War changes a person. It shapes them, challenges them, and sometimes, leaves them with impossible choices long after the battlefield has gone silent. That’s exactly what happens in A Hero’s Life by Arthur A. Edwards. This gripping novel takes us into the mind of a decorated World War II fighter pilot who, years after the war, finds himself facing a dilemma that could redefine his legacy—not in the skies, but in the world he thought he had returned to. With vivid storytelling and a deep moral core, A Hero’s Life is a powerful exploration of what it truly means to be a hero.
“There is nothing heroic about being a good shot. I can kill a duck flying at fifty yards too. So what?” He emptied out his bottle. “Shooting down twelve Messerschmitt is not heroic, it’s just plain luck coupled with a little skill. Now I’m going to need more than luck.”
– an excerpt from the book
At the heart of this novel is Steve Pritchard, a former war hero struggling with the burden of truth. Once celebrated for his skill as a pilot, he now faces a different kind of battle—one against the corruption and cover-ups of the aviation industry. He’s uncovered a fatal flaw in a state-of-the-art fighter plane, one that has already cost young pilots their lives. The problem? A powerful military-industrial machine that doesn’t want the truth to come out. If Steve exposes the truth, he risks losing everything—his job, his reputation, and even his safety. But if he stays silent, more lives will be lost.
One of the novel’s most striking themes is the idea that heroism isn’t about the past—it’s about the choices we make in the present. Steve grapples with a haunting realization: the war might be over, but the moral dilemmas it introduced never really ended. His internal struggle mirrors the external pressure from those who would rather bury the problem than fix it. What do you do when doing the right thing might cost you everything? A Hero’s Life doesn’t offer easy answers, but it forces us to ask the hard questions.
The book also explores the psychological weight of war. Steve’s past as a fighter pilot isn’t just something he remembers, it’s something that follows him, shaping the way he sees himself and the world around him. He wrestles with survivor’s guilt, questioning whether his victories in the sky were truly acts of heroism or simply the luck of survival. In a particularly powerful moment, he recalls a time when he had an enemy pilot in his sights, floating helplessly in his parachute, and chose not to pull the trigger. It’s a small act of mercy in a brutal war, but it stays with him—perhaps even more than the battles he won.
Arthur A. Edwards brings a personal touch to the story, drawing from his own background in aerospace engineering. His knowledge of aviation is woven seamlessly into the narrative, making the technical aspects feel real without overwhelming the emotional core of the story. His writing doesn’t just put you in the cockpit of a fighter plane—it puts you inside the mind of a man who has seen both the best and worst of humanity and now must decide what kind of person he truly wants to be.
If you love historical fiction with a moral backbone, A Hero’s Life is a must-read. It’s a novel about war, but more importantly, it’s a novel about what happens after war—about the battles we fight within ourselves long after the shooting stops. The stakes are high, the tension is gripping, and the questions it raises will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
A Hero’s Life by Arthur A. Edwards is now available for purchase via the Kravitz and Sons Bookstore.
A Hero’s Life
The story of a war hero who is faced with a choice between what he believes is moral on the one hand, and his job, his family and the security of his country on the other. Steve Pritchard was a World War II fighter pilot hero who returned from England in 1945 to his home in Los Angeles. He was a double ace with twelve downed Messerschmitt ME-109’s to his credit. Steve had married his high school sweetheart, the prettiest girl in town, went to work at Western Aircraft Company, the largest aircraft company in Southern California and moved into…