Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Shirar, USA (ret.) is a “twenty-year veteran of the United States Army, Gerard Shirar served in Korea and Vietnam and was in Army Intelligence for twenty years. A Purdue University graduate, he presently practices law in Everett, Massachusetts.”  Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Shirar is the author of Nantucket Summer; The Court-Martial of Charlie Newell; The Unknown Subject: The Story of a Cold War Spy; The Many Indiscretions of Arty Boyle; and, Protecting Works of Art.

According to the book description of Nantucket Summer, “Fresh out of high school, Gregory Williamson arrives in Nantucket in the summer of 1946 for a job as a night watchman at a local hotel. He meets Sydney MacKluskie, a beautiful and sophisticated World War II widow, who works as the dining room hostess. The two become close, playing tennis together and talking in the evenings. After Greg saves Sydney from a rapist, the two plunge into an intimate relationship.

Because of their age difference, Sydney suddenly leaves Nantucket and returns to Chicago to continue her studies in the medical profession. Heartbroken, Greg struggles to come to terms with her absence. He plays basketball at Purdue University, enrolls in the army’s ROTC program, and graduates from college with a commission as a second lieutenant.

But with the start of the Korean War, Greg is called to active duty and shipped overseas. When he is severely wounded, a skilled female surgeon saves his life. Was that surgeon Sydney? Greg is determined to find out. Will his search be successful, or will he forever wonder about Sydney and what might have been?”

According to the book description of The Court-Martial of Charlie Newell, “North Carolina, 1917. Charlie Newell lives a quiet life farming as a sharecropper under the hot Southern sun and living in the Negro settlement of Holly Ridge. Even though the world is engaged in the Great War, Charlie’s religion forbids him from fighting. He and other Negroes from the community have registered as conscientious objectors, but the U.S. Army ignores their stance and forces them into the service.

Once Charlie begins his duties as a soldier, the trouble starts. Racial slurs, insults, and even physical abuse hound him, and he longs to return to his farm. His religious beliefs clash with the army when he refuses to work on Saturday—his Sabbath—and Charlie is arrested, court-martialed, and sentenced to ten years of hard labor.

For Charlie, a simple man with simple dreams, his time in prison is the biggest obstacle in his life. Facing prejudice from fellow inmates, guards, and prison administrators is one thing. But it is the toll on his mind, body, and spirit that will truly test the strength of his convictions. The Court-Martial of Charlie Newell sheds light on a little-known piece of American history. Charlie Newell’s plight artfully portrays the racial prejudice of America during World War I and reveals one man’s fortitude in the face of adversity.”

According to the book description of The Many Indiscretions of Arty Boyle, “Arthur “Arty” Garret Boyle is a master manipulator. With a sociopathic personality and an IQ of 175, he embarks on a career as an art dealer and popular musician. He associates with those in the criminal world as well as the elite of society, thereby mixing his legitimate art business with stolen and forged art. Boyle finds himself hunted by FBI agent Terry Latimer of the bureau’s Art Recovery Squad and is convicted of stealing paintings from the Robert Farnsworth estate. Boyle fails to appear for sentencing and a fugitive warrant is issued. While a fugitive, Boyle masterminds the theft of a famous Rembrandt painting. He reasons that he will help the authorities “find” the painting in exchange for leniency for his crimes. But Arty expands on his original plan and exploits the stolen Rembrandt painting while being pursued by Agent Latimer. Can Arty successfully escape, or will Agent Latimer finally capture him?”

According to the book description of The Unknown Subject: The Story of a Cold War Spy, “It's been three years since Germany's unconditional surrender, and United States Army Sergeant Rich Hammond remains on duty after originally being drafted in 1942. Exploiting the divisions between East and West Germany, Hammond runs a profitable black market business for drugs, cigarettes, porn-even Spam-as goods remain sparse. But Hammond's dealings make him a perfect target for the Russians in their search for spies. With tensions between the United States and Russia escalating, Hammond is blackmailed into supplying seemingly mundane information. It's a role that suits him, at least while he's still stationed in Germany. When Hammond is shipped back to the States, the stakes begin to rise. The Russians want Hammond as a stateside operative, but Hammond wants that part of his life left in Europe. Unfortunately, he can't shake it off. Only slightly behind Hammond on his trail of treason is Carl Foreman, an officer serving in Army Counterintelligence. As Foreman begins to rise through the ranks, he puzzles together pieces of Hammond's deceptions, even as the trail just seems to become more and more confusing. With the twists and turns of this spy game ever more entangling, discover if Hammond is able to keep Foreman at arm's length-or if the spy will ultimately meet his demise.”