WARNINGS UNHEEDED by Andy Brown

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book:  It was a submission to Rosie Amber's Review Team, of which I am a member.

I'll start by saying that this book is a terrific achievement by the author.  The painstaking and intricate work that has clearly gone into it is to be admired, as is its purpose.

The 'warnings unheeded' of the title refer to two mass-casualty accidents that occurred within days of each other on a US air base. "Using the words of the people who experienced the tragedies, the book provides an in-depth look at the before, during and after of a preventable “active shooter” incident and an avoidable fatal plane crash."  A shooter terrorised the base hospital, and, in a parallel account, a veteran pilot, known for his reckless flying, put the lives of both his crew and spectators at risk.

Andy Brown was the hero who ended the hospital killing spree, and intersperses chapters about the build up of fears about Mellberg and Holland with information about his own life and what led him to the position by which he was able to act as he did.  He also writes about the aftermath of the shootings, and PTSD.

I found shooter Mellberg's story the most interesting, and read almost open-mouthed that the people who could take action did not appear to see that he was a tragedy waiting to happen, with the professionals who predicted this swamped by bureaucracy.  Most chilling was Dr Brigham's instruction to his wife to keep firearms in the house, because he recognised the sort of patient who would see those who helped him as friends, though could just as easily turn on them.  Although non-fiction, the character of Mellberg, in particular, came across most clearly.  The book is well-written throughout, and the amount of planning that has gone into it is apparent.  For a non-military person (with no particular interest in or experience of the military), I thought that the factual detail was clear and well-explained, though sometimes too detailed, adding facts (and many initials, military terms and the explanations of) that were perhaps not necessary to the story for a layman's point of view, and made one glaze over a little.  However, for its target audience, I imagine such detail will be admired.

For that target audience, I would say that this should probably be required reading.