The Kit Carson Scout

8.0 / 10 average from 1 rated reviews

The mission: Organize a sneak-and-peek patrol into Cambodia and monitor the traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. U.S. Special Forces Captain Mack Gerber finds the order from General Westmoreland to be simple, but odd. Because Cambodia is considered neutral territory, the cross-border operation would contravene the rules of war. And a recent court-martial involving Gerber and his men for a similar act is still fresh in his mind. Even more unusual is the request to take along a Kit Carson, as Vietcong defectors were called. Faced with the knowledge that the Vietnamese habitually switched sides, Gerber has no way of knowing whether the scout is a double agent. Also unknown to Gerber is the deal hatched by the CIA and a powerhungry general to use the patrol as VC bait. Although the orders are issued from MACV headquarters, the brass in Saigon is reluctant to call the operation what it really is- a suicide mission!

Reviews (1)

The Phantom 8/10 April 27, 2020

The title refers to a former VC that has switched sides and is now working with Gerber's crew. A bit more plot than most of the books up to this point, a good mix of perspectives from the reporter Morrow, the CIA man Maxwell, camp A-555, and Gerber's troop in the jungle. I liked the intrigue surrounding General Crinshaw in Saigon, Morrow and Maxwell had great scenes, and more of the expected suspenseful action in the jungle. I might have rated this book higher, but there were a few times in the reading of this book that I thought were treading on the verge of boring, but overall a solid book for the series. The Kit character was interesting and I liked the uncertainty of whose side she might actually be on, but this whole angle of the story for me was not the best part of the story, I liked the scheme Maxwell's boss and Crinshaw had and the way Maxwell and Morrow dealt with it the most in this book.