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WRITINGS FROM ED
Write up in SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER 
12/22/23


4.    Ed Marohn: Former Soldier and Corporate Executive Shares His Experiences Blending Fiction and Reality
Marohn's early life was marked by his combat experience in the Vietnam War, where he served with the 25th Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne Division. This period not only shaped his worldview but also ingrained in him a deep understanding of the complexities of war. Transitioning from the battlefield to academia, he taught as an Assistant Professor of Military History at the University of Nevada, further solidifying his grasp on the subject.
Transition to WritingMarohn's writing career was a complex combination of his experiences in the military, corporate world, and academia, “It really began as a deep desire to express and explore the human condition during and post-war.” His first two novels, "Legacy of War'' and "Legacy of Evil," have been celebrated with the Indie Approved Reader and the Five Star Readers Favorite Awards, a testament to his ability to weave compelling narratives.
His Latest BookIn "Legacy of Evil," Marohn introduces us to John Moore, a CIA agent and ex-army captain, set against the backdrop of events from 2000-2002. Moore's character is an embodiment of Marohn's beliefs – a man of strong ethics, who upholds the rule of law and believes in leading by example. Marohn's portrayal of Moore reflects his own views on leadership and morality, shaped by his years in the army and the corporate world.
Beyond Writing: Educating Through LiteratureMarohn's unique approach to writing goes beyond mere entertainment. He aspires to educate and inform his readers about significant historical events and their impacts. His upcoming book, "Legacy of Lies," and the work-in-progress fourth book in the series, continue this trend, blending action-packed adventures with historical insights.
His books are not just stories; they are windows into the complexities of human emotions and the consequences of historical events.
In his own words, success isn't about becoming a multimillionaire through publishing but about touching lives, educating, and inspiring readers.
To learn more or get a copy of his book, you can search for it on Amazon.

Link to the newspaper:  
https://www.sfexaminer.com/marketplace/book-lovers-holiday-gift-guide/article_b7a34c38-a030-11ee-9047-8f94857ba3b7.html

Book Review: Legacy of Evil
FictionLegacy of Evil. Ed Marohn, BookBaby, 4 August 2021, Paperback, 340 pages.


Reviewed by Florence Osmund, ​Windy City Reviews
Legacy of Evil by Ed Marohn is a multi-plotted, action-packed adventure with a cast of diverse characters that come alive on the pages. The narrative includes an incredible amount of drama, conflict, tension, and crises that take place over the course of just one month. Several subplots add to the depth of the story of the missing nuclear device and intensify the conflict—fierce competition for high-ranking political positions, serious trust issues, characters with hateful ideologies, and even a love story.
While this book is plot-driven, strong protagonist characterization—John’s inner conflict, profound point of view, and well-developed backstory—makes it character-driven as well. While he is on his adventurous assignments, John is faced with dangerous situations involving those who he perceives to be the enemy. His military training taught him that under certain conditions, it is the morally right thing to do to kill another human being. But this is not so clear-cut as a civilian, and he is conflicted with having to compromise his ethics and morals, even if it means saving his own life.
Vietnam veteran John Moore wants to put dark elements of his past behind him—the atrocities of war, the death of his army buddy Todd, memories of his late wife Kay, who had succumbed to cancer, and his recent break-up with girlfriend Sally. And when he accepts the paper-pushing job offer of reviewing personnel files for CIA Director James Woodruff, he feels it will provide him the opportunity to do just that. But this administrative position soon turns into something else when Woodruff immerses him in the middle of hazardous circumstances surrounding a group of neo-Nazis who infiltrate the CIA.
Author Ed Marohn’s writing style is well-structured and engaging. He skillfully weaves together myriad story elements with a good balance of description, action, dialogue, and backstory. It is told with a strong, consistent narrative voice. Sentences are well-constructed, making what some will consider a complicated storyline relatively easy to follow.
Readers who enjoy stories about political espionage, multi-layered plots, action-packed scenes, complex characters, and a string of intertwined mysteries will enjoy Legacy of Evil.

