
Member Reviews

Tracy Crosswhite never fails to bring suspense and drama front and center. Robert Dugoni has put together an intense investigation with a past history withing her family and hometown. A cold case that has defiantly warmed up, I enjoyed this complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Robert Dugoni at his finest!! I loved this book! I read many books in this genre, but the descriptions here were amazing. Very emotional read. Don't miss this one!!

A powerful novel of the horrors of war. The power of love threads through this book with the two main characters which are well drawn. I would thoroughly recommend this book, one of the best reads in a while. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this review ARC

Wow. This took a while to read. Not because I wasn’t interested. Not because the writing wasn’t good. It was because the writing is so good and so real and so raw. It takes a book this well written for me to actually cry, to physically cringe. Knowing how much research these authors put into the book (as demonstrated by the extensive notes they shared in the last 25% of the book), I applaud them for giving their all to tell this story. I’ve read many WWII historical fiction books, with the majority taking place in Europe. This one, instead, takes place in the U.S. as well as Asia. It reminds me of Unbroken. However, I didn’t fully love that book as I loved this one. Stay Strong tells the story of a young man, Sam as well as his sweetheart Sarah. It starts during the Great Depression when Sam, whose family cannot afford to send him to college, joins the National Guard. Sarah is fortunate enough to be able to go to college. As the world starts to fall apart, Sam is shipped off to the Philippines where he eventually ends up as a POW of the Japanese. Sarah decides she needs to do something to help the soldiers and being a very bright young woman, is invited to join the government as a code breaker. The book is very detailed and descriptive about what Sam and his fellow soldiers endure. Be prepared to become very emotional. The story is based on actual events and I truly cannot begin to imagine what they went through. It also shares what it was like to work as a code breaker and we see this through Sarah’s eyes. I really can’t say enough about this book. I highly recommend it!! As a side note, I recently read another book from Robert Dugoni, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, which I also really enjoyed!
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

An intriguing piece of historical fiction. The tension and heartbreak of war hit me harder in this one than others. I don’t know if I was in the right place, in my head or in my reality, for war.

Hold Strong is an historical fiction novel which provides insight into the horrors of war during WWII. The story interweaves the lives of two sweethearts and their experiences during the war. The story is captivating and well written, leaving the reader with a strong sense of the atrocities of war and its effects on people.

This intense historical fiction was very difficult to read at times, but I couldn't put it down. Robert Dugoni did a remarkable job weaving facts with fiction that brought the reality home, piercing your heart. The story is told from the perspective of Sam, a POW in the Philippines, and his girlfriend Sarah, who works as a code breaker in Washington, DC. The afterward is also exceptional, explaining what's true and what's fiction. I highly recommend this book!

I would definitely be excited to watch a movie adaptation of this! "Hold Strong" is a well-written and thoroughly researched historical book. While I’m typically not a fan of lengthy reads, I found myself putting this book down multiple times and skimming through a few sections. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly recommend it and would eagerly read it again. Without a doubt, I would be among the first in line to see its film adaptation!
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley for the chance to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared are entirely my own.

Robert Dugoni and his co-authors Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree have hit it out of the park with this remarkable novel of historical fiction. Hold Strong was fantastic in every way. The story was so well told, and the interweaving of fiction with real event, and then documenting of those events in foot notes, make it almost unique in the world of historical fiction. It is on par with While the World Played Chess, and Sam Hell. And that is saying a lot. And you will learn so much while enjoying the fate and destiny of Sam and Sarah. The Sarah storyline of being a codebreaker in WW2 could have been a book by itself. Sam's story of the fate of the Bataan bastards, abandoned by the US after the fall of the Philippines, and their three years as prisoners of wars was eye opening. Then to learn that the Japanese put 21,000 Allied POWS on freighter ships, condemning them to death on the high seas is a part of the Second World War which needs to be better understood.
Hold Strong is a truly a one of a kind book.

