A Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery

by Nancy Cole Silverman

The truth will set you free – or it will kill you.

Kat Lawson’s new undercover assignment has turned deadly. A trip to Vietnam to write a travel feature for Journey International while making a drop to deliver cash and passports for a top-secret operation has gone awry. Kat has a choice to make and a target on her back. She can live with a secret, or she can reveal a truth that puts her in the crosshairs of an enemy sworn to kill her. With the lives of trafficked children at stake in a country where agents and double agents trade secrets, Kat must choose between the acceptance of a truth that will forever change her life or living a lie that will save the lives of others.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

230 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2025

About the author

Nancy Cole Silverman spent nearly twenty-five in Los Angeles Talk Radio, beginning her career on the talent side as one of the first female voices on the air. Later, on the business side, she rose through the ranks and became one of two female general managers in the nation’s second-largest radio market. After a successful career in the radio industry, Silverman retired to write fiction. Her crime-focused novels and short stories have attracted readers throughout America. Her Carol Childs Mysteries series features a single mom whose day job as a reporter at a busy Los Angeles radio station often leads to long nights as a crime-solver. Her Misty Dawn Series is centered on an aging Hollywood Psychic to the Stars, who supplements her day-to-day activities as a consultant to the LAPD and the FBI. Silverman’s newest series, The Kat Lawson Mysteries, is centered on a disgraced investigative reporter who finds herself working for an international travel publication as an undercover operative for the FBI. Silverman lives in Los Angeles with her husband and thoroughly pampered standard poodle.

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Goooooood mornin’, Vietnam!”

This is the fourth Kat Lawson Mystery of Nancy Cole Silverman’s that I’ve read and I can certainly say it’s the best! I thought I could read the first page or so and set it aside until I had time to read it a few days later, but I discovered I was binge-reading it with no intention of setting it aside! To say that I got lost in the pages of this fantastic story is an understatement.

Our beloved heroine, Kat Lawson, is undercover for the FBI while on assignment with Journey International, a travel publication. You’ll follow her through Vietnam as a tourist and see the sights you’d expect in a book set in Vietnam, but you’ll also follow her as she chases leads on stolen jewelry and illegal trading. You won’t know who to trust, and your adrenaline will be pumping overtime. You’ll learn how lives are changed when young men head off to fight for freedom and become MIA or KIA, about the Waiting Wives, Five O’clock Follies, and the Bụi Đời children, to name just a few. And … THAT twist.

This book took me back to revisit a memorable vacation in Vietnam and made me thankful for my freedom, my childhood, and my marriage.

If you are a historical fiction lover, this clean read, with fantastic characters, set in Vietnam and featuring a great mystery, is one you won’t want to miss.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars: Kat Lawson is a journalist working for a travel magazine, which gives her a great cover when she is sent on an assignment for the US Government Agency she works for. In this outing, she is sent to Vietnam, specifically Ho Chi Minh .City previously, Saigon. She is there to turn over an envelop containing cash and passports to a Vietnamese jeweler, who will then give her an envelop in return. That is all she knows about her job, but when she gets to the shop he is shot and Kat runs. When she tells her handler what happened, she asks her to go back the next day and see if his assistant might know about the envelop. Again, she arrives and he is dead. What is going on? What has she gotten herself into? She meets with two other operatives who share that they are trying to rescue trafficked children, and Kat wants to help. With a blue diamond from Saudi Arabia hidden in her backpack, she ventures out making contacts and being tailed while trying to find out where the children have been moved to. Although the war has been over for 25 years, Vietnam is full of spies from the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia, people trying to make money with trafficking children and more, and Vietnamese people trying to leave the country. Can Kat make it out alive? Will she be able to move on after secrets are revealed to her?

I thought this was going to be a cozy mystery story, but boy was I wrong. This story has spies, double agents, murders, chases, hidden tunnels, adventure, secrets, trafficked children and more. This book had me googling POWs and MIAs being sent to the USSR as had happened in this book, and it is something that may have happened, but was not proven. In this book an American soldier is sent to the USSR, where he is brainwashed, then teaches how to be American to spies being sent to live and infiltrate the US. He eventually ends up back in Vietnam when the USSR falls. I am not a fan of books dealing with trafficking, but this book eventually has them saved. I enjoyed this story and wanted to know what was going to happen to Kat. At one point I thought she might be killed, at another that she might choose to remain in Vietnam. She meets up with two American Ex-Pats that are also spies, or are they double agents. There was a little bit of humor in the story involving two Vietnamese men who are working with the Americans and have been assigned to help Kat, although she isn't sure whose side they are on at the beginning. This was a fast paced espionage story that I enjoyed. The characters were well drawn and the plot was skillfully written. I am now going to read the first three books in this series, because I want more Kat Lawson.

