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Sergeants Sueño and Bascom #8
The Joy Brigade
In this pulse-racing ninth adventure, Sergeant George Sueño heads north of Korea's DMZ on a mission to prevent war between the Communist North and the American-allied South .
Seoul, early 1970 US Army Sergeant George Sueño is on a mission of extreme importance to the South Korean government, as well as the US Army. Kim Il-Sung has vowed to reunite North and South Korea into one country before he hands control of the government over to his son, which means North Korea is planning to cross the DMZ and overpower the American-allied South Korean government. Sueño's mission is to prevent this by sneaking into North Korea and obtaining an ancient map detailing the network of secret tunnels that run underneath the DMZ. To do so, he will have to go undercover and infiltrate the North Korean Communist inner sanctum.
Aware of the often dubious nature of the US Military's tactics, Sueño is skeptical about his assignment. But he has other things on his mind. The keeper of the map is Doc Yong, a former lover of Sueño's who was forced to flee South Korea the year before—and she has a son. Before they can be happily reunited, the plan falls to pieces, and Sueño is captured. Can he rely on the enigmatic Hero Kang, his sole contact in the hostile country? Will the lovely Rhee Mi-Sook, the leader of the North Korean secret police, be too much to handle? And who are the mysterious group of women known as the Joy Brigade?
Seoul, early 1970 US Army Sergeant George Sueño is on a mission of extreme importance to the South Korean government, as well as the US Army. Kim Il-Sung has vowed to reunite North and South Korea into one country before he hands control of the government over to his son, which means North Korea is planning to cross the DMZ and overpower the American-allied South Korean government. Sueño's mission is to prevent this by sneaking into North Korea and obtaining an ancient map detailing the network of secret tunnels that run underneath the DMZ. To do so, he will have to go undercover and infiltrate the North Korean Communist inner sanctum.
Aware of the often dubious nature of the US Military's tactics, Sueño is skeptical about his assignment. But he has other things on his mind. The keeper of the map is Doc Yong, a former lover of Sueño's who was forced to flee South Korea the year before—and she has a son. Before they can be happily reunited, the plan falls to pieces, and Sueño is captured. Can he rely on the enigmatic Hero Kang, his sole contact in the hostile country? Will the lovely Rhee Mi-Sook, the leader of the North Korean secret police, be too much to handle? And who are the mysterious group of women known as the Joy Brigade?
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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89 people want to read
About the author
Martin Limón
46 books96 followersMartin Limon retired from U.S. military service after 20 years in the Army, including a total of ten years in Korea. He and his wife live in Seattle. He is the author of Jade Lady Burning, which was a New York Times Notable Book, Slicky Boys and Buddha's Money.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 22, 2014
This is the eighth entry in Martin Limon's series featuring U.S. Army Sergeants Sueno and Bascom, and the first of the books that left me only lukewarm.
The series is set in South Korea in the 1970s. Sueno and Bascom are army detectives; their job is to investigate crimes involving American soldiers and also to ensure that the American forces in South Korea are never embarrassed. For the army brass, the second half of the job description is much the more important, but Sueno and Bascom are always much more interested in finding the truth, irrespective of how the army might look when their investigation is concluded.
Sueno and Bascom are great characters; Sueno is more cerebral while Bascom is more physical and so they make a terrific team. Their investigations area always great fun to follow, especially when they run afoul of their army bosses and their counterparts in the Korean police forces. Most important is the setting, which Limon brilliantly re-creates in book after book. The reader always feels as though he or she had been dropped down in the middle of South Korea to watch the events unfold first hand.
For whatever reason, though, this book deviates from the pattern established in the series in a number of ways, none of them for the better. To begin with, Sueno carries the story alone, and Bascom makes only a very brief token appearance. The interaction between the two is one of the great strengths of these books and it's missing altogether here.
Beyond that, this isn't even a crime novel; rather it's a spy thriller and only a moderately successful one at that. The premise of the book is the belief that the Great Leader, Kim Il-Sung, is determined to launch a military offensive against the South to unite the two halves of Korea before he hands control over to his son, the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-Il (and, as David Letterman would say, his brother, Menta Li-Il).
Rumors are circulating that there is an ancient map depicting a series of tunnels that run beneath the DMZ and that could be used as a secret passage through which the army might move men and equipment into the North behind the front lines established by the North Koreans. Sueno is sent on a secret mission into North Korea to find the map, check out the tunnel route, and report back.
The story that follows is completely implausible. Sueno, who speaks no Romanian, is smuggled into North Korea disguised as a Romanian military officer. His job is to infiltrate the North Korean military as an officer of a fellow Warsaw Pact nation. He faces one complication after another, and manages to barely escape each only by the skin of his teeth. After about the fifth or sixth time this happens, the reader is simply left shaking his or her head in disbelief, which simply cannot be suspended.