An inspiring and deeply moving historical novel set against the backdrop of World War II. The story follows Sam Carlson, a projectionist from small-town Minnesota, and his college-bound sweetheart, Sarah Haber. When Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines, where he is captured and forced to endure the horrors of the Bataan Death March and brutal POW camps. His journey takes him onto a hell ship, the Arisan Maru, with his survival hanging by a thread. Back home, Sarah channels her remarkable math skills into the war effort, eventually being recruited into the covert world of code-breaking in Washington, D.C. When Sarah intercepts a critical message about a Japanese convoy—unbeknownst to her, the one transporting Sam—her work will unknowingly play a pivotal role in his fate.
What I appreciated most about this story was its historical depth. Dugoni captures the raw realities of war, but also highlights the unwavering resilience of the characters. While Sam's story is compelling, it was Sarah’s journey that meant the most to me. Her involvement in the early days of women in Navy cryptology was particularly moving, as I’ve spent 20 years serving in the same field, decades after this story takes place. Seeing women like Sarah pave the way for those of us who followed was deeply meaningful.
The novel is well-researched, thoughtfully written, and manages to balance heavy material with hope and resilience. It’s a powerful tribute to the love and bravery that fueled countless acts of heroism during the war. Dugoni wraps it all up with a satisfying, uplifting conclusion that celebrates the strength of the human spirit even in the face of insurmountable odds.
A must-read for anyone interested in WWII history, especially the untold stories of women who made their mark in fields like cryptology. It’s an unforgettable story of survival, faith, and love that transcends.

Hold Strong
by: Robert Dugoni; Jeff Langholz; Chris Crabtree
Lake Union Publishing
Pub Date: 1/28/25
Dugoni, Langholz, and Crabtree have crafted a powerful novel in the historical fiction genre. Set during World War II, the well-researched narrative is haunting and thought provoking. Fans of this genre should definitely consider adding this book to their shelf.
I received an advance reader's copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. My review is my own.
#NetGalley #HoldStrong

Hold Strong, by Robert Dugoni and others, is an outstanding WWII story, focusing on a midwestern American couple, committed to each other, but not ready to marry. He is sent to the Pacific, and she goes to college where she emerges as a math superstar. Those skills lead to her joining the war effort as a key decoder. Point of view moves seamlessly between the two main characters as the war progresses. Dugoni's mastery of the war spares the reader little in terms of the horror and savagery of the war. Her experiences as a civilian in the military and as a member of one of the first Women's branches is also illuminating. Do not miss the authors' notes and cites following the novel's conclusions. Although the characters are fictional, the events are real and well documented. An exceptional example of historical fiction! Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a privilege.

In the annals of historical fiction, this book is one of the best. I read historical fiction like most others to get a better view of history. This book, well-researched and well-written is the story of a young man and woman during the time leading up to and during World War II. Like others from the era they have fallen in love but due to economic and other reasons have put off any kind of commitment. The war breaks out and the young man enlists, the young lady continues her education getting a Masters Degree in Mathematics. Unknowingly, their worlds continue to intersect. She ends up in a top-secret decoding group with the Navy and he ends up as a POW becoming one of the storied, "Bloody Bastards of Bataan.
This book is based on factually researched information on the POWs who experienced the horrors of the death camps in the Pacific. It is also the story of the women and men at home in the United States working desperately to break the codes used by the Japanese that were needed for the Allies to gain superiority in the war. The story and characters are engaging, and the history is little told or remembered. I encourage all to read this book about the "Greatest Generation" of men and women who freed the world from tyranny and forged a new generation of free people.
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First....Robert Dugoni is a skilled writer of so many differing kinds of stories, his books cannot be assigned to any one genre. He writes stories that need to be told. I've read many of his books, whether stand alone or one of his excellent series, fiction or nonfiction, they all share one thing....once you start reading, you'll not stop until the end where you look around and say "I need to share this book now!". When I recommend one of his titles, I'm invaribly asked, who is he like? The answer is no one else writes books like his. And now.....
What starts as a heart warming tale of two people from a small town who have their future laid out in front of them turns into two tense, suspense filled stories on opposite sides of the world on Dec 7, 1941 when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Sam will deploy with his National Guard unit to the Phillipines where history books have detailed the inhuman treatment our POWs suffered at the hands of their Japanese captors. Sarah will utilize her considerable math skills to become a Navy code breaker. Their paths will cross again in a shocking manner, leaving readers dreading the next chapter when we find the outcome. To say more would be to influence other readers before they join Sam and Sarah on this journey. This is a fictional story, yet it's filled with so much documented history, it feels like a nonfiction. These characters represent many people who lived through WWII as they fought to protect and preserve our way of life. Read the book, share the book, talk about the book. The story deserves that.