[Melanie Ollila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good historical fiction and when it is mixed with suspense, WIN WIN!

Set in 2000, Kat Lawson has been sent on assignment to Saigon to deliver an envelope and to collect an envelope under the guise of being a travel journalist, but really you are stepping to a world of espionage and spies going back to the Vietnam war.

This was a fascinating read, to get a view into some of the Vietnam war, the fall out after and some of the tangled webs that remained.

I enjoyed Kat as a character, at first I felt like I was reading about Alias’ Jennifer Gardner character but nearly 50, but not nearly as skilled or actually from an alphabet agency, more of an opportune spy that doesn’t know what she’s getting into personally or professionally but who ends up on a noble mission.

A kick of adrenaline without all the physical punch of an action adventure. I loved all the inter-connections across time and people in the story.

[Valeri Sullivan (vsulvn29) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘I felt as though my world was spiraling backward.’

When Kat takes what is supposed to be an easy assignment in Vietnam, she knows it’s going to take an emotional toll on her, after all this is the place where her husband died over twenty five years previously. And then as her assignments often do, things immediately go off the rails when her contact is murdered right in front of her and in her haste to escape the scene of the crime she makes off with an already stolen piece of jewelry. And that’s just another day in the office for her. When you mix in the Russians, human trafficking and the least expected twist ever, you come up with this; a completely enthralling and heartbreaking look into the past and present read. Lovely!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat Lawson is back, and I’m here for it! I have loved every one of the books in this series. You can read this as a standalone and still really enjoy it since Kat and her boss Sophie are the only characters that are in all of them. Set in the year 2000, Kat is a middle-aged travel writer who, by strange circumstances, is also an undercover spy. Her latest assignment should have been easy. Drop an envelope off at a jewelry shop in Saigon, Vietnam, pick up another envelope, and get on with writing her article for the travel magazine. However, it wouldn’t be a suspense if things went the way they were meant to! 

Wow! I learned so much more about the Vietnam War by reading this book than I ever learned in school. In fact, I don’t really even remember learning about that war. It was probably just thrown in with the more “modern” wars in my history class. Reading A Spy in Saigon makes me want to actually read about the war and why it was a war that we couldn’t win. You’ll read about the extensive tunnel system, and your heart will be wrenched by reading just a small amount about how POWs were treated. 

Your heart will also ache for the victims of human trafficking which is what Kat’s assignment is really centered around. I think that in 2000 I was pretty oblivious to the human trafficking issue. In recent years, my eyes have been opened to this abomination. Silverman writes about it in a way that should move us all to take whatever action against this that we can. 

A Spy in Saigon reads like a real life story. The characters have so much depth, and they hide many secrets. You will see twists and turns that you won’t expect! The author describes the settings in such a way that you feel as if you are right there in the book. I completely lost myself in it. Though it’s not a cozy mystery, it is clean with nothing offensive though, as I said, it deals with human trafficking. If that’s a trigger for you, you should avoid it. I highly recommend this page-turning mystery for its realistic characters, authentic descriptions of the Vietnam War, detailed settings, and suspenseful mystery with lots of twists! 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kat is in Vietnam, tasked with meeting and arranging a swap with a local jeweller. When he is killed, it puts the cat among the pigeons and Kat finds herself in the middle of something bigger. There's a lot of people interested in her, and I liked the uncertainty around who to trust.

As well as current issues, I liked the link back to events during the war and the memories it evoked for Kat. I won't say anything else but there is a huge twist during the latter stages of the book that had me reeling. I'm not sure what lies in store next for Kat but I can't wait to find out.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Donna Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Spy in Saigon is an outstanding historical mystery. Even though it’s the fourth book in the series, I believe you could read it as a stand-alone. For me, this book was not only enjoyable, but provided a much needed history lesson on the Vietnam War, especially from the perspective of Americans that served, were POWS and possibly listed as MIA. Kat Lawson, the protagonist, is assigned to write a travel essay on Vietnam in 2000, 25 years after the war ended. She’s also a government courier delivering an important envelope. Her contact is murdered and Kat ends up working with a variety of ex pats, all with different agendas. She’s also confronted with her own personal past in an explosive revelation.

[Joanie Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat Lawson has a new undercover assignment with her cover as a travel journalist. Go to Vietnam and exchange one envelope for another. Simple, right...Not so fast. First her contact is murdered; then it seems too many people know who she is and what she is really doing. And she keeps getting in deeper to stay alive. And then something from her past nearly gets her killed, but if she escapes she can never tell anyone the truth.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat Lawson is on a dangerous assignment in Vietnam. Lots of suspense in the fast pace thriller which has you on the edge of your seat. I received this ARC copy via Booksirans and recommend this book to other readers .

