Chita Quest

MWSA Review

More than thirty years after his father went missing following the crash of his F4 Phantom fighter along the Laos-Vietnamese border, U.S. Air Force Colonel Tom Callahan’s hopes soar when a journalist friend brings a photo of what looked like a seventy-year-old Caucasian man working a rice field in Vietnam.  Despite discouragement from the Pentagon and the murder of the photographer on the streets of Washington, Callahan takes leave from his White House job and recruits his estranged brother to go with him to Southeast Asia to find clues of MIAs who may still be alive.

Along the way, several attempts by unknown assailants are made on the lives of the Callahan brothers, and, in Washington, on their wives and Tom’s young daughter. The mystery is why and what the connection is to the search for a missing warrior from a long ago war.

The quest leads the Callahans on a dangerous, surreptitious, and illegal trip through China and Mongolia to Chita, Siberia, where they meet new adversaries—agents of the Russian Security Services. The China-Siberian trip is unauthorized by and unknown to U.S. government officials.

Author Brinn Colenda draws from his own experiences in the Air Force as he provides a detailed look at the military’s Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command operations in Washington, Hawaii, and Southeast Asia as the main character seeks the agency’s help in his quest.

For those who love fast-paced action and dramatic surprises, Chita Quest is a most satisfying read.

Reviewed by: Joe Epley (2015)

Author's Summary

Were American POWs left behind at the end of the Vietnam War-either by accident or design? Colonel Tom Callahan is driven to find out-his own father is still listed as Missing In Action. What Callahan doesn't understand is how politically explosive the issue is, domestically and internationally. As he begins his quest, friends and associates meet violent deaths. Aided by his Australian-born wife, Colleen, his journey takes him halfway across the world to Vietnam, China, Mongolia, and ultimately, Siberia. He is helped and hindered by unexpected friends and cunning, deadly enemies. Bestselling Author, William B. Scott states: "Chita is a unique, fast-paced thriller that weaves nasty Washington cover-ups with assassinations, international intrigue, and air combat" Walter E. "Buck" Buchanan III, Lt Gen, USAF (ret) tells us: "Brinn Colenda once again proves himself to be a master storyteller"