In A.W.O.L., John Hatch revisits his youth as a Navy sailor during the Vietnam era. What begins as military service soon becomes a personal struggle with war, authority, and conscience. Through candid memories, he captures the questions that rise when duty no longer feels simple, certain, morally right, or personally honest.
Rather than presenting a distant account of history, the memoir stays close to one young man’s fears, friendships, relationships, and search for freedom. Readers who value true stories about difficult choices will find an honest journey that asks what happens when conviction carries a lasting personal cost for everyone involved.
This book is about one person’s journey—my journey and my growth as an individual.
In Crescent Beach, John Hatch turns a peaceful Florida setting into the heart of a tense murder mystery. When a Chicago attorney disappears, “only his boat, and a lot of blood” remain. Two detectives follow the trail south, but every clue opens another question, and each friendly face may lie.
The novel blends police work, organized crime, stolen money, and maritime danger without giving away its secrets too soon. Meanwhile, friendship and trust bring warmth to the growing suspense. Readers who enjoy layered mysteries, vivid coastal scenes, and patient investigations will find plenty to question as the truth draws closer.
In The Keeper’s Wife, John Hatch leads readers into St. Augustine, where memory and mystery drift together like fog across the bay. John Monson feels the past press against the present, despite his distrust of fate. As strange signs gather, a mystery from 1976 returns, reopening questions of love, loss, and fate.
“I have become a firm believer in the fates.”
Rather than offering a straightforward supernatural mystery, the novel keeps reality just out of reach. A lighthouse, an old song, a mysterious woman, and memories from 1976 slowly draw John toward questions he cannot dismiss. Readers who enjoy romance, history, and supernatural suspense will savor its dreamlike coastal mood too.
Behind The Pages
A.W.O.L is one of the best historical non fiction books of all time, written by John Hatch. He was a Navy sailor who got disappointed during his military service in the Vietnam War era, and he went Absent Without Leave to start his personal and emotional journey.
John Hatch is a Vietnam-era Navy veteran who has written his memoir, A.W.O.L. He belongs to Indiana and is passionate about writing good historical non fiction books, poetry, and music. His book is all about his journey from guilt to self-awareness and is creating a stir in the literary world & is emerging among the famous historical non-fiction books.
A.W.O.L is a memoir of John Hatch that commands all the attention while you are reading it. He enlisted in the US Navy during the Vietnam War; however, he was disappointed due to the horrors of war and the realities of military life. If you love reading Vietnam War memoir books, this is the best pick.
John Hatch is a Navy veteran who served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. AWOL, his memoir, follows the story of John Hatch, who has seen the horrors of war during his life in military service. He was stuck between a sense of duty and his conscience.
Copyright © 2026. All Rights Reserved