Abandoned: MIA in Vietnam

by Bill Yancey

Retired physician Addison Wolfe is amazed to read the name Jimmy Byrnes in the newspaper. He is more flabbergasted to read that an attempted murder occurred in his friend’s name.

Both men served on an aircraft carrier off the coast of North Vietnam in 1967. Wolfe transferred to a different carrier when the USS Oriskany returned to the United States. His friend stayed onboard the Oriskany. Wolfe never again heard from his friend after reporting to the USS Ranger. Over the years he assumed Byrnes had been discharged from the navy, gone to college, gotten a job, and raised a family.

Forty-seven years later, it appears that the young man he knew may have committed suicide days after their paths diverged. Or, possibly, Byrnes was a victim of foul play.

The facts in the attempted murder case don’t make sense. Then a retired chief implicates the dead Byrnes in several deaths.

Wolfe shakes off retirement doldrums to investigate. He goes in search of Jimmy Byrnes’s family and his legacy. Wolfe wants to know precisely what happened to the man who talked him into applying to medical school.

Genres: Fiction

294 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2016

About the author

Bill Yancey had the privilege of being the son of an air force officer and the grandson of an army officer. As a result, he lived all over the world, but never really grew up. He attended four high schools, a prep school, and five colleges. After bouncing out of an engineering curriculum, and spending time in Vietnam as a result, he finally obtained an undergraduate degree in general science from Virginia Tech in 1971. The Medical College of Virginia still regrets giving him an M.D. degree in 1976. He writes for his own entertainment, and hopes you see the humor in it, too.

Reviews

[R. West]

If you enjoy military/political mysteries with lots of twists and turns, this book is for you. Bill Yancey deserves to be mentioned with the likes of Thor, Flynn and Child. Abandoned is a great read!! BEST OF ALL, I was pleasantly fooled as I tried to figure out where the story was headed. Isn’t that what makes reading a mystery so fun? The ending of Abandoned is nothing short of brilliant. I just didn’t foresee the plot unfolding the way it did (and I was certainly trying!!) so felt satisfied and also longing for a sequel. Sorry, wish I could be more specific with plot details but that would ruin the point of reading this book.

That said, Abandoned was even more enjoyable because the author is a Vietnam veteran, and his experience in the navy and during the war show up in the excellent writing. Parts of this story, in particular scenes with U.S. Navy characters, and Vietnam, were so educational that I couldn’t help but feel like I was also reading a work of non-fiction. And finally, the plot is so believable that one has to ask – how close to the truth is this story? Does the author know something we don’t know? Did POWs come home from Vietnam long after the war ended – without the American people knowing about it? Chills!!! I plan to read other novels by Bill Yancey.

[Lynn]

I was lucky enough to get a digital copy of Dr. Yancey's book "Abandoned: MIA in Vietnam".
I'm sure I have read most of his books and have enjoyed every one. But this one takes the cake. I usually manage to figure out what's going on as I read the book. BUT this one had me guessing right until the very end. The twists and turns and back and forth in time did well to keep thing just out of balance so that I couldn't quit get my finger on what the ending was. I thoroughly enjoyed this book more so than any of the other Addison Wolfe books. Except for the "Reluctant Intern" which ran a close second to this one.
I really hope you keep up the good work Dr Yancey and look forward to reading more.
Cheers
Lynn

[Melissa B]

Riveting

I had no idea what to expect as I started reading this book. I was very pleasantly surprised as I found myself engulfed in the midst of the Vietnam conflict, and the years following the conflict. The characters were well-developed, and most certainly believable. History and mystery- all in one book.

[Rich Laird]

Enjoyed the story especially the flash backs. Ending was a not what I expected and that made it very enjoyable. Present day portions seemed to boged down in too many details that weren't important to the story.

[Marty]

I was sent this book via Kindle to read and provide an honest review.
First the good news. The story was good, well done and all plot points resolved.
Now for the bad. Had I not agreed to read this book, I would have stopped at the first chapter.
The reason? The book could use some serious editing. Yes, the new trend seems to be to jump back and forth in time, but there was so much of this I found it did not help the story. My number one complaint is however, that there was just to much. Endless rounds of unbelievable, bodged down dialog and details. I think at this point I could man the same aircraft carrier (just kidding).
One thing too is that Dr. Wolfe was not a rich retired physician, but was able to travel back and forth on his hunt for the truth with no spared expense.
If Mr. Yancey can get a tighter writing style, I will be interested to read more.

