Bowden, Mark

The first battle book from Mark Bowden since his #1 New York Times bestseller Black Hawk Down, Hue 1968 is the story of the centerpiece of the Tet Offensive and a turning point in the American War in Vietnam.In the early hours of January 31, 1968, the North Vietnamese launched over one hundred attacks across South Vietnam in what would become known as the Tet Offensive. The lynchpin of Tet was the capture of Hue, Vietnam?s intellectual and cultural capital, by 10,000 National Liberation Front troops who descended from hidden camps and surged across the city of 140,000. Within hours the entire city was in their hands save for two small military outposts. American commanders refused to believe the size and scope of the Front?s presence, ordering small companies of marines against thousands of entrenched enemy troops. After several futile and deadly days, Lieutenant Colonel Ernie Cheatham would finally come up with a strategy to retake the city, block by block and building by building, in some of the most intense urban combat since World War II.With unprecedented access to war archives in the U.S. and Vietnam and interviews with participants from both sides, Bowden narrates each stage of this crucial battle through multiple viewpoints. Played out over 24 days and ultimately costing 10,000 lives, the Battle of Hue was by far the bloodiest of the entire war. When it ended, the American debate was never again about winning, only about how to leave. Hue 1968 is a gripping and moving account of this pivotal moment.

Examines the Iran hostage crisis during which fifty-two Americans were held hostage in the Tehran embassy for over 440 days, and offers insights into the event from the perspective of the hostages, soldiers sent to set them free, the radical captors, and diplomats trying to end the crisis.

Describes how sisters Katherine and Sheila Lyon disappeared from a shopping mall in Washington, D.C. in 1975, and the forty-year effort to bring their kidnapper to justice. The author covered the original story years ago, and now returns to recount its conclusion.

A true crime story about the disappearance of two sisters in 1975, and the effort--forty years later-- to bring their kidnapper, Lloyd Lee Welch, to justice.

Provides an in-depth look at the twenty-four days of the 1968 Hue offensive in Vietnam, which served as the final signal that the war was unwinnable, prompting leaders to look for a way out. Provides detailed accounts from each day of the battle by utilizing evidence from historical documents as well as first-hand accounts from both sides of the battle. Features detailed maps of the city of Hue as well as black-and-white photographs of notable individuals who took part in the battle; and includes a Vietnamese glossary, notes on the text, and an index.

Traces the rise of Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar and his ultimate defeat--death in 1993, after a sixteen-month manhunt, at the hands of a Columbian Search Bloc team with help from the U.S.

Describes the search for Osama bin Laden and the mission that resulted in his death. Discusses bin Laden himself, surveillance and intelligence reports, the mission's strategy and risks, and its completion. Based on extensive reporting, research, and interviews with President Obama, security staff, former SEALS, and others.

The remarkable story of the 1958 NFL Championship game between the Colts and the Giants--considered by many to be the greatest football game ever played.