Mission Improbable: Vietnam (A Blanche Murninghan Mystery) by Nancy Nau Sullivan – Review by Jennifer Gordon

Mission Improbable: Vietnam by Nancy Nau Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable and engaging historical cozy mystery which kept me hooked throughout. Amateur sleuth Blanche “Bang” Murninghan is fishing whilst on Santa Maria Island when a woman asks for her help. Jean McMahon wants Blanche’s help in finding her mother but to do this she would have to go to Vietnam. Her own father was killed in Vietnam during the war, and she has always wanted to know the truth surrounding his death and so decides to go. Having landed in Saigon and met ex-pat “Stick” Dahlkamp they cross the rice paddies, and venture into the jungle towns where Stick has friends who can help with the search. However, Blanche starts to have doubts about how helpful, or not, he’s being. Having traced Jean’s mothers’ steps around South Vietnam they learn that she met with an infantry scout, Hank McMahon who was with the old Americal division. Blanche is as stubborn and as determined as usual and wont rest until they find Jean’s mother, and then follow her father’s trail and discover what really happened to him after the war. The descriptive narrative brought the setting vividly to life, especially the Vietnam landscape, which made me feel immersed in the story. The author is obviously knowledgeable about the Vietnam war. The storyline kept me guessing and I loved Blanche as she’s so likeable, and I enjoyed meeting the numerous shady characters her and Jean encountered on their travels.

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