Islander pens thrilling spy novel set in the Vietnam War

 A few months ago, I was at the gym catching up with my friend and fellow Daniel Island resident Mike Ferrara. We have a lot in common as we both worked for the same Wall Street firm, which he retired from last year. When I asked what he was up to, he told me that he had just finished writing his first book, “The Land of the Million Elephants”. I was pretty impressed that he had such a hidden talent, so I asked for a copy and dove in on my next airplane ride.

The book takes place during the last year of the Vietnam War between 1971 and 1972. That is exactly when Mike was stationed over there in the Province of Ubon, which is 40 miles outside of Laos, and the adventure includes many of his personal experiences. He wrote it in a neat way that combined both a very exciting plot with great characters, but also gave the reader some wonderful historical context of what the war was about and some of the political angles of the times.

Mike attended Syracuse University and was in the Air Force ROTC program. After graduation he ironically ended up here in South Carolina on his first assignment, and shortly thereafter volunteered for the war, arriving in Ubon in November of 1971. He was on the ground in the maintenance and operations group helping the 8th tact fighter wing known as the “Wolfpack”, which the book references often.

Mike described it as a brutal war, and a number of the days were spent providing air support for the CIA, often bombing the areas around the Ho Chi Minh trail. Shifts were 12 hours long, and were most every day unless you were fortunate to get a day of leave here or there. The job was high pressure - missions flew around the clock, and they often interfaced with the Thai army and a group of local fighters called the Hmong.

Mike was lucky enough to return home safely in late 1972. He then attended the Air Force Institute of Technology, and then was part of the Air Force Space program run out of Los Angeles. He worked in the satellite industry until his career change to Wall Street in 1987 from where he retired just last year, and now he hopes to write a second book in the not too distant future.

I would urge you to read “The Land of the Million Elephants”. I really enjoyed this fiction spy novel, and if you are willing to get a short history lesson in the beginning of the book while you get to know the characters, then you will be rewarded with a very fun plot with some interesting twists that will keep you guessing.

The book is available at www.amazon.com/dp/1517411815 or on kindle at www.amazon.com/dp/B01847EXDA

Mike Ferrara has been doing quite a few speaking engagements in his spare time, and lives on Daniel Island with his wife Cathy. If he does not have a pen in his hand, you can perhaps find him at the gym or on the golf course.