The Rigel Affair - Book Review

The Rigel Affair by L. M. Hedrick is a tale of war and romance spiced with true historical events. The novel is set in the late 1930s and 1940s.  It's a World War II era narrative that recounts the story of a US Navy Diver, Charlie Kincaid who was assigned to the USS Rigel.   Hedrick writes a thrilling and deeply moving novel that explores the bonds of friendship, the resilience of a young Naval Officer, and the strength of the human spirit when called upon.

 Ensign Kincaid is given a mission that is absolutely critical to the war effort. It is an arduous task that will require him to enter deep within enemy territory off the coast of New Guinea. If he is caught, he will be tortured and killed. To help him accomplish his mission, the Navy provides him with an altered Chinese Junk named, “The River Snake,” and a crew of aborigines to help sail it.  The operation is an exciting adventure into the jungles of New Guinea and the climatic part of the book. The difficult mission provides Hedrick a canvas to illustrate war’s cruelty and unflinching bravery of those who were destined to fight in it.  In one horrific scene described by Hedrick, Kincaid finds himself impotent in stopping a bloodbath and has to bear witness to the Japanese military executing his fellow naval comrades one-by-one and pushing their bodies into the ocean.

The book also unravels a love story about Kincaid tumultuous affair with his childhood friend Roxy who loves him and his new love Mattie Blanc, a beautiful New Zealand woman who he meets in Auckland.  Ensign Kincaid buys a large diamond ring but which one of his ladies will finally wear it? He had known Roxy since elementary school when he lived in Falkner, Mississippi and they had shared many adventures together. Mattie, was just one of those wartime accidental meetings. Mattie is also lugging around some emotional baggage from an event that happened to her as a young woman. Can she rid herself of those haunting memories and trust this new man in her life?

Hedrick’s depiction of the events and those who lived through the 2^nd World War era appears very accurate and authentic.   Much of the book is about Charlie and Roxy’s odyssey as they fled the small town of Falkner, Mississippi in an attempt to build a better life. During their travels, they experience great hardships but also some lucky breaks that advance them to a much better place in the world.  There is a lot of nostalgia woven into the story, and Hedrick uses her novel to pay homage to the Greatest Generation. The Rigel Affair is an intoxicating blend of historical flavored sweet romance;  if you loved movies like Pearl Harbor, you’ll love The Rigel Affair.