Local Author’s New Thriller Reveals for the 1st Time How Vietnam War Really Started

IMHOLT FOA

The Forest of Assassins, a new novel by David Forsmark and Timothy Imholt, PhD, now available from Amazon.com, shows for the first time a detailed and thrilling account of the Navy SEAL operations that led to the escalation of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

Thomas Fleming, former President of the American Society of Historians, and author of dozens of works of history and historical fiction, says, “The Forest of Assassins is a unique combination of startling fact and gripping fiction—which gives readers a new understanding of the war in Vietnam. It is must-read on every page.”

The bestselling thriller writer Robert Ferrigno praises the novel’s intensity and narrative drive, “The Forest of Assassins is a great read, a novel as good as the best journalism, with vivid and accurate details driving a tale of danger and deception and betrayal during the Vietnam War. This book doesn’t just feel researched, it feels lived.”

The Forest of Assassins tells the story of Navy SEAL Lieutenant Hank Dillon, a squad commander deep in the jungles of South Vietnam when America’s involvement in the war was still in the “advisor” stage. Dillon’s mission is to wreak havoc among the Viet Cong guerillas who are terrorizing the countryside.

Their mission—and even their presence in the region—is top secret. But Hank has a problem even bigger than a deadly and determined enemy; he has a traitor in the ranks.

Meanwhile, a suspicious NCIS cop is nosing around Hank’s mysterious operation, sure that it is a front for drug running and other illegal activities.

As Edgar Award-winning mystery writer Doug Allyn says, “Vietnam is often called the forgotten war, but ‘The Forest of Assassins’ brings it back to life with excitement, intensity, and nonstop action. From a desperate riverbank firefight to intricate Montagnard initiation rites, every well-researched line rings true. ‘Forest’ is the darkly violent saga of a young Navy SEAL facing a determined enemy, while dealing with ambivalent allies and a combat officer’s worst nightmare — betrayal by one of his own. A tough, taut tale from start to finish, ‘The Forest of Assassins’ is a must read.”

The story culminates with the infamous Gulf of Tonkin Incident, which LBJ uses as an excuse to escalate American involvement in the war. The Forest of Assassins tells, for the first time, the story behind the incident, debunking conspiracy theories at the same time it exposes duplicity in high places.

But The Forest of Assassins is not a primarily a history book. It is a thriller with a mission to entertain. And according to the prestigious suspense novelists who have reviewed it so far … Mission Accomplished.

Bob Hamer, Marine and Former FBI Agent and author of the acclaimed memoir The Last Undercover, raves: “As real as fiction gets. A non-stop ride into combat told with perfection.”

For more information contact either Dave Forsmark (dforsmark@comcast.net) or Timothy Imholt (tim@timothyimholt.com)