Killing
Grace

Killing Grace is a devilishly smart thriller. From the shadowy spyways of Saigon to the radical underground of America, Peter Prichard weaves a pure spell. With clear command of the raw emotions of that Vietnam War era, his tale of blood and betrayal, of lies and love, simply dazzles. Prepare to read past midnight!

Killing Grace is an intriguing story of Vietnam and the US, full of vivid characters, real and imagined. This will bring back memories for those who lived through the 1960s—as the author did, in the US and Vietnam—in a fascinating tale that could almost have happened.

What this country needs is a good old-fashioned spy story about the Vietnam War. And it’s finally here — Killing Grace: A Vietnam War Mystery. The author is the respected Peter Prichard, who was crucial to creating USA Today. He is a veteran of the US Army in Vietnam. Vietnam was far more than our brave soldiers rushing into battle on helicopters. There was another war. It was in the USA. Fellows like Daniel Berrigan, who poured blood on draft records, were determined to do what they could to end the war in Vietnam. The US government was threatened. As another example, the US Capitol was bombed in a still-unsolved mystery from 1971.

The plot involves the CIA, the US Embassy, the FBI, and a shadowy world of traitors and double agents. Of course, blood will flow. And love? A love story is required reading with stories of arms merchants and CIA agents on the loose! ‘The higher you climb, the heavier you fall’ is a Vietnamese proverb that will make you think long and hard as you turn the pages; it is a saying that captures the unexpected outcome of the Vietnam War. Somehow we managed to win the battles but could not win the war. Dark, entertaining, and amusing, Killing Grace is a Vietnam War mystery that delivers and is a delight to read. They don’t write books like this anymore…

For Baby Boomers, the Vietnam War was the crucible not only of their youths, but for the American nation itself. College-aged men learned how to protest their government from the safety of academe while working-class boys got a first-hand lesson in jungle warfare, courtesy of Uncle Sam. Killing Grace, Peter Prichard’s dazzling first novel, has been germinating in the author’s mind since his own tour of duty in Southeast Asia; couple that experience with a journalism career that took him to the top ranks of Gannett and the editorship of USA Today, and the result is a first-rate thriller that does justice to all sides. How do you solve a murder in a war zone? Who’s right when everybody’s wrong? Part undercover spy story, part police procedural, Prichard expertly limns the shifting alliances and allegiances of the players in a war that America never wanted to win, but somehow couldn’t quit.

In Killing Grace, Peter Prichard weaves a gripping tale of the Vietnam War, rich with behind-the-scenes intrigue and colorful characters who will entertain and surprise the reader until the very last page. Highly recommended!

The intrigue—and even romance—of Saigon at the height of the Vietnam War springs from the pages of Peter Prichard’s new novel. The quest to solve two murders and stop a terrorist attack ignites the plot but also betrays the sheer folly of this tragedy and calls to account those who stumbled us into it. Killing Grace is a worthy successor to Graham Greene’s great Vietnam novel, The Quiet American.

Killing Grace offers a rare window into aspects of the war not commonly seen—from stateside protests to the work of MPs in Saigon—in a driving narrative that features mystery, action, and romance. And the inclusion of women in several roles adds another intriguing element to the story.

The single word that summarizes my reading of Peter’s book: nostalgia. It’s a work of fiction, but the anecdotes are real. For veterans who served in Vietnam in 1967 or 1968—and especially for those who served in the III Corps area of operations—the images, the military slang, and the vignettes are accurate and bring back memories. For a not-too-serious, nostalgic, and fun read, get a copy of Killing Grace.