The book is saved to some extent by Limon's excellent rendering of the Korean Peninsula, it's people, society and culture. As always, this is very entertaining, but for me at least, this book lacked the charm, humor and believable intrigue that has characterized the series up to this point. I'll be very relieved to get on to the next book in the series wherein, I hope, Sueno and Bascom will be back on the job together, doing what they do best, policing the mean streets of Seoul.
The series is set in South Korea in the 1970s. Sueno and Bascom are army detectives; their job is to investigate crimes involving American soldiers and also to ensure that the American forces in South Korea are never embarrassed. For the army brass, the second half of the job description is much the more important, but Sueno and Bascom are always much more interested in finding the truth, irrespective of how the army might look when their investigation is concluded.
Sueno and Bascom are great characters; Sueno is more cerebral while Bascom is more physical and so they make a terrific team. Their investigations area always great fun to follow, especially when they run afoul of their army bosses and their counterparts in the Korean police forces. Most important is the setting, which Limon brilliantly re-creates in book after book. The reader always feels as though he or she had been dropped down in the middle of South Korea to watch the events unfold first hand.
For whatever reason, though, this book deviates from the pattern established in the series in a number of ways, none of them for the better. To begin with, Sueno carries the story alone, and Bascom makes only a very brief token appearance. The interaction between the two is one of the great strengths of these books and it's missing altogether here.
Beyond that, this isn't even a crime novel; rather it's a spy thriller and only a moderately successful one at that. The premise of the book is the belief that the Great Leader, Kim Il-Sung, is determined to launch a military offensive against the South to unite the two halves of Korea before he hands control over to his son, the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-Il (and, as David Letterman would say, his brother, Menta Li-Il).
Rumors are circulating that there is an ancient map depicting a series of tunnels that run beneath the DMZ and that could be used as a secret passage through which the army might move men and equipment into the North behind the front lines established by the North Koreans. Sueno is sent on a secret mission into North Korea to find the map, check out the tunnel route, and report back.
The story that follows is completely implausible. Sueno, who speaks no Romanian, is smuggled into North Korea disguised as a Romanian military officer. His job is to infiltrate the North Korean military as an officer of a fellow Warsaw Pact nation. He faces one complication after another, and manages to barely escape each only by the skin of his teeth. After about the fifth or sixth time this happens, the reader is simply left shaking his or her head in disbelief, which simply cannot be suspended.
The book is saved to some extent by Limon's excellent rendering of the Korean Peninsula, it's people, society and culture. As always, this is very entertaining, but for me at least, this book lacked the charm, humor and believable intrigue that has characterized the series up to this point. I'll be very relieved to get on to the next book in the series wherein, I hope, Sueno and Bascom will be back on the job together, doing what they do best, policing the mean streets of Seoul.
July 7, 2012
I love every one of Martin Limon's Sueno and Bascom mysteries set in South Korea. This one's set in 1972 when young Sergeant George Sueno gets a secret assignment to penetrade North Korea and seek out the tunnels that permeate the borders and leave South Korea vulnerable to invasion.
The opening paras are frightening in their intensity: Sueno is smuggled into North Korea as crew on an Albanian merchant ship. The North Korean patrol boards the ship for inspection, freezing Sueno into position and hoping not to be revealed or betrayed. The tension never lets up in this wonderful work as fear and suspense, bravado and strength, confidence as guard, all power the narrative right through to the last page.
There's unexpected support from locals who die for their trouble, desperation and despair given in hope of change, some wonderful surprises that I won't reveal and a most perplexing ending. The Joy Brigade has more action than in earlier Limon works. Sueno climbs mountains, escapes through dense forests and finds his way back across the border through an underground river.
Fine writing from Martin Limon - Ed and I discovered Limon with his first: Jade Lady Burning published in 1992 and have loved his writing ever since. We met him at Seattle Mystery Books in 2010 on the release of GI Bones. Someday, I hope he'll make it to southern Oregon for Ashland Mystery!
Thank you to Juliet Grames, a senior editor at Soho, who sent an advance readers copy when I responded to her post on favorite indie bookstores - Bookwagon in Ashland, Oregon is mine of course!
--Ashland Mystery
The opening paras are frightening in their intensity: Sueno is smuggled into North Korea as crew on an Albanian merchant ship. The North Korean patrol boards the ship for inspection, freezing Sueno into position and hoping not to be revealed or betrayed. The tension never lets up in this wonderful work as fear and suspense, bravado and strength, confidence as guard, all power the narrative right through to the last page.
