From Publishers Weekly
Davis's fourth novel is a chilling murder mystery set in Song-tan, South Korea, where racism, danger and corruption abound. Former air force criminal investigator Maj. Burt Webber is now a civilian living with his wife, Chung-hee, helping her run a jewelry store in the seedy bar district near a U.S. air base. He has resigned from the air force in disgust after a flap with his general over his own marriage to a foreign national. When a local bar girl is brutally murdered in a ritzy apartment, Burt's old pal, Col. Ray Johnson, asks him to help solve the crime. Strings are pulled to get him back on the job, but none of his superiors' assurances add up and he is not even sure who he is working for. Burt and his new partner, Lt. Susan Torres, a tough military cop, work closely with Sammy, a Korean police detective who has learned most of his English from American action movies. They believe that American and Korean officials want the case solved, but there's a stink of cover-up and conspiracy after all, who really cares about another dead bar girl? Even Ray lies through his teeth, and it takes a while for Burt to realize he's been had. The truth is, nobody wants the murder solved, and Burt is just an expendable patsy in a game of geopolitics where saving face and promoting business are most important. Davis (The Colonel) combines convincing police procedure with plenty of head-scratching clues, twists and dead ends. His portrayal of South Korean culture is vivid and revealing, a superb backdrop for a bona fide thriller.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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From Booklist
Davis' fourth thriller set in the world of the military--following
The Colonel (2001)--is, as usual, a crafty, detail-rich mystery with plenty of atmosphere. His latest, set in South Korea, stars Major Burton Webber, an air force investigator who resigned his commission to go to work in his Korean wife's jewelry store. When he reluctantly agrees to take on a particularly delicate investigation--someone has murdered a beautiful woman who may have high-level connections--he's forced to put his own life on the line. The plot is fairly traditional, but Davis works enough variations on the theme to make it seem fresh again. His deft characterizations (he can tell us a lot about someone in very few words) keep us engaged, and his smooth storytelling allows him to keep crucial details secret until they sneak up on us and whack us over the head. Davis (a former major in the air force) has yet to write a "great" military thriller, but he's pushing "very good" to its limit.
David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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