From Publishers Weekly
A decorated Vietnam veteran, professor of ancient Greek and of Gaelic, and author of 15 novels, Eickhoff returns with an affecting, sometimes brutally graphic Vietnam thriller. Benjamin "Wingo" Wingfoot leads an experimental special operations team deep into the upcountry to raid Vietcong attempting to move arms through the mountains into Laos. Summoned to CIA headquarters in Saigon, Wingo is ordered to assassinate a young Vietnamese prostitute suspected of spying for the North. Although he is hardened to killing, the spuriousness of the assignment troubles him, and he eventually decides to refuse the order. But before Wingo can report his decision, the woman is found horribly mutilated; despite his denials, the CIA abandons him to Vietnamese authorities. Convicted and sent to infamous Poulo Condore Island (the Nam equivalent of Devil's Island), Wingo escapes and returns to Saigon determined to find and kill the party responsible for framing him. The trail eventually leads to political ambition and treachery at the highest levels. Eickhoff delivers the requisite exotic underworld and taut tough-guyness with an authentic sense of detail, alienation and danger.
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* For Benjamin Wingfoot, a Native American who'd once dreamed of teaching on the reservation, Vietnam in 1966 is a 24/7 miasma of heat, death, and behind-the-lines action. After months of combat up-country, Wingo has been given a new assignment: assassinate a Saigon prostitute named Lisa Lee. He can pick the time, the place, and the method; the only caveat is that it cannot appear political because, of course, it is. The girl is killed but not by Wingfoot; however, the Saigon police seem to know more about his mission than even he was told. As he struggles to clear himself, he learns how deeply corrupting the war has become. It takes all his intelligence and willpower to keep moral rot out of his soul. Eickhoff, who served in Vietnam, is the rare writer who can translate the fear, adrenaline rush, and amorality of combat to the page. His novel can be enjoyed both as a war story and a mystery, but it will resonate most as a modern
Heart of Darkness. Outstanding.
Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
