Sean Drummond is back in a provocative mystery featuring the clever,irreverent JAG lawyer introduced in Brian Haig's debut thriller (Secret Sanction). Ordered toSeoul to assist a civilian lawyer representing an army captain charged withraping and murdering the son of the South Korean defense minister, Sean ischagrined to discover that he's second-chairing his old law school rival, thebrilliant, beautiful Katherine Carlson, who's famous for challenging themilitary's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Katherine insists that ThomasWhitehall was framed by the Army because of his sexual orientation; whileDrummond agrees that Whitehall might be the victim of a conspiracy, he thinks ithas more to do with espionage than homophobia. By the time he uncovers a plot todestabilize the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea and rid the region ofAmerican troops, he's been threatened, bugged, and embarrassed--and that's byhis own co-counsel, whose motives and intentions he's entirely misread! WhileKatherine is almost a parody of a legal provocateur, Sean comes across as anengaging fellow with a ready wit, a well-honed legal mind, and a willingness toconfront his own prejudices that wins the reader's admiration. So does Haig,(incidentally, the son of Colonel Alexander "I'm in charge here" Haig) whoseskillful pacing and narrative gifts mark him as a writer worth watching.--Jane Adams