Don’t Mean Nuthin’: A Military Thriller

Lealos highlights the ugliness of the Vietnam War in general, and the Phoenix program in particular, in this searing thriller focused on an American soldier, Frank Morgan (aka the Night Snake), who, in 1970, became a legendary assassin in Vietnam. (In 2014’s Pashtun, a CIA assassin in Afghanistan assumes the name of Frank Morgan in honor of the Frank Morgan of this tale, which was originally published as an e-book in 2008.) Reporting only to a man nicknamed the Viper, Morgan and a Montagnard scout, Luc Luong, carry out orders to target key enemies, including beautiful Sorbonne-educated Liem Tran, reputed to be an important Vietcong cadre chief—and the mistress of Jimmy Ky, Vice President Ky’s son. “Don’t Mean Nuthin’ ” is Morgan’s mantra, but Tran’s death hits him hard, and he vows to get the man he holds responsible—Jimmy. Readers should be prepared for frequent killing, often preceded by rape and torture, in this grim take on events in wartime Vietnam. [em](Feb.) [/em]