Lewis "Chesty" Puller is the most famous and most decorated of all Marines. Michael Abbo is an average American kid who enlists in the Marine Corps just before Pearl Harbor. As he struggles to adapt, he unwillingly finds himself assigned to the duty of runner for Chesty Puller, a highly decorated jungle fighter from the "Banana Wars." Abbo is shocked by Chesty's harsh training methods and the horrors of the amphibious warfare of the Pacific, but survives World War II, finishes college, and becomes a newspaper reporter for The Chicago Tribune. He is called up from the Marine Reserves in 1950 to serve in Korea, and finds himself assigned once again to Chesty Puller. He serves well throughout the Inchon landing, the battle for Seoul, and into the hellish Chosin Reservoir, meanwhile gaining respect and awe for the once-enlisted man who takes great pride in "leading from the front." Abbo eventually returns to the Tribune, and covers Puller's forced retirement as well as his dramatic testimony in the court martial of a Marine drill instructor at Parris Island. For more info, check out www.pullersrunner.com

"'Chesty' Puller was an offer in the Marine Corp and is the most decorated U.S. Marine in history. This book does a highly credible job of telling his story from the standpoint of a fictional 'runner' . . . It's well written and although a work of fiction, reads like a good biography." - Senior Scene, December 2009

"Although Puller's Runner is historical fiction, readers will feel that they are right there and hearing a factual story. It should be especially meaningful for anyone who served in any of the areas where these events took place.... Puller's Runner is so well told, so comprehensive in its entirety that it seems that you are right there as "Chesty" Puller gives his runner the brief instructions and sends him out into the deep, dark night of the jungle full of the enemy or across a torn-up hill to deliver the message because other communication has been lost.... a great read!" - The Manhattan Mercury

"The authors have done a marvelous job of capturing the historical details and amazing story of our Corps' most famous and highly decorated Marine....Here's a book for the entire Chesty Puller cult as well as history buffs who enjoy their history wrapped in exciting prose. This is an educational and entertaining - even fun read - and it's a dandy example of how a historically based novel should be researched and written. Buy it! You'll love it!" - Leatherneck Magazine, March 2010