There's unexpected support from locals who die for their trouble, desperation and despair given in hope of change, some wonderful surprises that I won't reveal and a most perplexing ending. The Joy Brigade has more action than in earlier Limon works. Sueno climbs mountains, escapes through dense forests and finds his way back across the border through an underground river.
Fine writing from Martin Limon - Ed and I discovered Limon with his first: Jade Lady Burning published in 1992 and have loved his writing ever since. We met him at Seattle Mystery Books in 2010 on the release of GI Bones. Someday, I hope he'll make it to southern Oregon for Ashland Mystery!
Thank you to Juliet Grames, a senior editor at Soho, who sent an advance readers copy when I responded to her post on favorite indie bookstores - Bookwagon in Ashland, Oregon is mine of course!
--Ashland Mystery
July 2, 2012
The JOY BRIGADE
MARTIN LIMON
The year is 1972 and there is upheaval in North Korea as Kim Il-Sung appears to be preparing to invade South Korea, perhaps through tunnels dug under the DMZ. Eighth Army soldier and agent in the Army Criminal Investigation Division, George Sueno fell in love with a doctor from North Korea, who was in South Korea helping battered ”business girls”. Before they have time legalize their love, Doc Yong is accused of murder and must return to North Korea. This happens in a previous book, and is good reason for reading this series in order.
Because of his growing fluency in the Korean language, Sueno is sent on a mission to North Korea to find out about the tunnels and how the North Koreans intend to use them. His mission is also to find an ancient manuscript of the tunnels. Because he hopes to find Doc Yong, his love and he suspects, with is child, Sueno agrees to the mission. Furthermore, Doc Yong has the manuscript.
Limon takes us through each step of the mission, from arriving into North Korea disguised as a Peruvian sailor on an old cargo ship. He is supposed to disappear from the other soldiers and go to a warehouse. Of course, nothing is simple in a good plot, and Sueno must stay alert to danger at every turn. In North Korea, under heavy Communist dictatorship, nothing is what it appears to be, but people are afraid to think on their own or act on their own, which works in Sueno’s favor. He meets up with Hero Kang, a member of the Manchurian Battalion, a revolutionary group, who is to get him inside of military headquarters so Sueno can obtain the information he needs and the Manchurian Battalion also want.
Hero Kang believes that if you act like you are in charge, most people will avert their eyes and stay out of your way, and so Kang and Sueno make it into the compound, but not with difficulties and physical danger. Once inside the compound, Sueno learns about the Joy Brigade. Girls from the countryside that are beautiful, smart and shapely, are taken to the city with promises of good jobs and the opportunity to serve their Great Leader. They are happy to be chosen, and go willingly, and after some time to get used to the new way of life, they have a visit from the Great Leader. It happens at night when the girl is alone, and the Great Leader initiates the young girl. She is then taught to serve and service the male members of the military and the government.
Sueno eventually meets up with Doc Yong, and he indeed has a son. Together they navigate the tunnels to get back to South Korea. But that is not the happy ending Sueno hopes for.
The Joy Brigade is a departure from the earlier Sueno and Bascom books in this series. For the first time, Bascom is only a small mention at the end of the book, with Sueno carrying the entire story. This book is less humorous than the previous books, although some cleverly funny remarks appear in the latter part of the story. While all the books of the series are fascinating in their portrayal of a Korea torn apart by war, and American soldiers in large numbers changing everything about Seoul, The Joy Brigade seems to bring out the horror of living in a country at war and a country under total dictatorship. The loss of loved ones, the desperation of survival and the fight for individualism is well told.
For readers who liked Frank Church’s Inspector O or Eliot Patteson’s series set in Tibet under the Chinese rule, The Joy Brigade is a glimpse at the heart of people just trying to live their life without the interference of the harsh conditions of the government. Barbara
MARTIN LIMON
The year is 1972 and there is upheaval in North Korea as Kim Il-Sung appears to be preparing to invade South Korea, perhaps through tunnels dug under the DMZ. Eighth Army soldier and agent in the Army Criminal Investigation Division, George Sueno fell in love with a doctor from North Korea, who was in South Korea helping battered ”business girls”. Before they have time legalize their love, Doc Yong is accused of murder and must return to North Korea. This happens in a previous book, and is good reason for reading this series in order.
Because of his growing fluency in the Korean language, Sueno is sent on a mission to North Korea to find out about the tunnels and how the North Koreans intend to use them. His mission is also to find an ancient manuscript of the tunnels. Because he hopes to find Doc Yong, his love and he suspects, with is child, Sueno agrees to the mission. Furthermore, Doc Yong has the manuscript.
