'Shaw - USMC: Soldiers, Spies and Lies': A Prequel

by Andy Farman, Sanju Nivangune (Illustrator), Nathan Anderson (Illustrator)

The second of three prequels featuring Henry Shaw, Terry Jones, CIA and Peter Dawnosh, Royal Marine Commandos. Beginning with a further insight into the wartime experiences of Henry's father, Dwight Shaw, this time as a Major in the 31st Infantry Regiment at Chosin Reservoir in November 1950. Dwight soldiering and leadership skills make an impression on two men who will one day be mentors for Henry, Major Joshua Washington as a young sergeant and Major General Victor Lucas, USMC, as a company commander with 1st Marines. In South Vietnam, 2Lt Henry Shaw, USMC, an advisor assigned to a Firebase Zara, close to the border in Quang Tri Province. Henry will not compromise in terms of honour and integrity and this brings him into conflict with the commander of the ARVN special forces for the province. The firebase has been under heavy attack and the ARVN relief force was slow in arriving. In Saigon, Terry Jones prepares for his part in the coup to overthrow President Diem, but there is a traitor at work, either in the US Embassy, or CIA Station, Saigon. Megan Grainger-McVanie, a CIA operative with a near-genius IQ, uses her cover as Bethany Robertson, an air hostess with loose morals, to uncover the traitor, but is the beautiful Megan on the edge of a mental breakdown? Lt Peter Dawnosh, Royal Peter came to Vietnam as an observer with three other instructors. The 'Empire Quartet', as they are known, a Brit, an Australian, a Gurkha and a Maori, all veteran jungle fighters with experience in post-WW2 Malaya and Borneo. They are about to find that 'friends' can be even deadlier than the enemy. Warfare in the snow and ice of North Korea, and firefights on jungle trails are set against a background of political corruption and the murky world of espionage in 1960s SE Asia. Mike opened his side window and levelled off six feet above the river, the throttle open to the maximum. The rocket was a snap shot, a touch of rudder to point it where he wanted it to go, and he loosed it in the same movement. His left arm was out of the side window, pointing at the large clearing, as he swept by. He saw two faces starring at him and a flash of blond hair. He pulled the nose back, hardly believing that only a single weapon had been fired in his direction. It was a wild burst of fire from a drum-fed RPD light machine gun and only one round had scored. Mike had seen the tracer flash by and felt the single hit on the aircraft, but the Bird Dog climbed skywards, as game as ever. After several minutes of silence, Ali began to feel slightly anxious until the speaker crackled and she heard Mike again. “Phoenix, receiving Rodeo?” “Go.” “I have two passengers for you, no radio, no smoke, peasant clothes but one has fair hair… circle west to come up to the large clearing and wait for my call… Chaparral, we’ll cover the extraction with single aircraft attacks using Mk81. Initial heading of west to east, stay just north of my marker…” Another voice cut across Mike’s transmission. “Rodeo! Rodeo! You are trailing thick smoke and vapour!” The speaker crackled and she heard what sounded to her like Mike beginning to speak, but it cut out as if a switch had been thrown. The fighter controller beside her depressed his transmit switch. “Rodeo, DASC?” The speaker remained silent. The controller waited for a count of three before calling again. “Rodeo Zero Seven, do you copy DASC?” Only the hiss of static sounded from the wall speakers. “Rodeo Zero Seven, Rodeo Zero Seven, do you copy DASC?” The static relented and Ali felt a surge of relief, but it proved premature. “DASC, Chaparral…”cut in the same T-28 pilot. “Rodeo’s on fire and he’s going down...no chute, I say again, no chute.”

492 pages, Paperback

Published May 7, 2017

About the author

Andy Farman has so far published seven books, two of which were #1 best sellers on UK and Australian Amazon Kindle.
He was born in Cheshire, England in 1956 into a close family of servicemen and servicewomen who at that time were serving or who had served in the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and British Army.

He joined the British Army as an Infantry Junior Leader in 1972 at the tender age of 15, serving in the Coldstream Guards on ceremonial duties at the Royal Palaces, flying the flag in Africa, and on operations in both Ulster and on the UK mainland.

In 1981 Andy swapped his green suit for a blue one with the Metropolitan Police.
With volunteer reservist service in both the Wessex Regiment and Royal Military Police he spent twenty four years in front line policing, both in uniform and plain clothes. The final six years as a police officer were served in a London inner city borough and wearing two hats, those of an operation planner, and liaison officer with the television and film industry.

His first literary work to be published was that of a poem about life as a soldier in Ulster, sold with all rights to a now defunct writers monthly in Dublin for the princely sum of £11 (less the price of the stamp on the envelope that the cheque arrived in.)

The 'Armageddon's Song' series began as a mental exercise to pass the mornings whilst engaged on a surveillance operation on a drug dealer who never got out of bed until the mid afternoon.

'Of Demons and Blue Moons' is a new genre for him, Swords & Sorcery with an adult flavour, but the military series continues with the first prequel, 'Shaw-Lt: USMC' set in Vietnam.

On retirement he emigrated with his wife to the Philippines where he dives for relaxation and is a member of the famous Asian running club 'The IGAT Runners'.