First published 1996
Creasy receives a mission to extract an American soldier captured during the Vietnam War twenty-six years ago. The trail leads him deep into Vietnam and Cambodia, where he believes he's closing in on the missing serviceman. But the rescue operation is actually an elaborate setup. Connie Crum, a Eurasian Khmer Rouge commander, has orchestrated the entire mission as bait. She wants revenge against Creasy for killing her father years earlier. Now Creasy finds himself the hunted instead of the hunter. Crum and Creasy circle each other in a deadly game across the Cambodian wilderness. Each tries to anticipate the other's moves while staying one step ahead. The pursuit builds toward a final confrontation at a remote Buddhist temple deep in the jungle. The ancient sanctuary is surrounded by mines and heavily defended. Creasy must navigate both the physical dangers and Crum's psychological warfare to survive.
Genres: military-fiction, adventure, suspense, action, mystery-thriller, espionage
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Vietnam, Cambodia
Period: Vietnam War
Paperback · Orion
Content warnings: violence