Forged in Honor »

"FAST PACED AND LEAN, this book shares a trait with all Scott books, in that he never allows himself to become so fascinated by the soldier's hardware that he forgets the men who wield it."
—Southern Book Trade After the American Embassy in Burma is bombed, retired Special Forces colonel Joshua Hawkins is recalled to active duty by order of the president. A secret government mission will require the intimate knowledge of the exotic country that only Hawkins can provide. He has a special bond with the Shan, the proud and independent mountain tribe of northern Burma, having trained as a warrior with his friend Stephen, the son of a Shan warlord, becoming a Horseman of the Shan hill people, and earning the coveted warriors' silver bracelet, forged in honor, that he still wears.
Now Hawkins is called again to serve his country, to save his Shan friend, and to help the brave people he has never forgotten in their fight against a corrupt government and a ruthless heroin syndicate. It's a big job, but Hawkins and his men are up to it—and not above using frontier justice to teach the despots a thing or two, the old-fashioned way. . . .
"GRITTY. . . ENGROSSING. . .A fast-paced military thriller. . . [that] combines today's headlines with a believable story . . . Highly recommended."
—Military and BRAVO/Veterans Outlook Magazines

Publishers Weekly

Nearly nonstop action, engaging characters and vividly rendered locales distinguish this first-rate adventure tale by the author of The Iron Men. In the remote backcountry of Myanmar (formerly Burma), the fiercely independent Shan people, led by the Chindit (``lion''), preserve ancient customs far from the corruption of the ruling dictatorship. An extensive flashback shows the arrival, in 1960, of 11-year-old Kansan Joshua Hawkins in Burma, where he's gone to join his missionary family in Shan territory. Soon, Joshua meets young Stephen Kang, the Chindit's son; learning each other's ways and cultures, the boys form a binding friendship. Fast-forward to the present: Joshua, now a retired Special Forces colonel, and Stephen are thrown together once again-in a confrontation between sword-wielding Shan patriots and high-tech killers who traffic in heroin. Scott's storytelling skills and command of military and political history serve him well as his exciting and moving story, its action ranging from Burma to Seattle to Washington, D.C., sounds disturbingly realistic echoes of current events. (June)