It’s a strange thing, the genesis of a novel. Some ideas stick. Others don’t. Years ago, I read the story of Hugh Thompson, Jr., a helicopter pilot serving in Vietnam who, along with his crew, Glenn Andreotta and Lawrence Colburn, were instrumental in stopping what’s come to be known as the Mai Lai Massacre. If you’re unfamiliar with the story of their heroism, you might want check it out – an act of exceptional morality backlit by what most consider the worst atrocity of the entire conflict. Having been too young to serve in Vietnam, I would never presume to write a story of that actual war, but the idea of courage regardless of cost has been with me for a very long time.