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As US involvement in Vietnam draws to a close, a SEAL team discovers a Soviet presence and a deadly biological weapon being shuttled along the Ho Chi Minh trail in South Vietnam near Cambodia. Upon further investigation, there’s much more involved than is initially detected. American prisoners of war find themselves transported to a cold, wintery climate that clearly doesn’t exist in humid, tropical Southeast Asia. Enter The Red Stock Company, a highly skilled mercenary unit with the power to deal with the problem at hand but also to reshape world events as profiteers who exploit global conflict.
Meticulously detailed, fast-paced, and complex, the tale combines historical fact with imaginative flair in a unique narrative that should appeal to both readers of novels set during the Vietnam conflict as well as military thriller fans. While thrillers are typically plot-driven, the author engages readers with many forays into the characters’ hearts and minds, and the assembled cast is worthy of a feature film or film series. The chapters are strategically placed to reveal the plot as needed through the eyes of whatever characters and situations are necessary to plumb the depths of the tale and bring it to life.
This lengthy but intensely riveting novel is hard to put down. The writing is occasionally a bit uneven, yet that's mostly unnoticeable due to the heady, realistic narrative that engages all five senses, revealing much about the dark realities of combat, counterintelligence operations, and Cold War political machinations. The titular Red Stock Company enters the scene very late in the book, but the stage is set for a rip-roaring sequel, judging by the content of this debut military espionage thriller.