Chris Hartley succeeds mightily in penetrating through the heavy mist of time to tell the remarkable life-and-death story of one American soldier in World War II. Anyone who wants to know something of war's profound effect on soldiers and their families should read this book.

– John C. McManus, author of The Dead and Those about to Die, D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach, and Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II through Iraq

This is an absorbing account of World War II's impact on one family and without a doubt shows us why this period will remain relevant to the American experience for generations to come. Chris Hartley masterfully blends military and social history to give the reader a wholly new take on one of the war's most bitter campaigns--the Hürtgen Forest--and its legacy seven decades later. Read it!

– Lt. Col. Edward G. Miller (Ret), author of A Dark and Bloody Ground: The Hürtgen Forest and the Roer River Dams, 1944-1945

The Lost Soldier is a simply wonderful piece of work, a thoroughly researched study of one soldier’s life and that of his family. Meticulously researched, this is a moving story based primarily on letters between Pete Lynn and his wife, Ruth, from the time he was drafted to when the letters stopped. Additional to the letters, Hartley conducted exhaustive research to complete the record, including checking the company morning report listing the comings and goings of its members, unit journals and reports, correspondence between the army and family, and the diary of Pete and Ruth’s daughter.

– Robert Sterling Rush, author of Hell in Hürtgen Forest: The Ordeal and Triumph of an American Infantry Regiment