Koko was published by Dutton in 1988. The novel begins at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, where four former members of a platoon reunite and gradually become convinced that a fifth member — Tim Underhill, now missing — is “Koko”: a serial killer mutilating victims in Southeast Asia. They embark on a journey to find him, traveling from Washington to New York to Singapore to Bangkok.
The novel is Straub’s most ambitious and most literary: it is not a horror novel (there is no supernatural element) but a psychological thriller that uses the conventions of the detective story to explore the lasting damage of the Vietnam War. Each of the four veterans carries his own version of the trauma — suppressed memories, survivor’s guilt, the inability to connect with civilian life — and the hunt for Koko forces them to confront what they have spent twenty years avoiding.
Straub’s prose reaches its peak here: dense, allusive, structurally complex (the narrative moves between present-day investigation and Vietnam flashbacks with increasing frequency as the truth approaches), and written with a literary intelligence that lifts the book far above genre classification. The revelation of Koko’s identity — and the nature of the atrocity that created him — is both surprising and inevitable.
Koko won the World Fantasy Award and established Straub’s reputation as a writer who transcended genre boundaries. It was followed by two sequels: Mystery (1990) and The Throat (1993), forming the “Blue Rose” trilogy.
Collecting Koko
First edition (Dutton, New York, 1988): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $40–$100
- Very good: $15–$40
- Signed: $75–$150
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation. First of the Blue Rose trilogy.
Vietnam and Its Aftermath
Koko (1988) is the first novel in Straub’s Blue Rose trilogy and represents his most ambitious departure from horror. Four Vietnam veterans — members of a platoon involved in a massacre at a village called Ia Thuc — reunite at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and begin hunting a serial killer they believe is a former member of their unit. The novel is part thriller, part literary fiction, part meditation on trauma and memory. Straub traveled to Southeast Asia to research the book, and its depiction of Vietnam’s long shadow is among the most powerful in American fiction. It was nominated for the World Fantasy Award.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Blue Rose trilogy? The three novels — Koko (1988), Mystery (1990), and The Throat (1993) — are connected by characters, themes, and the recurring Blue Rose motif. They represent Straub’s most sustained literary achievement, combining mystery, psychological horror, and social criticism.