Blindside: A Novel [Hardcover]

Jim R. Lane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2002

Blindside, written by a former Navy legal officer, is the story of Commander Neal Olen, 44, an intelligence officer who faces charges of adultery and possibly leaking secrets. It is an insider's look at the archaic and potentially crushing machinery of military justice.
Olen's troubles begin in 1999 when he is recognized as the officer on whom a fictional character is based in a salacious, tell-all novel. Its author is a woman with whom he had a weekend affair five years earlier while separated from his wife. Information about the nation's reconnaissance satellites somehow found its way into her novel.
Olen finds himself a pawn of the author, hoping to hype her book and the Navy, eager to make an example of him in its push for "zero tolerance" of sex scandals and for airtight security on intelligence information. He grapples with the ethical dilemma: When caught in an unjust system, is honesty still a virture?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Any novel about a naval court-martial proceeding invites comparison with Herman Wouk's immense The Caine Mutiny; former navy man Lane (Duty) is far less ambitious in his short novel, but he does offer an insider's view. Comdr. Neal Olen, whose wife, Yvonne, had briefly left him, was inveigled into a weekend affair by Angela Vance, herself separated from her husband. Now his marriage is sound again, he's retired from the navy and working for Defense Dynamics. Unfortunately, Angela has just published a "sleazy tell-all" bestseller, Navy Wench, in which he is thinly disguised as "Allen Neil." Olen is pilloried in the press and soon brought up on charges of adultery and "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman," each punishable by loss of retirement rights and privileges, as well as a fine and a jail sentence. Making matters worse, "Allen Neil" is portrayed as trying to impress his lover by imparting naval secrets. Olen engages Lethajoy Beltower, an experienced military lawyer and naval veteran who herself was forced into retirement because she refused to conceal her homosexuality. Olen admits to the affair, but denies revealing any secrets. A preliminary hearing finds insufficient evidence to convict, but the navy, embarrassed at the flagrant dismissal of charges after the Tailhook incident, wishes to pursue the court-martial. Flat narration and perfunctory characterization exacerbate the frustration of clumsy plot turns (Angela's husband tries twice to kill Olen), but the subject matter is tantalizing and Lane keeps the story moving at a steady pace.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Just when Neal Olen, a retired naval intelligence officer, is about to reap the benefits of civilian life, he is recalled to duty and accused of both disclosing military secrets and conduct unbecoming an officer. Five years earlier, Neal had had a torrid affair with Angela Vance, whose sleazy, best-selling novel virtually names Neal as her lover and the man who disclosed the secrets. Since both Neal and Angela were married to others at the time, the navy is embarrassed and decides to make Neal a scapegoat by court-martialing him. This topical story, Lane's latest novel after Duty, compels when it describes the court-martial but otherwise lacks suspense. Also, the navy's politically correct rationale for such a witch hunt is unclear. Brian Haig (Mortal Allies; Secret Sanction) writes far better novels about military justice. For larger collections only.
Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Bridgeworks; 1st edition (June 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882593596
• ISBN-13: 978-1882593590
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,878,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick but shallow, February 6, 2003

By 

Anna Klein - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blindside: A Novel (Hardcover)

Navy Commander Neal Olen, now retired, has a great wife and an important civilian job, but he made one slip four years ago, a one night stand with a seductive novelist, Angela Vance. Now Angela has cast him as a character in her tell-all novel, Navy Wench, and it's all there -- including that night. Neal is called back on active duty to face charges of adultery and "conduct unbecoming a gentleman" -- leaking military secrets. Neal doesn't remember the secrets, but he certainly remembers that night, and he knows all about prison -- where he's headed if he doesn't get help. And help is? Lethajoy Beltower, lesbian and lawyer.

Though only 204 pages long, BLINDSIDE didn't grab me until page 73 -- a long wait. And while Jim Lane has crafted a couple of great characters, especially Lethajoy, his writing lacks poetry. Only one line sang to me in the whole book. The plot is rushed, barebones and shallow, and other than a couple of perfunctory paragraphs about Neal's childhood and father, we learn little about him. However, Lane obviously knows the Navy and its laws, and the middle chapters contain a handful of courtroom scenes smashing enough to draw the reader in completely, if only for a moment.

Other than a couple of close calls with death, BLINDSIDE offers few surprises and no suspense. However, if you're stuck in a waiting room or on an airplane and need something light to read for a couple of hours, this tiny navy novel might do the trick.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Olen must decide whether honesty is truly a virtue, October 9, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blindside: A Novel (Hardcover)

Blindside by Jim R. Lane is the story of Neal Olen, a Navy commander who is summoned to military court on charges of adultery, "conduct unbecoming an officer", and of possible national security violations, when a woman he once had an affair with writes a scalding tell-all book. Caught between a ruthless military legal system, mounting attorney's fees, and with his own marriage on the line, Olen must decide whether honesty is truly a virtue when the court-martial has little mercy. Blindside is a powerfully written and compelling tale. ...