Purple Sun: An epic tale of war and redemption

This book has won high praise from those who served in Vietnam, those who protested it, and from younger people learning about the war as history.The story begins in 1968 in Vietnam. Master Sergeant Isaiah Ross and Lt. Patric Gallo don't have much in common, but they share mutual concern about a twice-wounded young soldier who, they suspect, abandoned his unit while under enemy fire. Is it possible that the young man, Billy Kern, could still be alive?After returning to civilian life, Ross and Gallo keep in touch for the next 30 years, finally deciding they must return to Vietnam to find out what really happened. Their guide, Truong, is a former Viet Cong soldier who carries his own scars and memories. Their journey takes them to the Monastery of the Purple Sun, then back around the world to the mountains of Wyoming, where a small-town newspaper editor becomes entangled in the mystery. The plot takes as many twists and turns as the mountainous trails, with a surprise outcome.