Limon takes us through each step of the mission, from arriving into North Korea disguised as a Peruvian sailor on an old cargo ship. He is supposed to disappear from the other soldiers and go to a warehouse. Of course, nothing is simple in a good plot, and Sueno must stay alert to danger at every turn. In North Korea, under heavy Communist dictatorship, nothing is what it appears to be, but people are afraid to think on their own or act on their own, which works in Sueno’s favor. He meets up with Hero Kang, a member of the Manchurian Battalion, a revolutionary group, who is to get him inside of military headquarters so Sueno can obtain the information he needs and the Manchurian Battalion also want.
Hero Kang believes that if you act like you are in charge, most people will avert their eyes and stay out of your way, and so Kang and Sueno make it into the compound, but not with difficulties and physical danger. Once inside the compound, Sueno learns about the Joy Brigade. Girls from the countryside that are beautiful, smart and shapely, are taken to the city with promises of good jobs and the opportunity to serve their Great Leader. They are happy to be chosen, and go willingly, and after some time to get used to the new way of life, they have a visit from the Great Leader. It happens at night when the girl is alone, and the Great Leader initiates the young girl. She is then taught to serve and service the male members of the military and the government.
Sueno eventually meets up with Doc Yong, and he indeed has a son. Together they navigate the tunnels to get back to South Korea. But that is not the happy ending Sueno hopes for.
The Joy Brigade is a departure from the earlier Sueno and Bascom books in this series. For the first time, Bascom is only a small mention at the end of the book, with Sueno carrying the entire story. This book is less humorous than the previous books, although some cleverly funny remarks appear in the latter part of the story. While all the books of the series are fascinating in their portrayal of a Korea torn apart by war, and American soldiers in large numbers changing everything about Seoul, The Joy Brigade seems to bring out the horror of living in a country at war and a country under total dictatorship. The loss of loved ones, the desperation of survival and the fight for individualism is well told.
For readers who liked Frank Church’s Inspector O or Eliot Patteson’s series set in Tibet under the Chinese rule, The Joy Brigade is a glimpse at the heart of people just trying to live their life without the interference of the harsh conditions of the government. Barbara
July 10, 2012
It’s the early 1970s and the passions are still heated on the Korean peninsula. The presence of the US Army in the South makes the people feel more and more uncomfortable, while in the North the People’s Army seems to be preparing for a big event: an assault against the former in order to reunite the country.
The US army chiefs feel quite unsettled about the situation and that’s exactly when Sergeant George Sueño, a young Mexican American stationed indefinitely with the U.S. 8th Army in South Korea as a Military Police detective, comes in. This time his mission though is quite different, as he no longer has to try and make soldiers behave, but is ordered to do the impossible: infiltrate the inner circles of the North Korean Communist Party.
Why do that? To smuggle out an ancient map detailing the network of secret tunnels that run underneath the De-Militarized Zone. How is he supposed to do that? By meeting its keeper, Doc Yong, as he calls her, an ex-lover of his that had to flee to the North after she was accused of murder.
Things are complicated to start with, but they will become more so as he’ll arrive at the North Korean port city of Nampo, aboard an Albanian merchant freighter. He first has to escape the attention of the port authorities and then meet a disillusioned hero of the revolution who’s supposed to take him to Pyongyang, where he’s going to meet the Doc, but also compete in a Taekwondo tournament in order to get closer to his goals. Talk about complicated, huh!
There’s an old proverb that goes: When the people are planning the gods are laughing. Well the gods would have a pretty good laugh if they caught a sniff of George’s plans. This is not a novel where someone would wonder how something could go wrong, but one where he or she would be surprised if nothing did.
Even the hero has his doubts as to whether his mission could ever be accomplished, as he’s afraid that he’ll not only get arrested but that he’ll be tortured as well. The plan is ridiculous and he knows it, everyone does, but yet he has no other option; it’s either try and stop a war, or do nothing and pay the consequences.
Well, he tries. He tries hard. And he succeeds. And he fails. Yes, he does both, since his is a mission of many and varying parts, with varying degrees of difficulty. During his long journey into the secluded country he’ll come to learn a lot of things about its people, he’ll face danger and meet kindness, and he’ll get to know tenderness and bathe in deception.
The author seems to know his subject matter so well that the events he describes sound more or less true. The wars, the landscape, the madness, he describes in words rich in their simplicity. As for his characters, they are all full of passions and with deep belief in their causes, even the infamous ones, like the pretty and sadistic she-Captain Rhee Mi-sook and the infamous Moon Chaser, a man of many faults and just as many qualities.
The Joy Brigade, that took its name from a female brigade, the members of which were supposed to serve the nation and the Great Leader by becoming slaves to the male elite, is not only a thriller. It’s also a story about fathers and daughters, about pride in war and disgrace, and about love in its most pure and its most vile forms.
