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Korea Blue (Signet) (Paperback)

~ Thomas Utts (Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This whodunit is set on an Air Force base in Korea during the Vietnam War. Captain Mike Hunter's best friend and copilot, Paul Crandell, is found dead, and Hunter has reason to believe he was murdered. Was it a local from the nearby village, which served up sex and pleasure to American troops? Or someone jealous of Crandell's yobo (Air Force slang for a Korean woman), Kim Soon Ja? Hunter's search for the truth is particularly fruitful; not only does he solve the murder, but he gets Kim Soon Ja in the bargain. While witty in places, this novel never really comes to life, and Korea as a setting for a Vietnam-era novel isn't fully exploited. While Utts exposes the racism inherent in the relations between American troops and Asian women, some might determine that his treatment is offensive: an officer talking about his yobo says, "When I unloaded all those cosmetics her eyes damn near turned American." This first novel by an Air Force veteran provides several credible descriptions of the life of the base and the surrounding village, but that's not enough to make it worth reading.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Signet (June 1, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451169700
ISBN-13: 978-0451169709
Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,013,978 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

As a military member with seven tours in Korea I find the setting true to life. It will bring back memories to many vets of a Korea before 1988.Only a person who had been there could write in such detail.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not all is calm in the Land of the Morning Calm, October 16, 2005

By	Rolland W. Amos (Severn, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Korea Blue" merits another review. First of all, this book is a good murder-mystery. Somebody could and should make a good B-movie based on this book. Secondly, for those ex-military who've served in Korea, this book offers a pleasant journey back to the good old days.
The hero, Mike Hunter, is a pilot - so, of course, he's smart and he knows his way around in the world. He's about 30, tough, good-looking, popular with the women, and quite skilled in Tae Kwon Do (one of the oriental martial arts) - which is very good, because Mike frequently has to defend himself and he has to beat up a lot of people. He's also familiar with hand guns and feels comfortable carrying them.
Mike Hunter finagles an assignment to Osan AFB, Korea upon learning that Capt. Paul Crandell, his good friend and former "backseater" (when they flew in F-105 Wild Weasels together in Vietnam) has died under mysterious circumstances in Osan. Once in Korea, Mike gets right to work investigating and solving the case. I find the story sufficiently credible and quite entertaining.
Those who've served at Osan AFB will particularly enjoy following Hunter as he traipses around Chicol Village (the "V") - which I thought was "Chico" - Spanish for "little" -located outside the main gate, visiting some of the clubs (like the 5-Spot, the Stereo, the Playboy, the Paradise, etc.) in search of people, who can give him the information he requires. Early on, he meets Sumi, a young, pretty "business girl", who can help him with his investigation and fulfill his need for "female companionship", as well.
While meandering and talking to the local Koreans, Mike likes to employ some of the Korean words and local jargon, that he still remembers from an earlier TDY at Osan in 1968 - the year that the USS Pueblo was attacked and captured by the North Koreans. I recognized some of these words and expressions, myself, although my own tour there was long ago (1963) - for example: yobo (sweetheart), skoshi (tiny), hooch (home or off-base pad), mama-san and papa-san (san shows respect), no sweaty-da (no problem), cutta chogi (hurry up), oop so (all gone), komop sumneda (hello), benjo ditch (an open, usually water-filled irrigation ditch adjacent to rice paddies) and A-frame (a device used by Korean laborers to carry big, heavy loads).
Mike naturally has to spend some of his time eating and drinking, so he also explains for the reader some of the more popular Korean offerings in this area - like OB (beer made by Korea's Oriental Brewery), mech ju, so ju, and makalee (all three are rice wines), and the very popular kimchee (a foul smelling, spicy, fermented cabbage dish that Koreans love like we love potatoes).
In conclusion, if you like well constructed murder-mysteries with happy endings, or stories that take you back in time to exotic places you once roamed in your youth, then this is a book for you.

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