Van of Valor

Lioness of Cologne Official Trailer out now

A Novel of Trauma, Vengeance, and the Unbreakable Spirit of a Warrior Dr. Kara Quiverly has spent her entire life being forged into a weapon. Raised in the shadows by a mysterious guardian known only as "Uncle Marcus," she was trained from infancy in martial arts, languages, and combat disciplines across a dozen countries-from the dojos of Okinawa to the battlefields of Israel. A Yale graduate and Harvard master's recipient, she served eight years as a Marine, leading Female Engagement Teams in Afghanistan, where she earned a Silver Star for bravery under fire. But nothing prepared her for Cologne on New Year's Eve. When a mob of thirty men attacks Kara and her three closest friends in the shadow of the cathedral, her military training kicks in-but even a lioness can be overwhelmed. What follows is a brutal sexual assault that shatters the academic life she has built at the University of Leicester and awakens something far more dangerous: a vigilante hunger for justice. As Kara hunts her attackers across Europe, she uncovers Al-Mawj, a vast criminal network of former Syrian intelligence officers using human trafficking to destabilize Western nations. With help from an old Green Beret comrade, a German detective, and the three women who refuse to abandon her, Kara becomes Die Wiedergängerin-the Avenger. Part military thriller, part meditation on trauma and recovery, Lioness of Cologne explores the cost of violence, the bonds of female friendship, and the terrifying power of a woman who refuses to be a victim. Includes a foreword honoring the real women of the FETs and Cultural Support Teams. Dr. Kevin P. Wallace is a retired USAF senior master sergeant, Purple Heart recipient, and combat veteran of Afghanistan. https://a.co/d/0ivqbOA0
PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT AND COMBAT VETERAN DR. KEVIN P. WALLACE ANNOUNCES SEPTEMBER PRINT RELEASE OF THE LIONESS OF COLOGNE

Debut Novel Inspired by Real Female Engagement Teams and Cultural Support Teams in Afghanistan Set to Reach Bookstores Nationwide

NORTH PORT, FL – August 30, 2026 – Dr. Kevin P. Wallace, a retired Senior Master Sergeant, Purple Heart recipient, and Bronze Star with Valor veteran, today announced that his debut novel, The Lioness of Cologne, will go to print in September 2026. The paperback edition is scheduled for release on September 1, 2026, distributed through Ingram Content Group to major retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Lioness of Cologne follows Kara Quiverly, a former Marine Female Engagement Team leader whose extraordinary childhood—spanning Geneva, Okinawa, Israel, Russia, and Brazil—forged her into a multilingual, multi-martial-art weapon. When a brutal mob attack on New Year’s Eve in Cologne shatters the quiet academic life she has built, Kara taps into skills honed over a lifetime of training and combat deployments to hunt the predators who escaped justice.

The novel draws heavily from Wallace’s own experiences in Afghanistan, including his time in the Bala Murghab River Valley, and from extensive interviews with female veterans, trafficking survivors, and counterterrorism professionals.

“I spent years asking myself a question I couldn’t stop asking: What happens when the women trained to protect others become the ones who need protecting?” Wallace said. “The Female Engagement Teams and Cultural Support Teams were real. These women walked into villages where no American man could go. They spoke Pashto and Dari. They built trust one conversation at a time in the dust and heat of Helmand Province. Kara Quiverly is a composite character, but the world she inhabits is drawn from life.”

About the Author

Dr. Kevin P. Wallace is a retired Senior Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force, a Purple Heart recipient, and a combat veteran of multiple deployments, including Afghanistan. He served as a combat camera operator and public affairs professional, documenting operations in some of the most dangerous environments on earth.

Wallace is also the founder and primary driver of the Van of Valor mission—a 27,106-mile journey across the continental United States to collect and preserve the stories of wounded warriors and the families of the fallen. To date, the Van of Valor has conducted 317 in-depth interviews with Purple Heart recipients, Gold Star families, and other valorous veterans.

The Lioness of Cologne is Wallace’s debut fiction novel. A portion of the proceeds from the book supports the Van of Valor mission.

About the Book

Title: The Lioness of Cologne
Author: Dr. Kevin P. Wallace
Publisher: WW Consulting Solutions
Format: Paperback
Publication Date: September 1, 2026
ISBN: 979-8-950350-18-4
Pages: 194
Genre: Military Thriller / Fiction

The novel explores themes of trauma, survival, and justice, drawing on real-world issues including the tahrarrush jama’i (mob sexual assault), the Bacha Bazi tradition in Afghanistan, and human trafficking networks across Europe.

The Lioness of Cologne is available for pre-order now through major retailers. For more information, to schedule an interview with the author, or to support the Van of Valor mission, visit www.HelpVoV.com.

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