Stolen artifacts and drug trafficking take center stage in Phillip Daigle’s Temple of Greed, a character-driven thriller set in Vietnam in 1969.

When Mike McCall’s tour of duty as a Navy SEAL and scout in Vietnam ends, he’s reluctant to leave the region. He takes a job with a security firm, but is quickly co-opted by the CIA. Mike’s new boss, Joe Kane, is suspected of stealing Buddhist treasures, as well trafficking in secrets and black-market goods.

Mike’s interest in the stolen artifacts is personal – bound up in his friendship with fellow SEAL and Vietnam native Le. When Mike gets to know Jane, an American journalist investigating Kane’s business activities, the personal stakes only become greater. Can Mike balance the demands of the CIA and his boss Kane, while stopping the desecration of Buddhist temples, and keeping Jane from harm?

Daigle’s historical portrayal of war-torn Vietnam is particularly vivid and compelling. Whether it’s the streets of Saigon, or the secret Long Tieng airbase in Laos, the author makes the unfamiliar familiar and interesting without sacrificing action or pacing. Strong, well-defined characters each have their own motivations and desires and push the plot forward. Tension builds steadily as it becomes clear Kane will stop at nothing to protect his business interests.

Errors of continuity suggest that further editing is required, however. Characters refer to events that haven’t happened, as if from an earlier draft: for example when Mike tells Jane about a fever Le recently nursed him through during a jungle escape. At one point, a helicopter landing appears to take place twice with different pilots involved. And while Mike is an intriguing character, he’s only 20 years old, yet even considering with his rigorous training, he consistently presents like someone much older.

Overall, this is an engaging story, well described and intriguing in its twists and turns. A strong edit to eliminate puzzling plot points, however, would lend it a more polished presentation.