Spell of the Lotus

When Major Del Ray Stuart returns to Saigon in late '67 after a two-year absence, he finds it sadly changed. Despite years of war, it is still an exotic city with international flair. But now, it's also swamped with military forces, and war refugees flood new slums surrounding the city. The peril of the war pressing inward is palpable to Stuart, who is a spy now. Mission: pose as journalist Domenic Sinclair to root out intel leaks and espionage that are undermining official military strategy. There are glaring and dangerous discrepancies between military intel and press coverage of the war at a time when military command has assured the President and the public that the war is nearly won. It's a numbers game: military command asserts that the enemy is decimated and demoralized, whereas contradictory reports say Saigon is being encircled and infiltrated by enemy personnel, endangering the city and the entire war effort.

The military is feuding with the CIA, and local government corruption hinders Stuart even more. Frustration and old demons haunt him day and night. Life as 'Sinclair' suddenly becomes far more interesting than life as Stuart because of a beguiling young woman, and she soon preoccupies his every thought. However, when the Tet Offensive threatens to destroy Saigon, 'Sinclair' discovers that love in the time of war in a besieged city is a complicated matter. Only with the help of a brash Marine, a garrulous old friend, and three intriguing women does he eventually unmask a security breach in an unexpected place. But success comes at a steep price.

The author is a chemist with a career in the environmental sciences that spans more than fifty years, and he has co-authored dozens of research papers and book chapters. He is a lifelong boater, fisherman, diver and avid explorer of Baja. "The Lotus Blossoms" is his ninth novel.