Love is beauty, love is life, but at the same time it could be ugliness and death. The author masterfully plants into his story the different manifestations of love, which at some points offer the reader more thrilling moments than the action itself.
The US army chiefs feel quite unsettled about the situation and that’s exactly when Sergeant George Sueño, a young Mexican American stationed indefinitely with the U.S. 8th Army in South Korea as a Military Police detective, comes in. This time his mission though is quite different, as he no longer has to try and make soldiers behave, but is ordered to do the impossible: infiltrate the inner circles of the North Korean Communist Party.
Why do that? To smuggle out an ancient map detailing the network of secret tunnels that run underneath the De-Militarized Zone. How is he supposed to do that? By meeting its keeper, Doc Yong, as he calls her, an ex-lover of his that had to flee to the North after she was accused of murder.
Things are complicated to start with, but they will become more so as he’ll arrive at the North Korean port city of Nampo, aboard an Albanian merchant freighter. He first has to escape the attention of the port authorities and then meet a disillusioned hero of the revolution who’s supposed to take him to Pyongyang, where he’s going to meet the Doc, but also compete in a Taekwondo tournament in order to get closer to his goals. Talk about complicated, huh!
There’s an old proverb that goes: When the people are planning the gods are laughing. Well the gods would have a pretty good laugh if they caught a sniff of George’s plans. This is not a novel where someone would wonder how something could go wrong, but one where he or she would be surprised if nothing did.
Even the hero has his doubts as to whether his mission could ever be accomplished, as he’s afraid that he’ll not only get arrested but that he’ll be tortured as well. The plan is ridiculous and he knows it, everyone does, but yet he has no other option; it’s either try and stop a war, or do nothing and pay the consequences.
Well, he tries. He tries hard. And he succeeds. And he fails. Yes, he does both, since his is a mission of many and varying parts, with varying degrees of difficulty. During his long journey into the secluded country he’ll come to learn a lot of things about its people, he’ll face danger and meet kindness, and he’ll get to know tenderness and bathe in deception.
The author seems to know his subject matter so well that the events he describes sound more or less true. The wars, the landscape, the madness, he describes in words rich in their simplicity. As for his characters, they are all full of passions and with deep belief in their causes, even the infamous ones, like the pretty and sadistic she-Captain Rhee Mi-sook and the infamous Moon Chaser, a man of many faults and just as many qualities.
The Joy Brigade, that took its name from a female brigade, the members of which were supposed to serve the nation and the Great Leader by becoming slaves to the male elite, is not only a thriller. It’s also a story about fathers and daughters, about pride in war and disgrace, and about love in its most pure and its most vile forms.
Love is beauty, love is life, but at the same time it could be ugliness and death. The author masterfully plants into his story the different manifestations of love, which at some points offer the reader more thrilling moments than the action itself.
April 28, 2012
First Line: Yellow floodlights loomed out of thick fog.
It's the early 1970s in South Korea. US military police officer George Sueño is being sent on a very important mission. Kim Il-Sung intends to reunite North and South Korea before he hands over control to his son. This means that North Korean forces are planning to cross the DMZ and overpower the South Korean government. Sueño's mission is to prevent this by sneaking into North Korea to obtain an ancient map that details a network of secret tunnels that runs beneath the DMZ. To do this, he must go undercover into the heart of Communist North Korea.
His mission-- almost impossible to begin with-- is further complicated due to his skepticism and to the fact that the keeper of the map is Doc Yong, a former lover who had to flee South Korea the year before. The plan rapidly begins to unravel. Rhee Mi-Sook, a leader of the North Korean secret police, is hot on Sueño's trail, and it's all his contact, Hero Kang, can do to keep them one step ahead. Things are looking bleak indeed when Sueño is captured. Is he going to survive long enough to find out what a group of women called the Joy Brigade has to do with this mission?
Limón is an expert angler because he hooked me immediately. There's no setting the scene or long explanations of what's going on. Sueño has started out on the mission on the first page, and he's scared to death. This character is no Superman. He's a normal guy who gets scared, doesn't like pain, and prefers not to take unnecessary risks. However, he's in the military, so he has to follow orders. At least he has an incentive named Doc Yong to keep him going-- not that he has much of an alternative since things begin to go wrong very quickly.
This author portrays Koreans with great sensitivity. On the run and hiding in the rural areas of a hostile country, Sueño finds no difference between the Koreans of the North and those of the South. The real difference lies in how the people of the North have been systematically brutalized by the government that's supposed to have their best interests at heart. Reading these books set in the 1970s will help any reader to understand the North Korea of today.
