Bayou Samurai (1st Books Library) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Franklin Rast (Author)

Book Description

Series: 1st Books Library | Publication Date: July 28, 2003

July, 1971. American involvement in Vietnam winds down. But other sinister events are surfacing in Asia that could lead to global conflict. United States prepares for reversion of Okinawa back to Japan. Strategic military bases are in jeopardy of being shut down after it becomes public chemical weapons have been secretly stored for years on the island along with nuclear weapons. "Operation Red-Hat" is initiated so they can be removed before reversion. There are covered-up fatalities when nerve agents leak. To complicate things, a renegade American colonel assigned to the project steals a nuclear suitcase bomb along with thirteen pounds of plutonium. Fleeing across Southeast Asia with CIA, Soviet GRU, and special "Black-Code" operatives in hot pursuit, he plans selling them to a powerful Burmese drug warlord. Teeming with firefights, drug-smuggling, love, murder, a clashing of cultures, and steamy sex coupled with off-beathumor, the gut-clutching action never ends creating an exotic atmosphere as convincing as the plot is intriguing.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Franklin D. Rast was born in Brownwood, Texas, and is a graduate of Louisiana State University (LSU). While attending LSU he was commander of the Army Bengal Raiders, which emphasized training incounter-guerilla tactics and special warfare techniques. He is a Distinguished Military Graduate and holder of numerous art awards. His seven years of military service resulted in a variety of interesting assignments including Vietnam (1969-70) and Okinawa, Japan (1971-74). While continuing to do painting and gardening, Rast has edited several books between his own writing projects including the most recent...A Chaplain Remembers Vietnam, by Colonel Samuel Hopkins and The Tomato Patch, by Professor Luther Knight. This is his third book, preceded by Don's Nam and Ghosts In The Wire. Reviews are all highly rated (See at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com).

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse; illustrated edition edition (July 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410744744
• ISBN-13: 978-1410744746
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,610,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars First-rate Novel, January 29, 2004

By 

Diana J. Dell (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bayou Samurai (Hardcover)

The year is 1971. American involvement in Vietnam is winding down and the United States prepares for reversion of Okinawa back to Japan. Enter Indiana Jones-like Captain Rast, fresh from his tour of duty in Vietnam, ready to begin his next adventure on "The Rock." Assigned to the top-secret "Operation Red-Hat," the removal of WMD's from Okinawa, Captain Rast is catapulted into a world of military cover-ups, renegade officers, CIA operatives, sinister drug lords, murder, firefights, and (Oh, Yes!) steamy sex.
Rast's first-rate novel, filled with colorful and sometimes loony characters, snappy and witty dialogue, and biting political commentary, is an exciting and action-packed book from beginning to end. --Diana J. Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories."

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must read, September 30, 2003

By 

William Hanna (Baton Rouge LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bayou Samurai (1st Books Library) (Paperback)

An absolute must read
If you like action-adventure stories, then this is the book for you. The characters are blended together with skill that makes the plot very interesting. Set in exotic Asia, the author brings you into a very volatile situation in which a nuclear suitcase bomb is stolen by an American colonel. His intent and whereabouts are initially a mystery baffling both CIA and Soviet GRU agents. While this search is in full swing, the highly profiled removal of poison gas (Operation Red-Hat) begins on Okinawa with covered up incidents of deadly sarin and tabun leakage. The main character, Bayou Samurai, becomes involved in this gas removal along with being tasked with a secret `Black-Code' mission. There is plenty of activity ranging from murder, drug smuggling, typhoons, political pressure, to Bayou Samurai's romantic, often comical flirtation with the beautiful geisha, Uri Kikuchi. From the White House to General Big-Minh in Saigon and his drug warlord buddy, Khun Sa in Burma, Bayou Samurai manages to meet all challenges with his `odd' method of going after the bad-guys with one foot always in hot-water with his superiors. A true page turner, I couldn't put the book down. I have never read anything as exciting and riveting in my life. My strongest recommendation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bayou - Samurai Connection, September 30, 2003

By 

Menardo C. Gealogo (Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bayou Samurai (1st Books Library) (Paperback)

If Forrest Gump had stayed in the army, he would have been the perfect definition of 'Bayou Samurai', a reserve officer, rather innocently contrified from Louisiana, full of contradictions, afraid of upsetting his military boss's as he stumbles across Asia to remove poison gas from Okinawa, then recover a missing nuclear bomb along with thirteen pounds of plutonium just for starters. It's a great story, well thought out with some very interesting characters like the Burmese drug warlord, Khun Sa with his odd compassion for American primitive art; Timothy Bernard, VFW manager on Okinawa, thriving drug smuggling money while in cahoots with Saigon General Big Minh; Colonel Charles Hungeford, the renegade West Point expatriate, a misguided genius madly in love with 'Arun' (Dawn) of the Akha hill-tribes in the Golden Triangle, pregnant with Khun Sa's child; Uri Kikuchi, the beautiful virgin geisha, secretary to Chobyo Yara, top political figure in the impending reversion of Okinawa back to Japanese control who distrusts Americans, yet befriends Bayou Samurai. Throw in Bayou Samurai's romantic, comical scenes with Uri and his Vietnam femme fatale Nguyen Thi Chua and the rambunctious Major Steinson; you have plenty of sex to blend with often raw acts of violence, political intrigue, and descriptive areas of Japan, Okinawa, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Burma, poetic in almost seance, blending with plot--- which is darn good.