by Robert Stone
First published 1987
John Converse, a war correspondent in Vietnam, makes a fateful decision to smuggle three kilograms of heroin back to California. He enlists Ray Hicks, a former Marine, to transport the drugs to his wife Marge in Berkeley. When the deal goes wrong, Converse finds himself caught between corrupt federal agents and dangerous criminals who will kill for the drugs. Hicks flees with Marge and the heroin into the desert, pursued by both sides in an increasingly violent chase. As the situation spirals out of control, Converse must navigate a world where everyone has ulterior motives and survival depends on staying ahead of people who have nothing to lose. The story examines how the moral compromises of war follow soldiers home.
Genres: fiction, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, survival
Setting: Berkeley, California, Vietnam
Period: Vietnam War
Unknown Binding · Penguin Books
Content warnings: drug-use, violence