More than once Sueño has to place his trust in people who are his sworn enemies. More than once he has to put himself in danger in order to do what's right. Rhee Mi-Sook, the beautiful North Korean secret police officer who's tracking him down, is a complex and compelling character. Her government has twisted her into a brilliant sociopath, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of her in future books.
Is there torture and sex in this book? Yes, but none of it is graphic or gratuitous. Through it all Sueño must keep focused on his objective. He doesn't dwell on what happens. It's happened, and he must keep on going. Since he's the one telling the story and he doesn't want to dwell on pain or humiliation, we don't get buried in the details. Since I'm not a fan of pain or humiliation myself, my imagination worked just fine with what it was given, and I appreciated Limón's light and controlled touch.
I value this series for its neatly plotted action and intriguing mysteries. I value it for its portrayal of a wonderful people and their culture. But more than that, I value these books for the characters and their relationships with each other. George Sueño and Harry Bosch would get along just fine because the two of them both believe "We all count, or nobody counts."
It's the early 1970s in South Korea. US military police officer George Sueño is being sent on a very important mission. Kim Il-Sung intends to reunite North and South Korea before he hands over control to his son. This means that North Korean forces are planning to cross the DMZ and overpower the South Korean government. Sueño's mission is to prevent this by sneaking into North Korea to obtain an ancient map that details a network of secret tunnels that runs beneath the DMZ. To do this, he must go undercover into the heart of Communist North Korea.
His mission-- almost impossible to begin with-- is further complicated due to his skepticism and to the fact that the keeper of the map is Doc Yong, a former lover who had to flee South Korea the year before. The plan rapidly begins to unravel. Rhee Mi-Sook, a leader of the North Korean secret police, is hot on Sueño's trail, and it's all his contact, Hero Kang, can do to keep them one step ahead. Things are looking bleak indeed when Sueño is captured. Is he going to survive long enough to find out what a group of women called the Joy Brigade has to do with this mission?
Limón is an expert angler because he hooked me immediately. There's no setting the scene or long explanations of what's going on. Sueño has started out on the mission on the first page, and he's scared to death. This character is no Superman. He's a normal guy who gets scared, doesn't like pain, and prefers not to take unnecessary risks. However, he's in the military, so he has to follow orders. At least he has an incentive named Doc Yong to keep him going-- not that he has much of an alternative since things begin to go wrong very quickly.
This author portrays Koreans with great sensitivity. On the run and hiding in the rural areas of a hostile country, Sueño finds no difference between the Koreans of the North and those of the South. The real difference lies in how the people of the North have been systematically brutalized by the government that's supposed to have their best interests at heart. Reading these books set in the 1970s will help any reader to understand the North Korea of today.
More than once Sueño has to place his trust in people who are his sworn enemies. More than once he has to put himself in danger in order to do what's right. Rhee Mi-Sook, the beautiful North Korean secret police officer who's tracking him down, is a complex and compelling character. Her government has twisted her into a brilliant sociopath, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of her in future books.
Is there torture and sex in this book? Yes, but none of it is graphic or gratuitous. Through it all Sueño must keep focused on his objective. He doesn't dwell on what happens. It's happened, and he must keep on going. Since he's the one telling the story and he doesn't want to dwell on pain or humiliation, we don't get buried in the details. Since I'm not a fan of pain or humiliation myself, my imagination worked just fine with what it was given, and I appreciated Limón's light and controlled touch.
I value this series for its neatly plotted action and intriguing mysteries. I value it for its portrayal of a wonderful people and their culture. But more than that, I value these books for the characters and their relationships with each other. George Sueño and Harry Bosch would get along just fine because the two of them both believe "We all count, or nobody counts."
December 2, 2012
There's no joy in the Joy Brigade but it's still a good yarn, if not an unbelievable one. Sueno is behind the lines in North Korea for the entire book and he ends up on a tireless quest with numerous obstacles in his way-it's almost like the Holy Grail or a fairy tale with a spy thriller thrown in. Sueno steams into Nampo to link up with an agent who will direct him to someone with a historical artifact, a map which purports to show ancient caves and passages that lead under the DMZ into South Korea. Also there's much anxiety about the North Koreans launching an attack through their numerous underground tunnels. Is this passage one of them? Sueno links up with the love of his life and has numerous adventures that assault the limits of believability. But I kept reading as you just want him to complete the mission (whatever that is) and live happily ever after. After all this excitement life returns to normal as if this James Bond type of adventure had never happened. Such is the life of an army CID agent in 1970's South Korea.
February 6, 2017
Although I like Martin Limon's books, I don't particularly like the action parts. This, unfortunately, was action from beginning to end. I also am not fond of seductress Rhee, who, I think, has appeared in other books. I rarely read books in a series out of order. Somehow, I screwed up with Sueno/Bascom series.
