The Dragon's Eye

by Scott C.S. Stone

Winner of the 1969 Edgar Award, "The Dragon's Eye" takes us behind the Bamboo Curtain into a world of espionage and intrigue in China.

"Why me? I was no hero. Just a war-wise, war-weary combat reporter who'd pushed his luck too far and too long. Still alive and tired of all the dying. Now all I wanted was a long blonde in a short bikini and a star to steer her by. I cabled my resignation and got the hell out of Asia. I got as far as Honolulu. That's where an old buddy brainwashed me into a mission that would rattle the guts of the most hardened agents. A rescue job behind the Bamboo Curtain. A former British correspondent, now top man in the Chinese news service. A man with lethal secrets . . . and a Chinese mistress. A man who would deal with no one but me. Why me? I couldn't figure it out. And there was only one way to find out."

Genres: Crime

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Born in rural East Tennessee of Norwegian, Highland Scots, and Cherokee-Shawnee ancestry, Stone attended Tennessee public schools and graduated in 1957 from East Tennessee State University with a bachelor's degree in English. Knighted in 1994, in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Papal Order in direct descent from Crusader knights, he also bears the hereditary titles of Lord of Cullen and Lord of Drumtariff, both ancient Gaelic feudal fiefdoms of Baronial rank.

Stone has maintained a residence in Hawai'i since 1958. He lives in Volcano with his wife, Walelu Stone.

Stone is the author of 27 books. His first, The Coasts of War (1966, Pyramid) was the first Vietnam war novel. In 1969, The Dragon's Eye (Fawcett and five foreign publishers), a novel of Indochina, won the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award as the best original softcover suspense novel published in America. In addition to novels, many of his books are non-fiction, covering a wide range of topics, including Hawai'i's military history, a history of Honolulu, biographies of prominent islanders, and due for publication in 2002, a book with the biographies of 50 outstanding Japanese-American women of the 20th century in Hawai'i.

The island of Hawai'i, where Stone has lived for many years, is the subject of several of his books, including The Tsunami of 1946 and 1960 and the Devastation of Hilo Town (2000, Island Heritage), written with Dr. Walt Dudley, UH Hilo professor of marine geology and oceanography. Stone has also written on Hawai'i's volcanoes and other travel topics, as well as an economic overview entitled The Island of Hawai'i/from Sail to Space (1997, Donning Company Publishers).

Reviews

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just after New years and I was at my local thrift store looking for a paperback book. I had decided I would read one physical book for every ebook I read this year. I chose this one. The cover intrigued me. While the story was thin I was intrigued by descriptions of 1960s Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Saigon actually written during that decade. Authors today can't help but have a 21st voice and view.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: we are taken behind the Bamboo Curtain into espionage and intrigue in China. A reporter gets involved in a rescue mission.