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Reviews of LEGACY OF EVIL

Starting off slowly, Marohn fills the reader in on what happened during the main character’s previous venture. The reader then becomes steeped in a new adventure that takes the reader to a variety of places and a dangerous race to outsmart bad intentions. Marohn keeps the storyline tight with guidance for the reader and keeps the intensity high.
This narrative is well-written, with close attention to detail and setting allowing the reader to keep up with the chase. The author keeps the reader on point with necessary details but does not embellish too much. The interactions between the characters help lend the reader insight into personality and relationships.
The author successfully allows a reader that is new to the series to understand where the main character has been and where he is going next. This approach is clever and smart, as it creates interest in the series.
Conservative but adventurous, the main character is clever and genuine. Because the reader has a glimpse into his personal life, he is relatable. Interactions between the characters keep the plot moving forward. Being that the reader gets to see into the personal life of the main character, it is easy to want the main character to succeed not only in love but also in the chase for the bad guys.
---The BOOKLIFE PRIZE (PW)
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In his second novel, Legacy of Evil, Ed Marohn brings back psychologist John Moore. Following his return from the jungles of Vietnam, the CIA once again sends him on a covert and dangerous mission: Deliver a sealed letter to Nina Moesel, aka Karen Schmidt, who is his boss’s former lover and a member of a German extremist group. Despite the mission having incomplete intelligence, Moore agrees to do the job. But when Moesel/Schmidt is brutally attacked, Moore gets caught in the middle of a factions war between his CIA boss, James Woodruff, and a rival connected to the neo-Nazis. He soon meets former members of the Baader-Meinhof gang, an anarchist group, and learns that a nuclear device has fallen into the wrong hands. Moore must race against time to locate the missing weapon.

Legacy of Evil is successful in its gripping effect because of its tight plot. This makes it easy for Ed Marohn to sustain the tension and excitement over the pages. It has its share of high-octane moments as Moore is fighting against time to locate a nuclear device while at the same time struggling with his inner demons. Marohn keeps the story moving from place to place from the United States to northern Europe, and up to the Arctic Circle. The premise has a certain appeal that is complemented by a balanced exposition, and it will likely keep you reading from start to finish. By the time Legacy of Evil reaches its climax, it gives you that satisfying feeling and makes you look forward to Moore’s next adventure.
-- By Vincent Dublado for Readers’ Favorite

