18/07/2025
I recently nominated one of our summer releases, "In Good Company" by Pete Lester, for the Pulitzer Prize in literary fiction. It is a genuinely incredible Vietnam War novel, expertly written. I've included my review below.
Gary Vincent, Publisher
Burning Bulb Publishing
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book Review: "In Good Company" by Pete Lester
"In Good Company" is a gripping, emotionally resonant novel that plunges readers into the heart of the Vietnam War—not just the battlefield, but the inner battle that rages within the human soul. Through the eyes of Beau Le Mans, an Army photojournalist turned prisoner of war, author Pete Lester crafts a story that is both brutally realistic and profoundly poetic.
Held captive in a bamboo prison deep in the jungle, Beau endures starvation, torture, and the slow unraveling of identity. Yet through it all, he remains a leader, a protector, and a dreamer. Alongside fellow prisoners—including a sharp-tongued Texan, a green newcomer from Virginia, and two disabled Vietnamese brothers—Beau finds strength in unlikely friendships, shared pain, and fragile hope.
At the novel’s emotional core is Beau’s tender, forbidden relationship with a local woman named Polly. It is through this bond that he begins to shed the hard outer layers of pride and longing, embracing the vulnerability of love in a world built to crush it. But war rarely allows beauty to endure without cost.
Lester’s prose is richly descriptive and rhythmically evocative, painting the jungles of Vietnam with haunting beauty and visceral intensity. Inspired by real veterans’ accounts, the novel carries a raw authenticity that honors those who served and suffered. His signature “Cast and Reel” narrative model deepens character arcs while making the novel feel timeless in both theme and tone.
"In Good Company" is more than a war story—it is a meditation on resilience, love, loss, and the enduring power of human connection. With echoes of "The Things They Carried" and "Cold Mountain," Pete Lester has delivered a powerful tribute to the unbreakable spirit of the American soldier.
Beau Le Mans is an Army photojournalist turned prisoner of war, surviving captivity under the brutal hands of the Viet-Cong. As he endures starvation, torture, and psychological torment, he finds unlikely companionship with a band of fellow prisoners—and a fleeting connection with a mysterious...
