February 1968. The Chinese New Year. The Tet Offensive. Vietcong ambush American units all across South Vietnam.
Meanwhile, back home, reporter Jim Quint covers the escalating antiwar protests, writing stories that brand him a coward and a traitor in the eyes of the military. So it comes as quite a surprise when he receives an invitation to dine at the home of intelligence officer Colonel Del Lambert high in the hills above Honolulu.
After a tense dinner, Lambert orders his Vietnamese wife, Vivienne, to strip for Quint; when she refuses, he bullies her into submission, promising Vivienne to Quint as a gift if he can uncover the secret she’s hiding.
Ensnared in a trap of their own making, Quint, Lambert, and Vivienne are driven by the elemental forces of desire, rage, sacrifice, and, ultimately, hope.
The author of 27 mysteries and thrillers, I’m a former army counterintelligence agent, newspaper reporter, Newsweek writer and college professor with a PhD. in American studies. The New York Times included four of my titles on its annual notable books list. My novels include 10 John Denson Pacific Northwest mysteries and 10 James Burlane international thrillers. My John Denson mystery 30 for a Harry was nominated for a Shamus by the Private Eye Writers of America and Siege won the American Mystery Award for best espionage novel. The French publisher Gallimard published Trotsky’s Run as a Serie Noir best-of-the best title. I’ve been widely published in British commonwealth countries, France, Holland, Belgium, Finland, Japan and Germany.