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Absolutely loved Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. Also, read along with audio. I think she was the perfect narrator.
Flatiron Books: What other gems are you holding? 🤗. Thank you so much.
Who was the CIA’s most successful agent during the Vietnam War? Bet you’ve never heard of him, or what he did. I hadn’t heard of him either, though the Signal Intelligence base called Ramasun Station in Thailand where I worked for two years was just ten miles down the road from the Udorn Airbase from which he ran the Secret War in Laos. Never heard of him for many years afterwards. Then I found out a few things about him and could not stop digging. I did not intend to write a biography of James William “Bill” Lair, but when I found that there was none, I had to try. There’s still a lot I don’t know about Bill, especially about the controversy that still surrounds him. He was indeed a Quiet Spy in a Secret War. M H Burton, author of “Tales of Ramasun” and “Quiet Spy, Secret War: The Life and Times of James William Lair in Thailand, Laos and Texas”. On Amazon.
A Memorial Day Library
How about adding a volume or two to your Memorial Day Library? Here are some books that tell stories you may not have heard. Stories from the dark, secret side of the Vietnam War. The behind the scenes war that was fought in Thailand and Laos between 1951 and 1975. By category:
Memoirs: The Ramasun Trilogy. Three books of short stories about Ramasun Station Thailand, home of the 7th Radio Research Field Station. “The Big Ear” as some who labored there in secrecy called it. A US Army Security Agency signal intelligence outpost in northeast Thailand not far from the Lao border that eavesdropped on all of Southeast Asia except South Vietnam. A wild and wacky outfit not unlike the M*A*S*H 4077th. Full of smartass GI’s and the by-the-book career soldiers who struggled to keep them in line. “Tales of Ramasun”, “Tales of Ramasun II” and “The Ramasun Files”.
Reviews: “Ramasun Station was to Intelligence Gathering as MASH was to medicine only real.” Michael F. Cascanet
“Any author capable of transporting you back in time over 45 years deserves not only critical acclaim, but also the everlasting gratitude of his readers. M H Burton has accomplished this feat not one but twice. (First with Tales of Ramasun and now with Tales of Ramasun II). I literally dreaded coming to the end of both books.” Charles F. Conroy III
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Biography: Who was the CIA’s most successful agent during the Vietnam War? Bet you’ve never heard of him, or what he did. I hadn’t heard of him either, though the Signal Intelligence base called Ramasun Station in Thailand where I worked for three years was just ten miles down the road from the Udorn Airbase from which he ran the Secret War in Laos. Never heard of him for many years afterwards. Then I found out a few things about him and could not stop digging. I did not intend to write a biography of James William “Bill” Lair, but when I found that there was none, I had to try. There’s still a lot I don’t know about Bill. He was indeed a Quiet Spy in a Secret War. And so the book “Quiet Spy, Secret War: The Life and Times of James William Lair in Thailand, Laos, and Texas” was born. A book that reads like fiction, but it’s true.
Reviews: “Once again Burton has transported me back in time! Bill Lair was a hero to many who served in Laos. My service from October 1969 to November 1971 was one of the highlights of my life. War is exciting in a way that cannot be easily explained. I found it stimulating and tragic at the same time.” Charles E. Farr on “Quiet Spy, Secret War”.
“Bill Lair was one of the most dedicated CIA officers. Much more could be written about Bill Lair and I hope M. Burton’s book will be a good start. The most humble and unassuming man, who accomplished so much with so little in Laos.” Steven Schofield, USAID, PHD, Laos 1969-75 on “Quiet Spy, Secret War”.
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Historical Fiction: A deeply religious Minnesota farm boy named Michael Bauer leaves his hometown in 1960 to help peasant farmers and save souls in Laos arriving at his remote Mission House in the middle of a bloody civil war. After a violent introduction to the Alice in Wonderland world of what would later be called “The CIA’s Secret War in Laos” things just keep getting “curiouser and curiouser” for the next 15 years. Now he is back home loaded with cash and spending it in strange ways. Just who is “Mysterious Mike” these days? A CIA master spy? An o***m drug lord? A Vietnam War criminal? His ‘friends and neighbors’ want to know. But will they ever find out?
Review: The Real Stuff: Burton’s tales of Mysterious Mike reminded me of many of the individuals I knew in Laos. Pop Buell comes to mind. Mike is a composite of so many Americans who lived and worked in Laos before during and after my assignment with CAS (the CIA) there. A detailed story of the “Secret War”. A great read!” -Charles E. Farr
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These books can be found on Amazon as either e-books or paperbacks. Time to remember some stories that even most Vietnam Vets haven’t heard. The war was different for every one of us who served in it. Find out how different it was.
Among these three men: there is a woman.! 22 incredible women in this just released book
Thank you for my copy of Of Salt and Women by Gabriela Garcia. What a nice surprise. Can’t wait to start reading it tomorrow.
BIDEN IS BULL S**T
Won't be buying any of your authors quisling.
For Adam Chandler.... how to write to you, privately?
jack barry, SF
So I had $250 to buy a new tree and decorations and decided whatever I had left I'd buy books
Well, here's my new tree. I'm heading to the book store now :)
Finally got around to reading my ARC copy of Sonetimes I Lie. I think I may have to read again. First half I had to push myself through it. But then it took such a turn I couldn’t put it down.
I'm sorry to post this here, but I could not find another way to contact you.
I'm reading Ed Ward's "The History of Rock & Roll, Volume II."
I'm only halfway through, and I've found three glaring errors.
1. It says that the Monkees' "Daydream Believer" was written by Neil Diamond. This is incorrect; it was written by John Stewart. Neil Diamond wrote their hit "I'm a Believer."
2. It refers to Stevie Wonder's hit song "I Was Made to Love Her" as "I Was Born to Love Her." (Really inexcusable, this one.)
3. It refers to a Woody Guthrie memorial concert that benefited research for ALS, citing that disease as the cause of his death. Guthrie died of Huntington's disease.
I found this third one so shocking that I decided to write to you.
These are errors that should have easily been caught with careful editing (in fact, I was surprised that Mr. Ward, with his vast knowledge and experience, would have made such errors).
Again, I'm only halfway through, and these were errors that I easily spotted. I fear that there are others.
I'm hopeful that the next edition will correct these and whatever other errors are in the book.
