Mortal Allies [Paperback]

Brian Haig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2002

SECRET SANCTION'S Major Sean Drummond is back, with a new case that challenges his deepest fears and a colleague who challenges just about everything else. Assigned to South Korea as an advocate for a gay officer accused of brutally killing the son of a South Korean war heo, Drummond is teamed up with an old law-school nemesis. Katherine Carson is a curvy attorney with a reputation for manipulating the media on behalf of her mostly gay clients. Drummond is as distraught to be working with a woman who knows how to push all his buttons as he is to be defending this client. However it's just this lack of political correctness that makes him the one man the CIA can trust with its disturbing secrets and Drummond quickly learns that what appears to be an open-and-shut case is really just the top layer of a deep conspiracy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sean Drummond is back in a provocative mystery featuring the clever, irreverent JAG lawyer introduced in Brian Haig's debut thriller (Secret Sanction). Ordered to Seoul to assist a civilian lawyer representing an army captain charged with raping and murdering the son of the South Korean defense minister, Sean is chagrined to discover that he's second-chairing his old law school rival, the brilliant, beautiful Katherine Carlson, who's famous for challenging the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Katherine insists that Thomas Whitehall was framed by the Army because of his sexual orientation; while Drummond agrees that Whitehall might be the victim of a conspiracy, he thinks it has more to do with espionage than homophobia. By the time he uncovers a plot to destabilize the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea and rid the region of American troops, he's been threatened, bugged, and embarrassed--and that's by his own co-counsel, whose motives and intentions he's entirely misread! While Katherine is almost a parody of a legal provocateur, Sean comes across as an engaging fellow with a ready wit, a well-honed legal mind, and a willingness to confront his own prejudices that wins the reader's admiration. So does Haig, (incidentally, the son of Colonel Alexander "I'm in charge here" Haig) whose skillful pacing and narrative gifts mark him as a writer worth watching. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A relentless fusillade of surprise and humor drives this unusually jocular military/legal thriller set in Seoul. When the soldier son of South Korea's defense minister is raped and murdered by an American soldier, career military Judge Advocate General Maj. Sean Drummond is yanked from a Bermuda beach to serve as co-counsel at the request of brilliant civilian defense attorney and gay/lesbian legal activist Katherine Carlson. Bitter rivals in law school and complete political opposites, these two bash heads on a case that is anathema to army brass, sparks Korean riots, ignites gay activist and right-wing religious groups, sets off a media frenzy and fuels a push to get U.S. troops out of South Korea. JAG officers are unloved at best, but Drummond is despised and sabotaged on all sides as Carlson plays puppet master by fueling his ego and baiting the brass. Facing the army equivalent of a hanging judge, corrupt Korean police and devious CIA actions, Drummond fears for his client's future and his own. Haig's hero (back in action after his turn in Secret Sanction) cracks wise with refreshingly derogatory humor, skewering diplomats, bleeding hearts, religious nuts, military homophobes and gay activists alike while skillfully untangling the issue of gays in the military. Korean culture and the country's North/South divide play an important role in the novel's denouement, as Haig successfully kindles his powder keg of a plot.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (September 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752846655
• ISBN-13: 978-0752846651
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,874,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Haig is the son of former US Secretary of State Alexander Haig and has been born and bred in the American military and worked all over the globe. Since retiring from duty he has been a special advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and now runs a large helicopter company. He lives with his wife and four children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Military Law Thriller, December 11, 2005

By 

Daniel T. Ferry "Casual Reviewer" (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mortal Allies (Mass Market Paperback)

Major Sean Drummond continues to fit the bill, as a witty, wise-cracking, charismatic JAG attorney who finds ways to entertain in cases where the odds are severely stacked against him. "Mortal Allies" takes place in South Korea. A by-the-book Captain is charged with the most unspeakable acts one can be charged with. The evidence is strong enough to convict even with a severely biased jury. Sean Drummond was hand-picked as co-counsel by an old schoolmate from Georgetown Law. A female student whom he just couldn't get along with. As an added kicker, these charges were committed against the son of the South Korean Minister of Defense!

All of this makes for a compelling novel. And from what it seems, when this novel is written by Brian Haig, it's practically guaranteed to satisfy. Drummond is raw, funny and witty. The plot is thoroughly engaging and quick. The character development is as strong as is necessary.

This is easily a book I'd recommend to anyone who likes a strong central character in military fiction. Well done!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mortal Allies, May 6, 2002

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mortal Allies (Hardcover)

I've definitely become a fan of Brian Haig's with this latest (second) novel.

The South Korean Defense Minister's son is brutally murdered and raped. The people whom stand accused for this heinous crime are three US military men. Katherine Carlson, a highly intelligent and cunning civilian attorney, is representing one of the accused, a Thomas Whitehall, who doesn't stand much of a chance since the other two will testify against him. Katherine requests Major Sean Drummond to be the military co-council. Drummond takes on the job with some reservations. When Drummond was in law school, Katherine was a classmate and they constantly fought like cats and dogs. Never did they get along. So needless to say Drummond is quite baffled as to her choice of co-council. It turns out the case goes beyond just the murder and rape.

Brian Haig's witty first person narrative and a fast-paced story line, gets the reader highly involved and makes this a very good novel. The South Korean setting and gays in the military are two prominent themes in the story. A great military legal thriller.

Highly recommended

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good thriller with just the right comedic touch, April 21, 2003

By 

[e-mail] (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mortal Allies (Mass Market Paperback)

"Mortal Allies" tells the story of an Army lawyer assigned to defend an American soldier in South Korea accused of murder. But there is layer upon layer of complications that make this an extremely interesting read. First, the accused is gay. The victim is male lover of the accused. The victim is also the son of the Minister of Defense of South Korea. Finally, the case is airtight, with conviction virtually a certainty.

All of the above would have made it a decent thriller, but there's more. We get to look into the fragile alliance our country has with South Korea. If not for the American presence, the Korean War would likely resume after half a century. But there have been so many accounts of misbehaving U.S. soldiers that the Koreans are ready to toss them out anyway. The danger that North Korea poses, both in the novel and in today's headlines make it better.

But what puts it over the top is the relationship between the defense lawyers on the case. The narrator is a fairly conservative Army lifer who was second in his class. By one point. To a female. A very liberal female. They were at each other's throats in college, and he finds himself with her on the defense team. There has not been such good sparring since Bruce Willis took it up with Cybil Shepard, and this makes for great reading.

The book executes a perfect balance between the serious and the humorous. The murder plot gets more and more complicated, reaching to high levels of government More people die, and we see the pain experienced from this very clearly. I was hoping for more information on that most mysterious country, North Korea, and was not disappointed in that area either. But the humor does balance out at the right times, as the lead character has to work with his old nemesis, her very gay team, and the issue of military gays in general. The plot takes several twists, and quite a few secrets are revealed as we go along.

I will make note of one of the secrets, but only to point out a hint. Like the movie "The Sixth Sense", all the clues are there if you just look for them. If you read the book, look for the term "blue eyes", and it will give you a connection for one of the books big surprises.

Now go out and get the book.