The Foreign Service Journal, November 2005

When Tigers Fly Bob Bergin, Impact Publications, 2004, $14.95, paperback, 289 pages. “Old Asia hands love Bob Bergin’s novel because the author’s adventures help stir up memories of their own. The sights, sounds, smells and feel of the Far East come alive on his pages.” That is what Brett M. Decker, former editorial writer and books editor of The Asian Wall Street Journal , says about Bob Bergin’s second historical novel. Decker adds: “In When Tigers Fly , Bergin works another element into his exciting storytelling: expertise in aviation and its role in winning the Pacific War. Buffs of history and fiction will have an equally hard time putting down the book.” In this story, protagonists Harry Ross and Alysious Grant are on the trail of a rare World War II-vintage Tomahawk aircraft sighted in the jungles of Burma. Their job is to spirit this rare Flying Tiger away from its current owner, a Chinese warlord who fancies himself a poet, and deliver it to their employer, a wealthy American warbird collector. The adventure, which unfolds in Burma and southern China, is full of unexpected twists and turns and populated with colorful characters. Though set in the pre- sent, the story reflects the history of the World War II-era American Volunteer Group, the “Flying Tigers.” A retired FSO and Southeast Asia specialist, Bob Bergin is a writer and dealer in Asian art and antiques based in Alexandria, Va. His articles have appeared in many publications in the U.S. and Asia. A previous novel, Stone Gods, Wooden Elephants (Impact Publications, 2003), is an adventure set in the world of Asian antiques. Day of the Dead: A Novel Marshall Brement, Moyer Bell, 2005, $26.95, hardcover, 438 pages. Set in Vietnam in 1962-1963, this debut novel by a retired FSO is reminiscent of Eric Ambler and Graham F O C U S 36 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 T HE R EMINGTON