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman takes Kat on her next adventure.

Will Kat make it out of Saigon alive?
This assignment turns dangerous quickly. Kat is supposed to write an article about Vietnam and deliver a package to a jeweler. Sounds simple. However, when it comes to Kat Lawson, nothing is simple. She is like a trouble magnet. Not that she goes looking, but if it walks by, she will chase it down.

I really like Kat's tenacity and her grit. She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. I suspect that Kat comes from a long line of adventure seekers, even if they don't acknowledge it. I will say that I don't think being her handler is an easy job.

The Mystery
Kat's original task blows up, and the package becomes one of the many moving parts in Kat's newest investigation. She finds part of her that has been lost for years, but doesn't know if it will return to her. Kat helps some young children and burns her cover in the process. It is a challenge, but she makes it to the airport in one piece.

Five Stars
A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman is five stars. Kat Lawson's adventures are so wonderfully written and have the perfect combination of history, mystery, and espionage. I recommend them to all mystery readers.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Spy in Saigon by Nancy Cole Silverman.

Until the next time,

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Vicki Galvano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Kat Lawson. have never read any of the books in this series but now I will.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC from BookSirens, and am providing a voluntary and honest review.

A Spy in Saigon is the fourth installment in the Kat Lawson Mystery series created and written by Nancy Cole Silverman. It can easily be read as a stand alone if you haven't read the first two novels in this series.
Kat Lawson is the main character in this exciting and suspenseful novel. Kat is a spy who is working undercover in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City as a travel writer for a magazine in the United States. Sophie is her FBI handler and publisher. Sophie tasks Kat with making a covert but straightforward delivery. The assignment goes terribly wrong and Kat must deal with the aftermath. Kat always completes her missions and this one is no different. Kat must find out why the mission was compromised and how she can successfully complete her dangerous assignment.
Children are at risk of being trafficked, and Kat will do what needs to be done to ensure their safety. Kat meets some unlikely allies as well as dangerous foes. The author has created a cast of colorful characters in this novel and each one is suspect until proven innocent as the story unfolds.
I loved the exotic setting in Vietnam. It was described beautifully by the author. The intriguing and ancient sites in Saigon made the story captivating. You will learn many historical facts about Saigon and the Vietnam War. This novel also addresses child trafficking and its machinations.
Kat experiences many twists and turns throughout the book as well as several riveting encounters. The end of the novel surprises the reader with a stunning revelation. A Spy in Saigon was a hard to put down read!
If you love history, suspense, and espionage, you will enjoy this book. I easily give this novel a 5 star rating and look forward to reading future books in this compelling series.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s August of 2000, and Kat is heading to Vietnam. Given her age and the time, this is filled with mixed emotions for her since the Vietnam War impacted her personal life. But now, the country is once again opening up to foreigners, and Kat is there to cover what the country is like now. At least that’s the cover. She’s actually there to make a drop off and pick up with a jeweler in Ho Chi Minh City. However, while she’s in the store, the contact is murdered in front of her. Now, Kat has no idea what to do. In a country where she is constantly watched, can she still get the information she came for?

This series has always been a cross between a traditional mystery and a light spy story. This entry really leans into the spy part of the series, and it is wonderful. We jumped into the story very quickly, and I always had a hard time putting the book down until I reached the satisfying ending. While this is the fourth in the series, it reads like a standalone. Still, we get some nice character development for Kat, and the rest of the characters come to life wonderfully. The book is definitely of the specific time and place as Kat deals with the results of the Vietnam War and what that means to her 25 years later. This is a fantastic entry in this series.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Bernadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Cole Silverman delivers once again! I love her writing style and the research she puts into her books resonates with authenticity.

Kat Lawson’s new undercover assignment is set in 2002 Saigon filled with commotion, spies and double agents. Sent to write a travel feature and also deliver an envelope to a jewelry store owner, Kat has no idea who is worthy of her trust in the bustling city. Kat is intrepid with an innate ability to outsmart her opponent. She is independent and a freethinker which enables her to handle the twists and turns she encounters.

At first I wasn’t so sure about the appeal of Saigon, but it is presented with detailed and historical descriptions that piqued and kept my interest. Silverman is a master at crafting an intriguing story in an historical situation.

I was relieved that Sophie, Kat’s editor and handler, is not as antagonistic as she was in Passport to Spy. The supporting characters Davy, Eddie, Tomy and Sam are well developed, trustworthy and untrustworthy. They definitely keep you guessing.

This is the fourth Kat Lawson book, but can be read as a standalone.