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Fresh off a harrowing return to the jungles of Vietnam where he served, psychologist John Moore is once again sent on a covert mission by his CIA boss. The mission starts simple enough––deliver a message to his boss’ ex-lover, who just so happens to be a former member a German anarchist group. When she is brutally attacked by neo-Nazis, John uncovers a larger plot that reaches the heart of the CIA itself. It’s a race against time, battling neo-Nazis intent on world domination, to find a nuclear device before it falls into the wrong hands. The chase takes John and his CIA partner across Northern Europe and finally the bitter cold of the Arctic Circle, fighting demons within and the horrifying rise of fascism without.
It takes a bit of time for LEGACY OF EVIL to pick up steam, as there is some housekeeping, so to speak, and leftover trauma to deal with at the start from John’s last mission. There’s also a lot of exposition to wade through to understand the intricacies involved in his latest globe-trotting expedition on behalf of the CIA. But once the story gets going, all of these moving pieces race together to craft a nuanced and well-plotted action-adventure. Car chases through European streets, skirmishes, and shoot-outs across the icy taiga abound––plenty of danger and intrigue to keep the plot barreling along just like the dogsleds John and his partner use to traverse freezing Lapland.
As if a nuclear device isn’t enough of a high-stakes problem, the rise in fascist beliefs that’s made itself known internationally has colluded with top agents hidden among the CIA. Ed Marohn sculpts his novel around the very real and terrifying truth that isn’t fiction at all, that white supremacy is a clear and present danger. The subject is handled well, especially with John being the son of a Holocaust survivor. The second half of the novel might be the most compelling, as John faces the evil that’s hidden in plain sight and is forced to make difficult choices once the situation quickly goes from bad to worse. Marohn’s writing shines in the middle of action sequences, where the tension is dialed up to eleven and the suspense finally boils over.
But it’s not all gunplay and fighting––the intense narrative is tempered by emotion, by the friendships that form in the midst of this perilous journey. It’s John struggling with PTSD from war and the grief of losing his wife. It’s the friendship that blossoms between John and Nina, the woman he’s sent to find. It’s the unbreakable connection John forges with a sled dog named Sheba, a gorgeous husky full of personality. All of these genuine emotional threads help tie the novel together, giving the story heart and a reason to defeat the ugliest sort of evil.
A nuanced, well-plotted action-adventure that simmers with intrigue, LEGACY OF EVIL confronts a chilling reality and reminds us what’s worth fighting for.
​--Jessica Thomas for IndieReader
With Ed Marohn’s Legacy of Evil (BookBaby, 340 pp. $16.95, paper; $2.99, Kindle) you can pretty well cash in your expectations of a thriller. Like true thrillers, this one covers a great deal of ground in a compressed period of time. In just one month the story moves from the U.S. to the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, and the Arctic, then back to the U.S. That quality leads to a tense feeling of claustrophobia even though the action takes place almost entirely outdoors.  Ed Marohn served in the Vietnam War with the 25th Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne Division. He has taught military history at the University of Nevada. His main character, John Moore, is a psychologist who enjoys reading action-adventure novels and works as a civilian contractor for the CIA evaluating its personnel, mainly looking for evidence of PTSD. Moore commanded an infantry company during the war in Vietnam and still has pains from a gunshot wound in his shoulder. He also has nightmares with battlefield flashbacks.Legacy of Evil, the sequel to Marohn’s Legacy of a War, takes place well after the Vietnam War when Moore is caught between two men fighting over a leadership position in the CIA and wonders, “Are we in a spy novel?” He’s occasionally pressured to go into the field and has just returned from a trip to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He has now been asked to deliver a personal letter from his boss to a notorious woman in Europe. He has a “combat instinct honed by Nam,” and carries a Sig Sauer P229 DAK.Before long, there are neo-Nazis with big plans, a kidnapping, and a lost atomic bomb. Then the chase is on. This involves following a map that has Moore dogsledding into the Arctic where he relies on a U.S. Army Model 27 compass. “The compass was an old friend,” Marohn writes, “cherished in those dark and dank Vietnamese jungles of the war. In the days of killing and dying, it grounded me to the earth, giving me sanity in an otherwise crazy world of destruction. Its math and magnetic science provided rationality in a living nightmare.”The chapters that involve a harrowing chase in the twenty-four-hour-light north of the Arctic Circle together would make a great short story. At the beginning I found the writing to be somewhat stilted, more like Marohn was providing information rather than spinning a story. But once the plot started moving, the writing moved this reader along at an electrifying pace. This is a taut thriller with an especially satisfying ending.
–Bill McCloud for Books in Review II, Vietnam Veterans of America
One thing I love about Ed’s books is they have all the page turning action and intrigue of a thriller without the gore and that also star characters that are human. Too many thrillers I read are so far fetched they just aren’t believable. The John Moore series brings an extra element of real emotion and thought and reality. 
Also, this book in particular was really just a fun read and incredibly descriptive. The dog sled adventure reads like it’s written by someone who has been there and trekked across the arctic. 
I highly recommend this book.
​ --Brad Cramer's  5 Star Review-- Feb 02, 2022 on Goodreads 

    
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  • Legacy of Lies : A John Moore Mystery
  • Legacy of Lies
  • Legacy of Evil - A Novel
  • Reviews for Legacy of Evil
  • Legacy of War- a novel
  • Reviews for Legacy of War
  • EVENTS
  • Written by Ed Marohn
  • Bio
  • Blogs
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Ed Marohn