The Righteous Arrows

Now available from Koehler Books

“18th Annual National Indie Excellence Award” Winner of the Military Fiction category

Who can you trust when a cold war heats up and conflict seems inevitable?

After collaborating to thwart nuclear war in The Able Archers, Kevin Cattani and his Soviet counterpart, Ivan Levchenko, developed a deep mutual respect—but in The Righteous Arrows they are working against each other. Cattani, despite serious misgivings, conducts a perilous covert mission inside a Soviet bunker and barely escapes with his life, putting himself on a collision course with Levchenko. Their ultimate confrontation comes on a battlefield during the brutal Soviet war in Afghanistan, where Levchenko issues the American an ominous warning that will echo for decades.

Foreshadowing the global war on terror, former Air Force Intelligence officer Brian Morra illuminates the stubbornly persistent rivalry between the US and Russia in this heart-stopping story of international espionage and war.

Reviews / Praise

“Morra masterfully weaves a tale of relentless tension, testing loyalties with the highest of stakes. This gritty thriller, set in the shadowy world of intelligence, doesn’t just echo history—it grips you by the throat as you experience every pulse-pounding moment. A must-read for those who crave their fiction steeped in the harsh realities of war.”
—Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Sky Mourning

“With vivid characters and a fast-paced plot, The Righteous Arrows takes the reader from the jungles of Cambodia and a Soviet nuclear command bunker in East Germany to the mountains of Afghanistan for the decisive battle of the Cold War. It is clear we haven’t heard the last from Kevin Cattani and Ivan Levchenko.”
—Michael Vickers, former CIA Operations Officer and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence

“The Righteous Arrows, like its predecessor, The Able Archers, could properly be considered a military thriller; however, it also embraces several other literary genres including Cold War thriller, historical fiction, and disaster thriller—a disaster for the USSR in the 1980s, but a disaster that ominously sets the stage for a future disaster in the US two decades later…. As absorbing as it is insightful and as entertaining as it is sobering, The Righteous Arrows is an excellent read and very highly recommended.”
—Tom Strelich, New York Journal of Books

“The Righteous Arrows is absolutely compelling entertainment with an important message about how well-intentioned policies can lead to unintended consequences.”
—Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Double inductee (Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers) to the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame and leading consultant to DoD and the Intelligence Community

“A cracking Cold War read! Buckle up for the ride as this pacy and accessible thriller takes you on a perilous mission to a nuclear bunker in East Germany and the brutal Soviet war in Afghanistan.”
—Ian Sanders, Founder and Editor of “Cold War Conversations”

“Brian Morra has done it again with another fast-paced Cold War thriller. The dusty desolation of Afghanistan provides the central backdrop for this latest chapter of the Great Cold War Game. Kevin Cattani is back in heavy action while his Soviet counterpart issues a dire warning about the unintended consequences of America’s actions.”
—Tony Thomas, General (ret), US Army, 11th Commander United States Special Operations Command

“After his hugely successful novel The Able Archers, Brian J. Morra is back and so are the rich personalities from his first book. Cattani, Levchenko, and the red-haired major are all in fine form in The Righteous Arrows. The battlefield has moved from the nuclear cold-war threat to the shadow wars of Afghanistan but the suspense, excellence in writing and his ability to weave real word events and capabilities into a robust fiction story continues to set Morra apart. The Righteous Arrows is an exciting read.”
—General (ret) Doug Brown 7th Commander United States Special Operations Command

“Brian J. Morra excels in creating tension and suspense… nonstop staccato blend of action and insight… keeps the characters realistic, their political convictions absorbing, and their confrontations unpredictable… [The Righteous Arrows] marries history, mystery, and psychological revelations in a convincing manner to keep readers thoroughly engrossed.”
—Midwest Book Review

“Brian Morra has done it again. His main characters from The Able Archers return in this Cold War spy thriller, and Brian delivers a story that is both realistic and riveting. Readers will not be able to put it down!”
—Michael Morell, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the CIA

“Author Brian J. Morra utilizes true-life experience and research to craft a thrilling and intense novel with lots of detail and grit. The vivid and multi-layered portrayal of espionage and the Cold War’s high stakes immediately captured my attention, and Cattani’s covert mission was described with such visceral tension that you feel as though you’re right there holding your breath beside him. The character of Ivan Levchenko made for a formidable and intriguing antagonist, and the escalating rivalry between him and Cattani was well-paced to keep things realistic as the stakes rose higher and higher. The battlefield scenes in Afghanistan were a particularly gripping and memorable element for me, showing the brutal realities of war and the personal vendettas that drive soldiers to despair. It is clear from Morra’s background in Air Force Intelligence that there’s a solid authenticity to the storytelling, making it both a riveting read and a sobering reflection on international relations that has a lot to teach us. Overall, The Righteous Arrows both educates and entertains, and I’d recommend it to anyone seeking an exciting and thought-provoking military read.”
—Readers’ Favorite

“A gripping tale of espionage and international conflict, The Righteous Arrows delves into the complexities of trust and loyalty amid escalating tensions between the US and the Soviet Union. Brian Morra’s narrative vividly captures the high stakes of a world on the brink of war, where alliances are tested and the line between friend and foe becomes increasingly blurred.”
—Ted Kissel, author of Betrayal in the Casbah and Escape from Algiers

“Brian Morra parleys his knowledge of military leaders in Russia and America into a spellbinding tale of how the CIA’s introduction of stinger missiles (righteous arrows) transformed the conflict between Soviet occupiers and Sunni Muslim forces in Afghanistan. The ease with which Afghan fighters could shoot down Soviet aircraft forced President Gorbachev to withdraw from the graveyard of empires and marked a critical stage in the decline of the USSR.”
—Ray Collins, author of The General’s Briefcase and Motive for Murder

“I highly recommend reading this book to share the unsettling reality of the gap between life inside the Beltway in the strategic community and what is going on in the ground around the world.”
—Robbin Laird, Defense.info (read full review)