EXETER, R.I. - s4story -- The author, Lynn Bentley announced, "The Ugly American is a novel set in mid-1950's French-occupied Vietnam, parallels the complicated lives of a two American agents. Ironically, in the mid-60's, the Naval Officer son of one of the agents ends up serving in the war. The story displays the impact across two generations of the entanglement during the early years of war in Vietnam. This beginning sets off a twisted series of events that are filled with intrigue and sad betrayal."

Bentley tells a story of the strange conflicted relationship of these two men who love one woman, and the equally entangled and conflicted relationships of all those who get involved in Vietnam. Landsdown's life is saved by an American agent and a French patrol, at one point in the story, when he becomes stranded in enemy territory. Readers learn that Dewey is an undercover CIA agent that is leading a black ops program. The main character is curious, but remains detached until the bombing of a square, intended to break up a parade that was cancelled, kills and maims scores of innocents. He has tried to avoid entangling involvements and tells this story to his son which describes the folly of such an attempt, in both love, and in the Vietnam conflict.

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His son Victor, has been transferred from his duty on an aircraft carrier, with pilots flying air strikes into North Vietnam, to duty as liaison officer with the CIA. As a absurd chain of events swirls around him, he successfully evades CIA leadership's requests to transfer back to headquarters.

Sadly, the son became embroiled in the Vietnam war that his father tried to prevent but, with the help of the former Captain of the carrier they served on, was able to grab his opportunity to change the course of the war. This back story is told in Bentley's earlier ebook, Into The Angry Sea. The Ugly American is a cautionary tale as relevant in our times as it was in the mid-1950's and 60's.

It lays the foundation for the stories told in Bentley's first two novels: A Bold Experiment and Into The Angry Sea. It also highlights many of the principles shown in his first book, A Brief History Of The Organization.

The print or ebook versions of his books can be purchased at Amazon.