David Grogan

In this book, author David Grogan takes us back to the Viet Nam war era. Steve Stilwell, former Navy JAG officer and lawyer, finds himself in the middle of a mesmerizing mystery when his friend and former JAG officer Ric Stokes ends up in a Viet Nam jail, for possession of heroin. Steve knows the charges against Ric must be wrong and sets out to clear his friend. What he finds, as he delves into Ric’s story, is a convoluted tale, dating back to the Viet Nam war era, with lots of show more well-connected US government employees/citizens, as well as a story with lots of international intrigue, cascading into a series of unexpected twists and turns, as the plot unfolds. The story was interesting and situation in Viet Nam, both today and in the era of the war, were well researched and true. The characters were also well developed. I did find the main female character, Gallagher, a bit difficult to accept and/or believe at times, however. In addition, there was an event that concerned Steve and his wife, which, though feasible, made me wonder why the author put it into the story—as it really had no relevance to this story (except if the author is setting things up for a future book/story). This side story took up time and space, and, as I said, in my opinion, had no real relevance to this story. It was almost as if he was “stretching” the story out. The story flowed well, though it did drag a bit at times in the middle. In addition, some of the events seemed a bit far-fetched and a bit implausible, in my opinion, but, then this is fiction. The story will appeal to history buffs who also enjoy a good mystery or mystery buffs. I have not read any other of the author’s books and am still trying to decide whether I will seek out more. The jury is still out on that one. I received this book to read and provide an honest review. show less