There was none of the back-and-forth talk with Ernie, who barely appears in the book. For some, the scary feats of defeating danger, surviving under fire, might be why they read Limon, in which case, they will love this book. I read to enjoy the characters and to get a feeling for Korean life. Since most of the book takes place in North Korea, the setting is bleak and, with a few exceptions (Hero Kang!), the secondary characters are sad, too. Perhaps I really don't want to inhabit the North Korean world, Limon wrote about. Nevertheless, that fact informs my rating. His previous books have had a strange optimism about them. Not so this.
There was none of the back-and-forth talk with Ernie, who barely appears in the book. For some, the scary feats of defeating danger, surviving under fire, might be why they read Limon, in which case, they will love this book. I read to enjoy the characters and to get a feeling for Korean life. Since most of the book takes place in North Korea, the setting is bleak and, with a few exceptions (Hero Kang!), the secondary characters are sad, too. Perhaps I really don't want to inhabit the North Korean world, Limon wrote about. Nevertheless, that fact informs my rating. His previous books have had a strange optimism about them. Not so this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2017
Hmm. Sr. Limon grows dangerously close to jumping the shark with this entry. The previous novel in the series, "Mr. Kill", not only had the protagonists interacting with the Green Berets, but it was also supposed to act as a jumping off point for this flawed exercise in fantasy.
It failed on several different levels: a) it took Ernie Bascomb out of the equation after working strenuously to establish him as the narrator's foil; b) it used an implausible plot line & c) it seemed disjointed & jarring in its execution.
I am glad to be coming (back) to the series late in its inception because if I had had to wait between "Mr. Kill" & this one & then wait again for "The Iron Sickle", I may have given up. I now have high hopes for the latter to get us all back on track.
It failed on several different levels: a) it took Ernie Bascomb out of the equation after working strenuously to establish him as the narrator's foil; b) it used an implausible plot line & c) it seemed disjointed & jarring in its execution.
I am glad to be coming (back) to the series late in its inception because if I had had to wait between "Mr. Kill" & this one & then wait again for "The Iron Sickle", I may have given up. I now have high hopes for the latter to get us all back on track.
March 6, 2013
This author is new to me, and this isn't the first book in the series, but I really enjoyed it. It takes place against a period and place in history that I don't know much about. I look forward to reading more books in this series.
It takes place behind the lines, in North Korea. The protagonist is an undercover spy for American intelligence, tasked with a seemingly impossible mission. Reading about the events of the time, the customs of the country, and learning about a main character that was new to me was quite enjoyable, in addition to going along on the mission with him.
It takes place behind the lines, in North Korea. The protagonist is an undercover spy for American intelligence, tasked with a seemingly impossible mission. Reading about the events of the time, the customs of the country, and learning about a main character that was new to me was quite enjoyable, in addition to going along on the mission with him.
May 20, 2015
This was a non-stop thriller that mostly takes place in North Korea. It reminded me of the old time serials where it looks like the hero is a goner but is somehow saved in the last minute. Sgt. Sueno is solo until the very end when he returns to South Korea and joins up with Sgt. Bascom. Because of that, there was no joking around for the entire book--it was serious and appropriately so. I really like this series and appreciated the change of pace and characters in this story, which didn't really end with closure, which leaves me eager to read the next book. The Iron Sickle
September 28, 2015
I just couldn't find the excitement in Sueno's mission to North Korea. I'm sure it was basically the setting and motivations of the 'evil' regime and the sad way of life for most of those in this story that disaffected me. Limon did a good job showing the huge differences between South and North Korea culture but aside from that, the story didn't do much for me. It was interesting that Sueno's path crossed again with the doctor but the resolution/non-resolution there was frustrating.
July 4, 2012
A bit of a departure for Martin Limon; his excellent crime series featuring a duo of MPs in 1970 era South Korean takes one of them to North Korea (disguised as a Warsaw Pact officer) on a secret assignment. The result is a page-turner of a suspense novel, set within the odd world of the Great Leader and the people's paradise.
June 17, 2016
The plot is a little hard to believe: A soldier risks his life by going into North Korea with his only chance of escape being the unlikely event of him winning a Taekwondo tournament. But it's not a bad book. It's well written and moves quickly.
What most intrigued me was the insights into life in North Korea. I may look for some nonfiction books on the subject.
What most intrigued me was the insights into life in North Korea. I may look for some nonfiction books on the subject.
November 27, 2012
Another good addition to an excellent series. The upside down reality of life in North Korea under the Great Leader and the blinkered cold war mentality of the American brass are both well portrayed.
