Rendezvous by Nelson DeMille

First Line: As I learned in high school biology, the female of the species is often more dangerous than the male.

 

Nostalgia led me to read this short story, simply because my mother read many Nelson DeMille novels. Now I know why she did.

 

DeMille was an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam who earned a Bronze Star, and his story about soldiers going out on a patrol through enemy territory during their last month of service put me right in the elephant grass and napalm-bombed areas with them.

The soldiers' objective is to report back on enemy troop movements and locations, but they lose both radio operators and radios to sniper fire. Readers soon learn that a Vietnamese female is the person who's picking them off one by one, and the soldiers have no alternative but to head for a pickup point and, hopefully, safety. 

The cat-and-mouse game this woman plays with these men kept me glued to the pages of this swiftly moving story, and its ending is honest even though it may exasperate those who insist that their reading has absolutely no loose ends.

Now I'm going to have to choose one of DeMille's novels to read. Thanks, Mom. Even from the grave, you're adding to my to-be-read pile!

Rendezvous by Nelson DeMille

eISBN: 9781477855010

Thomas & Mercer © 2012

eBook, 30 pages

Short Story, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Play the Red Queen by Juris Jurjevics

First Line: On 24 August 1963, the newly arrived American ambassador to South Viet Nam, Henry Cabot Lodge, received a cable from Washington.

It's 1963, and there are military advisors in South Viet Nam working to stop the spread of Communism. Of the sixteen thousand American servicemen there, only six Army Criminal Investigation Division soldiers have been assigned to solve all the crimes. Two of them are Ellsworth Miser and Clovis Robeson. They are in charge of finding the young female Viet Cong assassin who's killing US Army officers with a single pistol shot then riding off on the back of a scooter. However, once they begin investigating, they understand that identifying the daring assassin is not going to be easy. And neither is staying alive. Too many things are at stake.

Although Play the Red Queen could have been tightened up a bit more to keep the flow of the story moving, I did like the book. One of the two investigators had what I thought was an unnecessary love affair, but perhaps the author meant to show just how many countries were interested in what was going on in South Viet Nam.

The daring young female assassin is played up in the synopsis-- and it is a good storyline-- but what I found to be more interesting was the fact that Play the Red Queen is actually a snapshot of a time and a place. As social history, the book is often fascinating (and infuriating). As is stated in A Note from the Author's Widow at the end of the book, Jurjevics wrote about "an underreported aspect of the Viet Nam war: 'the elaborate, even treasonous corruption-- and our complicity in it.'" Finding out just how elaborate that corruption was shouldn't have surprised me so much, even while the identity of the assassin wasn't surprising at all.

For some reason, I felt as though there should have been a bigger payoff at the end of the book. Perhaps that feeling of satisfaction never came because I already knew the end of the story. Yes, I did have mixed reactions to Play the Red Queen, but I am glad that I read it. Your mileage may vary.

Play the Red Queen by Juris Jurjevics

ISBN:  9781641291378

Soho Crime © 2020

Hardcover, 360 pages

Historical Thriller, Standalone

Rating: B-

Source: the publisher

 

The Second Biggest Nothing by Colin Cotterill

First Line: Dr. Siri was standing in front of Daeng's noodle shop when she pulled up on the bicycle.

Life in 1980 Vientiane is good. Dr. Siri Paiboun, the 76-year-old former national coroner of Laos is doing very well... until he finds a note tied to his dog's tail. Once interpreted, Siri learns that the note is a death threat addressed to him and everyone he holds dear that promises the "job" will be carried out in two weeks.

At first, Siri doesn't take the threat all that seriously, but once his wife and friends talk sense to him, he now has to figure out who wants him dead-- and when you've lived a long and adventurous life like Siri-- that's not easy.

Three incidents come to mind. One, a meeting with his lifelong friend Civilai in Paris in the 1930s. The second, a disruptive visit to a Saigon art museum in 1958, and last, a prisoner of war negotiation in Hanoi in the 1970s. Will Siri arrive at the truth in time to save the people he loves?

The Second Biggest Nothing is another strong entry in a series that satisfies on so many levels. First and foremost, Cotterill has created one of the best casts of characters in crime fiction. He also gives readers a true sense of what life was like in Communist Laos in the 1970s and 80s-- including just a touch of the mysticism that is a part of the culture. He's also a dab hand at creating intriguing mysteries, and he certainly knows how to make us think, make us empathize, and make us laugh.

