"Abandoned" is a religious thriller written in three parts, but as its author I also want to mention that it is a work of historical fiction. However, its description doesn't stop there because "Abandoned" is also one of the few novels in existence that has a NDE twist within it and as my daughter discovered there's even a love story tucked away inside its pages. Finally, wanting to be sure you know what I mean by a NDE twist, I am referring to a Near Death Experience.

Although you may think that with its 49 chapters it will take forever to finish, actually this is a small book that can be easily read in a few days. Yes, a couple of the chapters take longer to read but they're not insanely long. Please enjoy and leave a review. Before the book begins, here is a short book trailer. Thank you - Ronald E. Boutelle, Canyon Lake, Texas.

Blake reached for his bandanna to wipe the sweat trickling down the side of his face. When his radio had crackled with the message, he and the two soldiers came down from the top of the mountain as fast as humanly possible.

The other four members of his team were nearby but had gone inside by themselves. Blake didn't go, but fear of being attacked wasn't one of them. Surrounding them were 20 heavily armed North Vietnam soldiers protecting the five Americans.

When Blake spotted the crudely constructed object off to his left, he immediately knew what is was and what it meant. He was wrong on both counts. Blake may have been young but he certainly wasn't stupid. So how could he have been so wrong?

He squatted down beside the strange object and ran his hand over the wet rocks. It had been raining on and off all day. He was so excited to tell the others, he could hardly stand it. In the meantime it was only natural to pondered the events that had led him there in the first place. Yes, what he had just found was as plain as day ...or so he thought.

Abandoned

CHAPTER 1: The Saga Begins - Part 1

Actually, not to keep the secret of a king is perilous and a terrible risk, but to be silent about the works of God is a great loss for the soul. (Saint Sophronius)

"Sunday morning I sat down to read a couple of pages and couldn't put it down until I had finished it." (Avis Christoff)

High from her tree-top lookout the monkey was the first to notice the noise. Her baby clung even closer to her. Elsewhere, other monkeys moved nervously as they, too, peered through the jungle canopy.

Down below, the flutter of startled birds could be heard and on the ground the first man could be seen, at first just an odd movement through a patch of morning fog—swinging his machete—quickly moving forward. Behind him, the next man and the next one following him, and even the next one, all had that unmistakable look of North Vietnamese soldiers. Their AK-47s and uniforms made no attempt to hide their presence. Altogether the column of men making their way through the jungle numbered close to twenty. Five of them were Americans—more than one of them panting—trying to keep pace with the swinging machete.

As for retired army officer Jimmy Sutton, this image of the future would have been unthinkable years ago—totally unthinkable. But there were also the unmistakable connections between the past and the present that struck Sutton like a sledgehammer. First: the jungle; haunting memories of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. He'd been here before. His right shoulder still ached at times from the bullet that had hit him. "Probably," he thought, "shot by that soldier's father," who was just a few yards ahead of him. "Wouldn't that be one hell of an irony?"

You would think that after so much time his arm would have completely healed, but the bullet had hit the bone. No wonder it still ached. Especially in the damp. Especially in a damp jungle. More memories that were impossible to forget. Soon he would be struggling against other familiar foes—the relentless attack from millions of insects. Their only purpose in life seemed to be taking part in a gigantic, never-ending feast. These men were now the main course.

Let the Saga Begin!

Altogether the soldiers made an intriguing sight. Were they going to war? After all most of the men were heavily armed.

No, this story takes place back in the 90s and America and North Vietnam have been at peace for many years. Still, they needed the guards because you never know what surprises a jungle has in store for you.

No, this was a kinder and gentler group of men making their way toward the mountain. Instead of sworn enemies, these men were officially cooperating with one another. Even so, they were still doing what soldiers do: searching for their dead.

POWs—MIAs—abbreviations that had quickly turned into words, almost too cute to describe Sutton's grim task. In fact, for a number of years North Vietnam had been assisting the United States in locating the hundreds of U.S. servicemen who had been swallowed by this vast and rugged county, never to be seen again. Of course, Uncle Sam knows they're out there—somewhere—but exactly where?

So this explains the reason for the column of men slowly making their way forward—frightening the monkeys. However, with some luck they would find it. But it would take a lot of luck—even if what they were looking for was almost as big as a football field. That's just about the size of a B-52.

Photo by the author: created with Grok Ai

Photo by the author: created with Grok Ai

Photo by the author: created with Grok Ai