MONTAGNARD

A just-retired Navy SEAL tries to save his Vietnamese mother from a drug lord in this thriller sequel.

It’s been over 40 years since Mai Cordell has seen her adopted brother, Dish. She left her home country of Vietnam with a United States soldier named Curtis, and the two married and started a family in America. She finally returns to Vietnam to reunite with Dish, but asking locals about her brother catches the attention of Trần Nam Tin. He’s a drug smuggler who seems intent on controlling operations in the three-nation region (including Laos and Cambodia). Dish, meanwhile, is a gun smuggler who helps arm anti-communist rebels. After he and his comrades attack some of the drug lord’s men, Dish sends a warning to Trần that he “is going to come for him.” Consequently, Trần abducts Mai to bait Dish. When Mai’s son, JD, learns what has happened, he, his Navy SEAL pals, and his trained Belgian Malinois, Ajax, head to Thailand with a plan to sneak into Vietnam. At the same time, Dish searches for his sister; once he teams up with his nephew, they’ll hopefully be able to find Mai and rescue her. Like the series’ first installment, Gilbert’s enjoyable sequel offers some rousing subplots, including—prior to JD’s retirement—SEAL Team 5’s attempts to rescue Dr. Ellen Chang, whom terrorists kidnapped for ransom in Niger. But this novel concentrates on fewer characters, such as the returning players Curtis, Mai, and Ajax. There’s also less action, though there are several opportunities for JD to demonstrate the Vietnamese martial art Nguyen-Ryu, which Mai and Curtis taught him. Still, the narrative gradually builds to a tense latter half, with Mai as Trần’s hostage and Dish in his crosshairs. JD’s story also evolves as the well-established hero suffers more than one loss.

A tightly focused and exciting second installment of a thriller series.