The Ambassador

Book excerpt: Out of every international crisis comes at least one great book. The Ambassador is acclaimed for its insights into the political wheeling and dealing behind the scenes in the early days of the Vietnam War. American ambassador Maxwell Gordon Amberley has a reputation as a tough negotiator. Yet when he is sent to Vietnam, the dilemma he faces throws him into self-doubt. He is made arbiter of his nation's fate on the one hand, and of the life and death of the ruling house of Vietnam on the other. Out of every international crisis comes at least one great book. From the explosive, bitter and savage battlefront of Vietnam, Morris West's masterly novel The Ambassador brings to life the early days of the Vietnam War and its backroom political dealings, foreshadowing the repercussions that continue today. 'Mr West is a master-hand in accurate scene-setting.' The Sunday Times 'Few writers of bestselling fiction have brought to the popular novel such acute intelligence and ethical perception.' Peter Pierce, The Australian