Rick Barry: The Methuselah Project

By Kelly Bridgewater

Synopsis from Amazon:

Nazi scientists started many experiments. One never ended.

Roger Greene is a war hero. Raised in an orphanage, the only birthright he knows is the feeling that he was born to fly. Flying against the Axis Powers in World War II is everything he always dreamed—until the day he’s shot down and lands in the hands of the enemy.

From Amazon

When Allied bombs destroy both his prison and the mad genius experimenting on POWs, Roger survives. Within hours, his wounds miraculously heal, thanks to those experiments. The Methuselah Project is a success—but this ace is still not free. Seventy years later, Roger hasn’t aged a day, but he has nearly gone insane. This isn’t Captain America—just a lousy existence only made passable by a newfound faith. The Bible provides the only reliable anchor for Roger’s sanity and his soul. When he finally escapes, there’s no angelic promise or personal prophecy of deliverance, just confusion. It’s 2015—and the world has become an unrecognizable place.

Katherine Mueller—crack shot, genius, and real Southern Belle—offers to help him find his way home. Can he convince her of the truth of his crazy story? Can he continue to trust her when he finds out she works for the very organization he’s trying to flee?

Thrown right into pulse-pounding action from the first page, readers will find themselves transported back in time to a believable, full-colored past, and then catapulted into the present once more. The historical back-and-forth adds a constantly moving element of suspense to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

My Thoughts:

What would happen if the Nazi’s invited a medicine that could make someone live for a thousand years? What if they experimented on American soldiers? What if one survived and escaped? That is exactly the type of story that The Methuselah Project is. The Methuselah Project by Rick Barry is a mixture of mystery and intrigue. Even though the synopsis on the back cover really doesn’t do the book justice, I really, really enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of World War II history and love a good suspense book filled with chase scenes and bullets flying, then I highly recommend you buying this book.

As a suspense book, Barry hits what I look for in a great thrill ride. First, there are plenty of characters going under disguise to throw off the enemy. Captain Roger Greene, the pilot, has to take on a number of disguises to escape his physical prison and return home to Indiana. With the help of two different ladies, Sophia and Katherine, Roger wakens to a new world in 2015. Second, I loved the idea of The Methuselah Project and what it actually does to Roger. It was a complete original and unpredictable story. I couldn’t read the book fast enough. I started it and finished one hundred pages, went to bed, and woke up and finished the book in two more hours. It is fast-paced and rich with action.

I believe it is so good because I got wrapped up in Roger’s plight that I wanted to see how it ended. Does he go home? Does he return to a normal life? What happens to him? Do people actually believe him? I held on to the plot, anxiously turning the pages waiting to see what happens to a character that I wanted everything to turn out for him. I felt bad for his struggles and wanted to see justice done.

Romance fans will even be interested. As a man who has been locked up for seventy years with only seeing the male doctors, of course, he is going to be interested in the female doctor, Sophia and Katherine, the accomplice in America. There are moments of high emotions, but nothing that true suspense lovers will cringe at. It is not over the top and cheesy. Very mellow. 

Another one of Barry's strength is his descriptive writing. I felt like I was in the airplane during 1943 when the story started. Barry's amount of research into the workings of these old airplanes really made the story ring true to me. I, however, enjoyed spending time in Plainfield, Indiana and all the details Barry had to look up.As someone who grew up just east of Plainfield, well actually Avon, Indiana, it sparked a little bit of homesickness in me. I loved growing up in Indianapolis. 

Briefly, near the end of the story, there is even a moment where I had to bat my eyes to keep tears from falling. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone if you have to keep some tears at bay too. Our secret.

Fans of suspense in any time period and fans of World War II novels will lose themselves in the plot. I highly recommend this book.

The Methuselah Project by Rick Barry is a fast pace non-stop action story that begins during World War II and brings Roger and me to the present day. This is a gem of a story, and I honestly can’t wait to see what else Rick Barry plans to write. I am hooked on his writing.

From Rick Barry's Facebook page

I received a complimentary copy of The Methuselah Project from Rick Barry in exchange for my honest opinion. All the statements in this review are mine, and I was not forced to leave a good review.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Methuselah Project

Rick Barry's Writing Bio:

Rick Barry is the author of The Methuselah Project, Gunner's Run, Kiriath's Quest, plus over 200 published articles and fiction stories. In addition to being a World War II buff, he is the director of church planting ministries at BIEM, a Christian ministry operating in Eastern Europe. He holds a degree in foreign languages, speaks Russian, and has visited Europe more than fifty times. Rick and his wife Pam live near Indianapolis, Indiana. 

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What draws you, as a reader, into suspense books? What is your opinion on World War II suspense books?