There are some very nice twists and turns in the plot of The Second Biggest Nothing. I'd narrowed down the incident at the heart of the death threat against Siri and his loved ones, but my deductive powers failed me at the very end. That's always fun for someone who reads as many mysteries as I do.

But no matter how good the mysteries and the evocation of a time and place are in this series--and this book-- the beating heart of it all is found in that marvelous cast of characters. Cotterill shows us that Communists are pretty much just like us, which is probably something not everyone wants to read (but should). This latest book in the series gives longtime fans a special treat by letting us visit with Siri and Civilai when they are young men in Paris. It's always good to be able to learn some of the backstories in an older character's life.

However-- no matter how good the stories are (and they are)-- it's what Cotterill has to say through his characters that means the most to me. Through the years, Siri and his wife Daeng have created their own tribe, their own family. This family contains doctors, police officers, nurses, politicians, and restauranteurs, but it also has members with psychiatric problems, others with Down syndrome, etc. The philosophy of Siri and Daeng's tribe is that everyone has value and should be treated accordingly. Seeing all these characters live, work, investigate, and laugh together is wonderful.

By all means, read this series. Read it for the mysteries. Read it for the characters. But read it to absorb what it has to say about the human race.

See what I mean about Cotterill's books satisfying on so many levels?
 

The Second Biggest Nothing by Colin Cotterill

eISBN: 9781641290623

Soho Crime © 2019

eBook, 265 pages

Historical Mystery, #14 Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery

Rating: A

Source: the publisher

Dead of Night by Michael Stanley

First Line: Michael Davidson wiped the sweat off his face, irritated that his hand was unsteady.

When freelance journalist Crystal Nguyen gets the go-ahead from National Geographic to research an article on rhino-horn smuggling, it's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream of visiting Africa. Within a week of landing in South Africa, she's hunted poachers, been hunted by their bosses, and been arrested in connection with a murder. Following a lead, Crystal gets out of South Africa and goes undercover in Vietnam to expose the lynchpins behind the rhino-horn smuggling operation.   

But discovering the plot behind the money is only half the battle. Returning to South Africa, she has to convince authorities to take action before it's too late-- both for the rhinos and for herself. She'll have a powerful story to tell... if only she survives long enough to tell it.

When you read any novel by the writing team of Michael Stanley, you know you're going to be told a fast-paced, exciting story with an incredibly vivid setting and fully fleshed characters. Not only that, you're going to learn a few things along the way. And that's exactly what you get with their thriller Dead of Night.

The authors do us a great service by unfolding all the complexities woven into the problem of rhino-horn smuggling. I have to admit that when I learned how a great deal of the powdered rhino horn is actually used, I had thoughts of putting the buyers into enclosures containing a few disgruntled rhinos that still had their horns. But I digress.

I've already mentioned the fast pace, setting, and characters that are hallmarks of any Michael Stanley story, but I left out one: these two know how to craft a compelling mystery. My little grey cells were given a workout trying to deduce exactly what was going on.

To my way of thinking (and reading), there was only one fly in the ointment: Crystal Nguyen. She had many admirable qualities: she's a talented writer and photographer, she's brave, and she's relentless when it comes to teasing out the clues she finds. But... I found her extremely irritating. One night she's put in charge of the camp where she's staying. With several naive tourists in residence, there was a high probability of issues arising during the night. What does she do? Sleep in the nude so she's got to stumble around in the dark to find her clothes before she can go out and take care of a situation. Smart, eh?

But the thing that almost drove me crazy was the fact that Crystal is told repeatedly by several people who have experience in these matters that you never know who you can trust, so don't tell anyone what you know. Does she pay attention? Heavens, no. She repeatedly ignores the advice... and repeatedly gets herself into life-and-death situations.

I have to say that, although I love Michael Stanley's writing, I hope Dead of Night isn't the beginning of a series because Crystal Nguyen is a character that I wouldn't follow into the next room, let alone out into the bush. But as always-- your mileage can certainly vary!

Dead of Night by Michael Stanley

ISBN: 9781912374250

Orenda Books © 2018

Paperback, 312 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from The Book Depository.