George Sueño and Ernie Bascom return for their thirteenth outing, which takes them from Seoul to the DMZ in their most politically charged murder case yet.The Korean Demilitarized Zone, 1970s: A battered corpse is found a few feet north of the line dividing North and South Korea. When 8th Army CID Agents George Sueño and Ernie Bascom pull the body to the South Korean side on orders from their … orders from their superiors, they have no idea of the international conflict their action will spark. Before war breaks out, they must discover who killed Corporal Noh Jong-bei, a young Korean soldier working with the US Army.
The murderer could be on either side of the DMZ. But without cooperation between the governments involved, how can two US military agents interrogate North Korean witnesses? What George and Ernie discover gets them pulled off the case, but fearing they’ve put the wrong man behind bars, they disobey orders in an attempt to discover the truth.
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“The Line” by Martin Limón is set in South Korea some 50 years after the “cease fire.” People living in Seoul are terrified by the prospect of another war. North Korea has heavily fortified positions all along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and is capable of launching an attack that would reach Seoul. “Just another day in the R-O-K.”
Limón plunges readers into this tense situation through the first person account of George Sueño, an officer in 8th Army who conveniently speaks Korean, and his partner, Ernie Bascom, both agents for the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, CID, in Seoul. The story is driven by the light-hearted banter, serious conversations, and thoughtful discussions between these two and the people they encounter.
Sueño and Bascom are rousted awake at “oh-dark-thirty” by one word: “Murder.”
Vivid details pulls the reader into the scene as the pair arrives and finds an unusually tense situation at the DMZ. Off in the distance, across the vast open space, just by “The Bridge of No Return” and North Korean territory, they see a body; the left boot is in South Korea, but the rest of the body is in North Korea. Guns are pointed by both sides, and no one will risk touching the body. With caution and trepidation, Sueño and Bascom slowly and carefully advance, and soon the body slides to the south.
The pace is frantic as Sueño and Bascom try to determine how the man died, and more importantly who killed him. North Koreans? South Koreans? Gangsters? Russians? The possibilities are endless and the task is daunting. They have a suspect, but is this the correct perpetrator or is it just the politically expedient choice?
Limón creates a realistic picture of life for military and civilians with a mix of cultural activities, everyday occurrences, and unusual events that are the consequences of life in the “occupied state” of South Korea. There is another intertwined story with an additional compelling crime that must be solved.
Limón sprinkles in Korean culture and language (with translation). There is also military alphabet shorthand, (MAC, JSA, DMZ, MDL, KATUSA, CID, MDL, JSA, BOQ AFKN, ASCOM) “decoded” for readers on the first use, but not necessarily in subsequent uses
“The Line” is number thirteen in Limón’s Sueño and Bascom series, but it is not necessary to have read the previous books to enjoy this one. Any background information a reader might need is folded into the scenarios of the current story. Even though the book is set in the mid-1970s the political tension, complex moral challenges, and social conflicts could have been pulled from today’s newspaper. I was given a copy of “The Line” by Martin Limon, and Soho Crime. This gripping book will keep readers guessing until the end.
South Korea in the 70s. A pair of U.S. Army investigators. Solving murders and mysterious incidents. I’d never read any of Martin Limon ‘s books prior to The Line. Now I’ve read them all and looking forward to his next one. An accurate portrayal of life in South Korea during that time.
The usual entertainment from Sueno and Bascom. I do enjoy this series. Anyone who was in the military is familiar with their problems with the brass as well as their contemporaries. Only downside for me is they never seem to carry their weapons when they know they probably should. Looking forward to the others in the series.