Set in pre-war Saigon, Play the Red Queen is a historical fiction which strikes a balance between an action-filled crime story and informed political commentary.
This is the late Juris Jurjevics’ second novel, set in 1960s Vietnam and filled with expertise that the author gained during his time there.
In 1963, US soldiers act as “advisors” to the Vietnamese, who are less than thrilled about the American presence.
Written in the first person, the book follows Staff Sergeant Ellsworth Miser and Sergeant Clovis Robeson, two military CID officers tasked with hunting a Viet Cong assassin dubbed “The Red Queen”, who has been targeting high-ranking officials in the American military.
The Red Queen repeatedly eludes the protagonists, who struggle to locate her amidst Viet Nam’s dangerous political climate, where rumours of a coup against the president are circulating, and tension is continuously building.
Intel suggests that the assassin is next targeting the “Old Fox”, who Miser and Robeson determine to either be the corrupt Vietnamese president Ngo Din Diem, or American ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge.
The two Americans must act quickly to find and stop the Red Queen before she strikes again. But no one in Saigon can be trusted, and the pair must navigate crooked US troops, corrupt Vietnamese officials, and dangerous criminals.
While on the hunt, Miser and Robeson investigate many gruesome crime scenes, while still making time for alcohol, opium cigarettes and bedroom escapades in between visits to prisons, temples and morgues. Jurjevics’ descriptive details manages to bring vibrant colour to all of these places, while maintaining a fast-paced plot to keep the reader engaged.
Along the way, we meet a mixture of real and fictional historical characters, who bring flavour and variety to a tumultuous political environment. The reader feels as if they are there in Saigon, following Miser and Robeson in a city where people are disposable, drugs are cheap, and daylight murder is the norm.
Overall, this book is an interesting and gripping delve into the murky past of Vietnam, which for modern readers often remains highly unexplored.
Words by Emily Withers
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