Sam Carlson and Sarah Haber are high school sweethearts in small town Minnesota before the beginning of WWII. Sam is earning some money as a projectionist in a local movie theater while Sarah aspires to study mathematics at college. When Sam buys a ring for his intended, she is not yet ready to make that commitment. And then Sam, a member of the National Guard, is called into active service after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, with hardly a chance to say good bye.
Sent to the Philippines , Sam and his American and other Allied comrades become POWs after the American generals decide to abandon them there and concentrate their forces on more winnable strategic locations. After being subjected to the unthinkable cruelty of Japanese prison camp guards, Sam barely survives the Bataan Death March only to end up on the Hell Ship Arisan Maru. The provisions of the Geneva convention were not recognized by the Japanese who starved, beat and worked the prisoners to death, and then stuffed them without food or water behind a locked door in the bowels of the ship.
Sarah’s story was told concurrently. After college, Sarah enlisted in the armed forces as a show of support for Sam. Her unique capabilities were recognized at once and Sarah was assigned to an elite group of code breakers charged with in the interception and cracking of codes used by the Japanese. Eventually Sarah’s skill is put to the test as the result of her ability to break the code will directly affect Sam.
This is a story of endurance, friendship, camaraderie and love while facing extreme cruelty Much of what I knew about WWII and SE Asia was learned in school. Some was gleaned from stories my father, who served in China in WWII, told me as a child. Yet this book, which was fastidiously documented in the last hundred pages, had secrets to tell that were shocking to me. Despite my years in college I never understood the depth of cruelty and deliberate slaughter of American POWs callously perpetrated by Japanese captors.
Clearly, this is a masterful work of historical fiction put together so seamlessly that it was impossible to discern which of the three authors wrote which part. Emotional, fraught with tension and passion, Hold Strong is absolutely one of my most memorable reads. Kudos to the authors for their ability to weave a chapter of history into a work of fiction giving recognition to heroes of a bygone era. Five stars ( I’d give more if I could) to a superb piece of historical fiction. My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me a prepublication copy of Hold Strong in exchange for my unbiased review. Released on Jan 28,2025 this book is available now.

When the author of one of my favorite books ever, The World Played Chess, comes out with a novel based closely on actual events in the Pacific during WWII, count me in! Hold Strong is just as incredible as I hoped, and will be on my most recommended list for this year. The story of Sam Carlson and other POWs is emotional and inspiring, highlighting some of the darkest, most horrifying chapters of history and the courage it took to survive.
The love story of Sam and Sarah, and Sarah's involvement in code breaking made this novel one that will appeal to readers of traditional historical fiction as well. The story highlights a less written about side of WWII, the involvement of Americans and Japanese in the Pacific region, and the role of women in breaking the Japanese codes. I found this well-researched and documented novel easy to read and an absolute page-turner.
Robert Dugoni has become a must-read author for me; I enjoy his mysteries, but I especially enjoy his historical fiction. Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the digital ARC of Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. The opinions in this review are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing Amazon Publishing, for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by one of my all time favorite authors, Robert Dugoni, co-written with Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!
Sam Carlson works as a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, dreaming of a future with his girlfriend, college-bound Sarah Haber. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines, eventually to be captured as a POW. Meanwhile, Sarah is recruited to Washington DC to be a code breaker. She intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, prompting an unimaginable decision by the government.
This is an amazing book, based on an extraordinary true story, that will have you both questioning humanity and glorifying it. The courage of men in unimaginable situations shows just how strong the human spirit can be. I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so thoroughly documented the facts behind the story, in an almost page-by-page note section at the end. Do not miss the Afterword either, This book is heartbreaking, inspirational, and definitely taught me about yet another war atrocity, the hell ships, and those poor souls who inhabited them. In addition, the role of women in code breaking was fascinating. I am grateful to these authors for shining light into dark spaces of our history in the hopes that it is never repeated. Do not miss this book - very highly recommended!

