Mortal Allies

May 13, 2002
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. Agent, Luke Janklow. (May)Forecast: This is the second novel in a projected series featuring Drummond. The first,
Secret Sanction, has been optioned by Intermedia Films with Nicholas Cage to star as Drummond. If the film comes off, Haig (son of former secretary of state Alexander Haig), could reap substantial sales.

May 15, 2002
Haig's first novel, Secret Sanction, was a riveting story of war crimes in the Balkans. In his new book, a horrible crime has occurred in South Korea. A U.S. Army officer is accused of the rape and murder of the son of a South Korean statesman, and Maj. Sean Drummond has the unenviable task of defending him. Worse for Drummond, his co-counsel is civilian lawyer Katherine Carlson. The two have despised each other since law school. Carlson is brilliant but lost in a court-martial environment, while the irreverent Drummond is an excellent lawyer but far from a traditional military officer, offending many with techniques that appear outrageous at least to the military. Still, he has a background in Special Forces and can be lethal when pushed. Mortal Allies features corruption, spies, assassinations, riots, and numerous intriguing complications, including gay pride issues and the threat of invasion from North Korea. Intelligent, exciting, and entertaining, this is an excellent second work by the son of former secretary of state Alexander Haig. For all public libraries. Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2002
Major Sean Drummond, the protagonist of Haig's " Secret Sanction" (2001), returns in this story of a murder trial in Seoul, Korea, that could have worldwide consequences. Drummond is a lawyer with the army's Judge Advocate General Corps. He's ordered to defend a gay U.S. Army officer accused of killing the son of a South Korean Vietnam War hero, then raping the corpse. Drummond is assigned to work with Katherine Carlson, who had been his classmate at Georgetown University Law School--"a royal pain in the ass," as he calls her. In this legal thriller involving the CIA and the CID, a conspiracy or two, pedophilia, and a spy ring, Haig combines suspense with some smart-aleck humor to create a most readable novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)