A Spy in Saigon is fast-paced and hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am already looking forward to the next Kat Lawson adventure/assignment.

I received a complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Kat Lawson Mystery

Travel writer and undercover operative, Kat Lawson, is sent to Vietnam her mission is to deliver cash and passports to a top operative when her mission turns awry……. what comes next…. will knock you over.

Another great read that moved along like a read-life story. A page- tuner mystery at its best. The descriptions and the detailed of Vietnam sounded so realistic I thought I was there following every move Kat was facing. Ms. Silverman knows how to set a strong sense of time and place to make her espionage engrossing. Yes, its fast-paced, not a dull moment and of course events happened to derail us.

The plot is skillfully written with well drawn characters, the perfect adventure combining history, mystery and espionage….and love…maybe….Although, threaded through the lines is a darker side: the trafficking of children, a black market made volatile since the collapse of Soviet influence and treatment of children of American GIs.

What elevated “A Spy in Saigon” beyond the conventional thriller is the unmistakable trepidation of lived memory. Kat was an Air Force wife during the war and memories resurfaced with force, the memory of loosing her husband MIA since…

This is a well-crafted story with some tender moments. Excellent read.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review

[Yvette Sapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Book Sirens for the ARC of this book.

I liked this book - it's my first Kat Lawson mystery, and it won't be my last! Partly because you could jump right into this story without having read her prior mysteries.

Kat Lawson is a spy, who in her everyday life, has a cover as a travel writer. She has an assignment via her FBI boss to deliver a package in Ho Chi Minh City. The delivery goes wrong and Kat has to use her skills to find out what went wrong and complete the assignment.

The story includes history about Saigon and the Vietnam War, and I probably read more about those days than I learned as a student studying history. The novel also includes the impact of child trafficking and espionage.

The smart and talented Kat faces all sorts of twists and turns, and the ending is a good one. I'd recommend this book, and am looking forward to reading the other volumes in the series.

[Jane Verco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted to find there was another in the Kat Lawson mystery series from Nancy Cole Silverman - having read the previous three in the series I had high expectations as I had enjoyed the earlier books. Again the author has given us a great story, perhaps this time with a more serious background story but in most parts enjoyable. Perhaps my only criticism is the length and repetitive nature of some of the narrative, which in my opinion didn't really add anything to the storyline, leaving me feel bogged down in unnecessary detail. Once I got through that I found the narrative picked up pace again, resulting in a great ending.

I look forward to seeing where Kat Lawson ends up next. My thanks to BookSirens for the opportunity to read and review this book voluntarily.

[Debbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to repeat myself, this Kat Lawson Mystery series is a must to read. The fourth book in the series continues to be outstanding. Kat’s new assignment takes her to Vietnam. It’s supposed to be a simple exchange of envelopes. But in a country where no one is exactly who they appear to be, it took a strange turn. She needed to decide whether to go home or try to help complete the operation. Being in Vietnam is bringing up memories she’d put behind her. Will that become an issue too? I was completely drawn into this story with the well written descriptions of the area and how dangerous the country remains long after the war. The ending was exceptional and I’m looking forward to reading more about Kat. Well done!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kat lost her husband to the Vietnam War 50 years ago and her next assignment takes her there for travel photos and a simple envelope drop. Not so simple it turns out. There is so much intrigue and Kat has a hard time figuring out who she can trust. This was a story that was hard to put down. I did guess part of it early on but that didn’t ruin the mystery for me. So many twists and I can’t wait to see what Kat’s future holds.

[Di Paterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous ones in the series. I thought there was too much repetition of information, and I didn't warm to the characters at all as I found them to be too stereotypical. The plot was reasonable, although at times came over as unnecessarily convoluted, and ultimately, quite predictable. But for escapist reading, it is enjoyable. My thanks to BookSirens for the opportunity to read it.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love ld the historical fiction and travel references, but this book is so recapingly repetitive and needs an editor. It plays out like a made for tv special, catching you up at the end of an ad break in case you missed something in almost every chapter. That being said, it's a light, easy, quick read. Mindless, but fun.

[Alicia Kozak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the travel element of this series, getting to experience these places through the descriptions. Don't often see Vietnam featured as a setting so that was interesting. Kat is a great character to follow.
This was a story with a lot of depth. With all the spies it's hard to know who to trust. It's fast paced with a big surprise for Kat.

[Marjorie McCown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and thrilling read! Silverman delivers tension, heart, and unforgettable stakes in this standout Kat Lawson mystery.

[Jane Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a good book.

I couldn’t put the book down

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Nancy Cole Silverman's books ordinarily, but this one just fell short for me. There were too many problems that made me scratch my head.

I hope I like Silverman's next book better.