4.5★s
Hold Strong is a stand-alone novel by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. In 1938, the depression has hit his farming family hard, so seventeen-year-old Sam Carlson has been doing odd jobs around Eagle Grove to help out, but he can’t afford college, and he knows it’s not enough to support a wife. Still, on bended knee with his grandmother’s ring in hand, he asks. Sarah Haber says “not yet”.
Working as projectionist at Eagle Grove’s Paradise cinema has the added benefit of a private spot where he and Sarah can watch movies, and he could never have predicted how useful it would later be, but he needs to earn enough to help out his family, and for a future with Sarah: he decides to join the National Guard. He and Sarah will be apart, but they write, often.
Sarah, smart enough to win a scholarship, is off to Mankato State Teachers College, where her gift for mathematics, her intelligence and determination are noted: she’s offered a position in Communications Intelligence, with the US Navy, all very hush hush. Teaching in their small Minnesota town doesn’t provide quite the satisfaction she’d hoped for, so she contacts Navy Captain, Bill Russell, and is welcomed into their code-breaking unit with open arms. Turns out she’s good at it!
Sam’s hard work and diligence as a tank driver sees him promoted and he’s optimistic for the future. Then, Pearl Harbour, and suddenly, his National Guard Unit is subsumed by the Army: he’s training in Seattle, put onto a ship and sailing for the Philippines. How those tank units are let down when the Japanese attack Clark Field is utterly tragic. The lack of support, of defences, of means to repel the attacks: they are sitting ducks. They are not rescued, not evacuated: they are told to surrender to the Japanese.
As POWs of the Japanese, who don’t recognise the Geneva Convention, Sam and his unit face not just starvation, disease, torture, beatings and executions by their shockingly brutal captors, but the American-educated man in charge specialises in psychological cruelty and makes Sam his target. Captivity and hardship can bring out the best in people, and Sam has close friends who look out for him as he does for them. But it can also bring out the worst in people, and he finds himself in the sights of a large American bully.
Word from the Pacific Front is sparse, but when Sarah, by now a WAVES Ensign, learns that Sam is a POW, she insists her talent as a cryptanalyst be used in the Pacific, where she might just be able to help Sam, and men like him. She learns Japanese and begins intercepting important messages. When she decodes a message about a certain Japanese freighter that has 1800 American POWs on board, she faces an awful dilemma. Will her actions help Sam survive? That’s only half the story.
The fiction tale takes up not quite eighty per cent of this volume; the remainder is Afterword, which includes information about various aspects of the story , and citations of real examples of what occurs in the plot. These certainly add authenticity and may be of interest to readers. A moving, shocking and informative tale.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

This book! Just when I thought Robert Dugoni, author of The Incredible Life of Sam Hell, couldn’t impress me more, he surprised me. He wrote this amazing book, Hold Strong, with co-authors Jeff Langholz and Chris Crabtree. If I could, I would give it 10 out of 5 stars. This historical fiction book took ten years to write, and it shows. I wanted to cancel all of my plans until I could finish the book. It was that good!
My Thoughts On The Book:
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I loved this book. At first, I didn’t want to read ANOTHER book about WWII. When you teach about it, you think that you couldn’t learn much more. I was wrong. I haven’t read much about the American POWs in Japan. I definitely didn’t know much about the women that became code-breakers. The code-breakers were told to keep what they did confidential, so I’m so glad that these authors did their research.
I loved the characters, Sam and Sarah, in Hold Strong. Not only was their love story realistic, but I learned so much from each of their perspectives about the war. When it was Sam’s point of view, it felt intense. As he experienced the atrocities of a POW, it was almost overwhelming. I had to put the book down a couple of time just because it hurt my heart. I was glad when the next chapter would switch to Sarah to hear her story. I love a strong woman character. Sarah transitioned from a small-town girl to making a big difference in the outcome of the war.
I read this on my Kindle, and I didn’t know there were notes at the back of the book. I wish I had known this ahead of time. The authors took the time to write out what historically happened by page number. It would have been fun to read the true events or what they used for research chapter by chapter.
This story is a beautiful tribute to those that gave up their lives in World War II. Some of the supporting characters in the book were based on real people. I have to say that Chavez was my favorite. You always need that one person around who brings light to any dark situation. Do you know a person in your own life like that?
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and authors: Robert Dugoni, Chris Crabtree, and Jeff Langholz for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.
I gave this book five out of five stars. The book is fast paced and well-written. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction. I will remember this book for a long time. Does this book sound interesting to you?

Based on a true story, this historical fiction novel is definitely a must read. Harrowing, but inspiring and thought-provoking tale set in the WWII era. The story follows the POVs of high school sweethearts Sam and Sarah. Through these characters we get a glimpse of how some women contributed to the war with their work in code breaking, as well as the horrors our servicemen went through in the Bataan Death March, POW camps and Japanese hellships. Love that the novel was historically well researched, and the notes section at the end of the book add even more insight into the real events and the real people that inspired the characters.