[Deirdre]

So happy to have won this Kindle copy through Goodreads. The author has requested an honest review. Well, I've given it five stars, and that's not something I do often. One reviewer was put off by the time changes, but I had no problem with it. Was actually looking forward to getting back to Vietnam to see what was happening with Jim, and then again jumping forward to see how far Addie was progressing. Maybe that reviewer has the same problem with movies that do the same thing; I think it's rather limiting.

This is not the first book I've read about Vietnam. I've read both fact and fiction before. This was for me, however, one of the most satisfying novels on the subject. Not sure how you spell it, but cam mah, Mr. Yancy.

[Cindy]

Loved this book. Great story, great mystery, interesting characters, tense situations, great twist on the ending. I think this compares with John Grisham's The Reckoning which dealt with a POW in WWII. This POW in Vietnam was realistic, the Navy scenes seemed real, and the mystery was fascinating. Highly recommended.

[Waylon Cambodia]

My background as a 'Weapons Technician' at the Garden Island Naval Dockyard (Australia) prevents me submitting an unbiased review. I loved every single syllable of this marvelous book however, and feel obliged to recommend it. Accurate in every military detail, I was rapidly drawn into this wonderous tale of adventure. "A Treat".

[Al Wilkinson]

Very interesting story. I nice change from the typical Vietnam stories. I enjoyed it.

[Debbie Payne]

I am a fan of Bill Yancey's books and was glad to get the chance to read Abandoned: MIA in Vietnam. Although I liked this book, it was far more difficult for me to get through this book in the record time I usually make with the others he has written. I think it is wonderful that he is branching out with the military side of things but the first half of the book was pretty much taken up with all things seaworthy. I am a daughter of a chief petty-officer who served in the Navy and was gone on ships a lot of his time. I know next to nothing about ships other than remembering taking a tour on one of his ships before he retired. I was in first or second grade at the time and it was a big deal. I wish I had had more background in ships because it kept me from being interested in a lot of the dialogue within this book. I was always hoping that the next chapter would be about Addy Wolfe on land taking on the mystery of Jimmy Byrnes whereabouts. Now that whole side of the book got my attention. I know that there are still MIA's scattered about the country whose families do not have closure after all these years. Addy as a detective of sorts, was a great read. Keep Addy around for a while longer. He is a charming man with many attributes that make for a great character.

[Sharon Heaverly]

First, I have to acknowledge that I received this ebook from the author requesting my honest opinion. I have mixed feelings about this book.

For one, it was a book that kept me guessing about where the story was going. For me, this is a great feature, especially in mysteries. It keeps it mysterious. (Pun intended). This is one that I never figured out. (I love surprise endings) This was the reason I loved the book.

However, there is a downside, at least for me. There seems to be a trend lately where authors have us reading from present to past to present, etc. While in this case, it may have been necessary, I just have recently been reading far too many with this pattern. Hence, my rating.

[Jm]

I quite enjoyed this book. It is a quick but interesting read that kept me engaged from the very beginning. The main character, Addison Wolfe, wallowing as a retiree, regains his mojo when a friend’s name from his military days stirs up memories and begs a lot of questions. The author’s story captures the unique bonds of friendship made during war which makes this story plausible. I also found humor in the author’s asides and observations of his current community.

[Kelli Logan]

Won this book from Good Reads. Thank you! Enjoyed the story. Loved the past present story. There were a few rough spots in the story telling. About half way through I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend.

[JohnKarcz]

I really enjoyed this book and plan to read it again.
The details of the ships, the human interactions, the time frames, the various locations all combine for a very interesting read.

[Ggmsd]

Abandoned…This was an enjoyable read, and a hard book to set down. Although not my typical genre of true crime, I was immersed in the journey, looking for clues of the twists and turns yet to come, and thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and adventure throughout. Having not been an adult during most of the Viet Nam War, but knowing the community in which his main character resides, I found myself questioning where truth/accuracy ended and fiction began.

[Lavender]

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I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.

[Clipinchick]

I received this book for free from the author/publisher in response for an honest review of the book. I have not had the opportunity to read this book at this time. I will add my
review of this book once I have read the book. Thank k you for allowing me the optometrist review your work. I look forward to reading this book.