Engaging Vietnam-themed Suspense Story, March 5, 2002
Reviewer: David Marshall James from Columbia, S.C.
The past rages back to a Vietnam veteran when he discovers a recent newspaper photograph of an old nemesis, a south Vietnamese general who orchestrated a drug-smuggling operation.
More important to Air Force Sgt. Phillip Turner is the remembrance that the general--now living high off his ill-gotten gains in the United States--murdered a South Vietnamese boy much loved by the sergeant.
Turner underwent extensive therapy to move beyond the incident, which has had a sometimes negative impact on his relationship with his own son.
All the anger that has been simmering in the depths of Turner's psyche erupts full force, with vivid flashbacks to 1973, when he served onc rew in a supply plane running between bases in California and near Saigon. That aircraft--unbeknownst to the sergeant at the time--also was transporting illegal drugs. The child was gunned down on an airstrip when his presence was about to lead to discovery of the cache.
Much to the despair of his wife, Turner embarks on a one-man crusade to track down the general, seeking assistance from a retired Air Force general as well as a U.S. congressman.
Turnbull, a resident of Burnettown in South Carolina, won a Georgia Writers' Association Award for a short story in 2001. He has produced here a well-paced first novel that engages the reader most fully in its war-zone settings.
A Vietnamese veteran, the author captures some impressive scdnes of Saigon and its environs. Moreover, he effectively establishes the relationship between the sergeant and the boy so that the reader can understand how deeply the protagonist feels about avening the death.
The intrigue portions of the plot--the hunt for the general--relies a bit too heavily on coincidence. Nevertheless, the narrative will hold the reader's attention from beginning to end.
The story should appeal especially to young men in high school and college who might have difficulty finding a ovel to their liking, either for pleasure reading or for making an academic report.

A GREAT READ!, February 6, 2002
Reviewer: A reader from Lincolnton, Georgia
Gum's Story is a book you won't want to miss. Former Air Force Sergeant Phillip Turner's story is different from the typical Vietnam tale. It centers around a small Vietnamese boy, Gum, who wins Phillip's heart. But Gum is murdered, and 25 years later Phillip has an opportunity to avenge his young friend's death. Gum's Story is filled with heartwarming emotions, bitter anger, and intrigue which coalesce into a surprising, but satisfying, ending. This book is a page-turner!

This book is a winner!, January 27, 2002
Reviewer: Melinda Maks from Hillsborough NC
I didn't know much about Vietnam, so picked up Gum's Story. Now I have a sense of the time during the war, and the flavor of the country. A great story, too!