The Vets (Stephen Leather Thrillers) by Stephen Leather (MOBI)

Description

Hong Kong. The British administration is preparing to hand the capitalist colony back to Communist China with the minimum of fuss.

Colonel Joel Tyler, however, has other plans for the British colony – plans that involve four Vietnam War veterans and a spectacular mission making use of their unique skills.

But while the vets are preparing to take the country by storm, their paymaster, Anthony Chung, puts the final touches to an audacious betrayal. The future of Hong Kong is at stake . . .

User’s Reviews

Review ‘Action and scalpel-sharp suspense … the book has all the ingredients for a successful blockbuster’ — Daily Telegraph ‘Exciting stuff with plenty of heart-palpitating action gingered up by mystery and intrigue … Leather is an intelligent thriller writer’ — Daily Mail on THE TUNNEL RATS –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ If you’re someone who is too young to have fought in Vietnam this book will give you a taste of what it was like. The characterization of the Vets in this book are identical to people I have known and still know in some cases. Honestly, this book doesn’t go far enough in describing what it was like to be a soldier in that “military police action”,or whatever the US goveernment wants to call it. It gives the right impression of a horrible war and perfectly delineates how veterans were treated when they came home to America.I know Stephen Leather couldn’t have fought over there, so he did some hellacious research in order to get the views so perfect as he did in this book. But in-depth detail is why a Leather novel is as great as it is. Better than a five star read.Oh wait…this book doesn’t end with Vietnam. It goes on to a period when Hong Kong is about to revert to the Chinese government, which is something I recall from the news at the time, but wasn’t over there for, so the events in this book enable me to see life as I know it had to have been over there at the time, since I know Leather lives in the East (Although it’s west of where I live). The melding of the Vietnam era with the transitioning from UK to China for Hong Kong is a brilliant plot twist and works perfectly. One more time era and social life setting that we get to see as well as if we had actually been there.This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

⭐ By rights, THE VETS should be a 5-star read. I’m taking this opportunity for self-appraisal to try and understand why, for me, it’s not.It’s a couple of years before Hong Kong is to revert to Red China. Chinese expatriate Anthony Chung meets in Paris with ex-U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Joel Tyler to set in motion plans for the Heist of the Century in Britain’s last jewel in the crown. To that end, Tyler implements an elaborate scheme to recruit other U.S. Army vets of the Vietnam war for the venture. He ultimately attracts ex-Huey pilot Dan Lehmen, a phony investments scammer on the run from the Mob, ex-Tunnel Rat Eric Horvitz, a border-line sociopath living alone in the Canadian woods, ex-Huey door gunner Larry Carmody, who left Nam with a chip on his shoulder and minus one forearm, and ex-Huey crew chief Barton Lewis, a lonely divorcé recently diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. Then there’s ex-Air America, i.e. CIA, chopper pilot Chuck Doherty, who fled a murderous Special Forces operation in Laos, only to stash his Huey in the Thai jungle and live as a Buddhist monk these last twenty-two years.This thriller is intricately constructed with more than the usual amount of character development. There’s even a plot twist, although the reader is let into the secret 120 pages before the book’s conclusion and it’s left only to see how Dan, Eric, Larry, Bart, and Chuck fare before the dust settles.THE VETS is actually a hard book to put down, but I was left with a niggling dissatisfaction. I think it’s because there wasn’t anybody serving as a protagonist whom I could cheer on from the sidelines, though Lewis perhaps comes the closest. The ultimate beneficiary of the plot is only introduced seven pages before the last, and my reaction was “Why should I care?” In the meantime during the previous 557 pages, our “heroes” have shown a willingness to break the law and/or have been instrumental in ruining the lives of people who, if not always likable, are at least innocent bystanders in the conventional sense. Now, mind you, I’m no goody two shoes. If I was starving, I’d forcefully shove into the gutter an 80-year old granny reaching for the world’s last slice of pizza. But, that wasn’t the case here, and I’m knocking one star off THE VETS for it’s lack of a moral lynch pin.

⭐ Being a Stephen Leather fan I have to say I was disappointed in this book.I have 25 of his books on my Kindle and this one has been the most disappointing. I am not sure where in Stephen’s career this book was written but it seemed to be akin to “Pulling Teeth” for me it did not flow the same as the majority of his stories. If it was the first of his works I read I woulkd have to think carefully before buying another. However the story wound slowly on and got there in the end with no edge of the chair keep me awake at night urgency about it. However as I have read 29 of his stories some of them twice because they were memorable and fast moving I will continue to be a fan however for me this was as I said disappointing. But again in the interests of fairness it is quite possible this would appeal more to an American audience as the majority as it describes in title is more American orientated.

⭐ Now you have to understand Stephen Leather is one of my all-time favorite authors. Nevertheless, he amazed me anew with his sheer storytelling ingenuity. This is a wild ride with very carefully laid out sets of seemingly unrelated characters that build believable backstories, that somehow, almost impossibly, come together for an absolutely mind blowing climax. As you can see I haven’t given anything away. So read it.

⭐ A great story with unusual plots and a surprising ending…highly recommend

⭐ A cracking read from Stephen Leather, brilliant inside knowledge of Hong Kong and it’s people, great characters fast pace and a great ending

⭐ It was very detailed,mthrilling and interesting

⭐ Excellent

⭐ I enjoyed this story. A bit different from the usual Leather novel. Got a bit bogged down in the middle but had a great ending.

⭐ I found the book not be as enjoyable as the other Stephan Leather books that I read. The story dragged and actually became boring at times. I also found the end disappointing,

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