The Immaculate Deception
In his debut novel, The Immaculate Deception, author Charles R. Polonsky weaves a gripping Vietnam-era tale about an American soldier killed in action – a man, he tells us, who never really existed. In a story that brings back our worst memories of those dark days in the early 1970s, Polonsky tells the story that somehow brings reason to the madness; a story which could easily find even more believers if “Vietnam” were replaced with “Iraq” and “drugs” were replaced with “oil.”

In this fictional memoir, Colonel Charles Richards tells us his story, the story of how he was recruited by the CIA at age 19 to lead a covert team in a classified operation aimed at protecting our country’s interests in this war-torn region. Or so he thought. As Richards unravels the truth about the operation, he makes it his business to bring down the bad guys before – and even after – they brought him down.

Polonsky’s thoughtful approach to problem solving gives us an in-depth opportunity to understand Colonel Richards’ feelings, actions and motivations. Although we know from the beginning that our hero wins the ultimate battle, the reader never stops cheering for him, and never stops wondering just how he does it. Even the reader with no military knowledge or experience can easily understand the strategies and the terrain of this faraway land at this faraway time thanks to Polonsky’s clear descriptions and great attention to detail.

As more comparisons are made between Vietnam and Iraq, this story has even greater meaning and relevance for those who question the motivations that keeps our troops on foreign soil.