THE RENEGADE PATRIOT

Shanks’ debut mystery, set during the so-called secret war in Laos, melds love and war stories in a novel with a plot as tangled as the jungles that provide a backdrop.

Just out of flight school in America, Andy Harris can’t believe his luck when Operation Pegasus, based in Udon, Thailand, is willing to give him a shot as a pilot for a U.S. Army combat helicopter, flying sorties over the border into Laos. The assistant chief pilot, Maj. John Pike, a legend in the outfit, is skeptical, but the newcomer’s skills win Pike over, and he becomes Andy’s mentor. On his second day at work, Andy meets and falls in love with the beautiful Fon Wattana, a young Thai woman. But she is engaged to Nate O’Riley. Although older than the others, middle-aged Nate is tolerated by his mates because of his unquestioned bravery and flying skills. At one point, Fon is willing to break the engagement to Nate, but her fiance had saved Andy’s life, so he balks at the offer. Years later, Pike—alcoholic, half-demented—finally lays bare the truth about a tragedy revealed in the first pages that had gnawed the crew at every yearly reunion: Someone had gunned down Nate and Fon on their wedding day, but why? As the story toggles between the events of the early 1970s and Andy’s return to Thailand 20 years later, it’s hard to believe that this is Shanks’ debut novel. He says he worked on it for more years than he cares to admit, and it shows in the best way. Clearly Shanks knows his subject. He goes into minute details of flying a helicopter, and battle scenes are hairy and scary. He also shows what war can do to gung-ho warriors. In one appalling scene, the crew of Andy’s helicopter makes sport of a mortally wounded Viet Cong down below, as if they are playing an arcade game. Andy is repulsed by the madness. “Patriotism” gets a rough workout here.

A vividly written work of fiction shows the enduring effects of the war in Southeast Asia on its characters.