TEMPLE OF GOLD

In this military thriller, an American Marine and an Australian Special Forces soldier investigate an ex-Khmer Rouge general’s secret jungle camp. 

By 1983, 23-year-old Lenny Cox has been a Marine for almost six years. His job often requires him “to do things that walked a fine moral line,” but his intelligence also requires him to question that fine line. For example, whF is America providing equipment—metal detectors and Geiger counters, apparently—to Gen. Tan, lately of the Khmer Rouge? Cox asks, “Aren’t the Khmer Rouge the bad guys?” According to Ventura, his CIA liaison, the matter is above Cox’s pay grade. According to Alice Brooks, Lenny’s girlfriend and legal attaché for the Department of Justice, America’s stance is about opposing the current Russian-backed regime in Kampuchea. Khmer Rouge, in hiding, is backed by China; Russia has nukes, while the Chinese don’t. But according to Professor Ung, a Cambodian archaeologist, Tan is greedily searching for a lost “temple of gold.” Whatever the purpose, Lenny agrees with his new friend Lucas Burnside, an Australian Special Air Service Regiment, that intel photos suggest that Tan is working people to death to accomplish his goals. Defying the rules, Lenny and Lucas helicopter into the jungle to find the truth and, they hope, protect innocents. In their rescue mission, they’ll encounter danger, a hidden temple, and a hungry tiger. Stewart (Red Shirt, 2018, etc.), a prolific writer of thrillers and mysteries, delivers top-notch action in his latest outing, billed as Book 1 in a series. He provides a great mix of military know-how, local color, good characterization, and compassion for the world’s “poor buggers” who need protecting. The mystery veers in some unexpected directions, with dramatic developments and settings. Stewart intelligently unfolds the story’s complicated geopolitical background in naturalistic conversation that doesn’t ever scream “exposition.” Seeing Lenny and Lucas’s bromance-y friendship develop from mutual admiration to bantering familiarity is also a pleasure.

An exciting, original thriller with strong, appealing characters—readers will be eager for further installments.