John Barry

No Final Whistle: a Novel John Barry

1995. Jay Bonner is a teacher and a troubled Vietnam veteran. The day before Thanksgiving, Jay receives a letter from an old Navy buddy, Ray Saunders. Jay hasn't seen or heard from his old friend in years, so the letter comes as a complete surprise. The last time Jay saw his friend was in 1968 when Ray Saunders jumped ship in Hong Kong and went AWOL. Jay reads the letter and is stunned to learn of a planned terrorist attack on home ported US Navy ships. That night, Jay drinks heavily and wrestles with the notion of handing his friend's letter over to Air Force Intelligence at a nearby Air Force Base for scrutiny. In the late sixties, Jay had placed US Navy secret documents in harm's way. Jay now believes his actions have come back to haunt him. Ray's letter isn't the only thing on Jay's mind however. He spends the night in reverie, reliving his time aboard ship with his buddy Ray and his hitch in the Navy. Jay also recalls his third and final trip to South East Asia as a civilian in August of 1968. Jay Bonner remembers his return to Vietnam that year to investigate the mysterious death of his boyhood friend Stanley Plish.