade, the memories of war were still sharp and brutal. The images were indeed unforgiving. The forgiveness he once sought no longer seems relevant until he receives an unexpected phone call from a stranger. During their insightful conversation, the caller unknowingly discloses that he is the son of the man Andrew had killed during the war. Life sometimes doesn't make sense, and events don't always happen for the best of reasons. The inexplicable occurs just because it does, and when that happens, it can pull the unsuspecting into a never-ending nightmare.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1705774415
• ISBN13: 9781705774410
• Release Date: November 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"