May 15, 2012
Oops. This one came in over the weekend and I couldn't resist. Very good, I'd call it a thriller more than a mystery. Great series.
May 2, 2019
Quite a different departure from the usual Sueno and Bascom books. This time Sueno is inserted into N. Korea as an undercover agent to bring back information. Quite an interesting read on what N. Korea is like and how people live and act there.
I'm steadily going through the Sueno and Bascom series. Unfortunately, there are only 14 books plus a book of short stories. I started in the middle, then started reading them somewhat in order. I really like this series because they are easy to read and follow and easy to get into. It's best to read them in order if you are starting new.
The setting is 1970's South Korea and the protagonists are two 8th Army CID detectives. Bascom is a bit like Michael Connelly's Bosch in that he doesn't care for protocol and is more likely to antagonize the people he comes in contact with rather than acting like a normal person and that includes his superiors. Sueno is somewhat the same but more level headed. Both are good CID detectives who don't have time for BS and try to solve the crimes they are tasked to instead of slacking off. Another selling point for them is that they try to relate to the native Koreans as people rather than 2nd class citizens to abuse like some other Americans. Limon does a great job of making the characters real (including the bit parts, the GI's and the Koreans). That's the character study part that I like.
The other good part is the setting. Limon was actually serving in Korea and gives a really good depiction of it from the GI point of view. It's like going back in time with the US Army. Not all of it is good; there's a lot of corruption, poverty, booze and sex, yea, some of it actually reads like The Virgin Soldiers (Leslie Thomas). He makes the country and the people come to life.
The army police procedural part is only so-so. There isn't a lot of excitement in the cases. The detectives do their due diligence, do their footwork and solve the crimes. There is mystery but somehow Limon just doesn't get a lot of excitement across. The interest I get from reading the books is from the character development; I care what happens to the people in the story more than I do about the crimes.
That's the basic review. I can't add a lot about this book itself, not that it matters much to me. I find all the stories fairly uniform and as I go through the series I feel like I'm binge watching a TV show - I finish one episode and move along to the next. They are all different stories but in the same format. Overall, I really like the series and highly recommend them.
I'm steadily going through the Sueno and Bascom series. Unfortunately, there are only 14 books plus a book of short stories. I started in the middle, then started reading them somewhat in order. I really like this series because they are easy to read and follow and easy to get into. It's best to read them in order if you are starting new.
The setting is 1970's South Korea and the protagonists are two 8th Army CID detectives. Bascom is a bit like Michael Connelly's Bosch in that he doesn't care for protocol and is more likely to antagonize the people he comes in contact with rather than acting like a normal person and that includes his superiors. Sueno is somewhat the same but more level headed. Both are good CID detectives who don't have time for BS and try to solve the crimes they are tasked to instead of slacking off. Another selling point for them is that they try to relate to the native Koreans as people rather than 2nd class citizens to abuse like some other Americans. Limon does a great job of making the characters real (including the bit parts, the GI's and the Koreans). That's the character study part that I like.
The other good part is the setting. Limon was actually serving in Korea and gives a really good depiction of it from the GI point of view. It's like going back in time with the US Army. Not all of it is good; there's a lot of corruption, poverty, booze and sex, yea, some of it actually reads like The Virgin Soldiers (Leslie Thomas). He makes the country and the people come to life.
The army police procedural part is only so-so. There isn't a lot of excitement in the cases. The detectives do their due diligence, do their footwork and solve the crimes. There is mystery but somehow Limon just doesn't get a lot of excitement across. The interest I get from reading the books is from the character development; I care what happens to the people in the story more than I do about the crimes.
That's the basic review. I can't add a lot about this book itself, not that it matters much to me. I find all the stories fairly uniform and as I go through the series I feel like I'm binge watching a TV show - I finish one episode and move along to the next. They are all different stories but in the same format. Overall, I really like the series and highly recommend them.
September 28, 2025
The cover says it is a Sueno and Bascom mystery set in South Korea, but it’s a Sueno spy thriller set in North Korea. Somehow this book made me question my appreciation of previous books because it seemed to highlight the aspects of the series that make things seem implausible— Like George’s youth (I think he’s 23 which isn’t mentioned here but his idiotic behavior reminded me of this constantly), his study of Korean and taekwondo (if you ever wondered, “Since they brought up taekwondo in the first book, are they ever going to do something with that information other than occasionally kick in doors?” like me— You get two somewhat tedious chapters of George participating in a taekwondo tournament which was not how I expected or wanted the taekwondo aspect to play out). The ending is unsatisfying but perhaps to be expected.
The setting inhibits the action and characterization, so it illustrates well the grim limited scope of life in North Korea but naturally lacks the humor, complexity, action, color and elements of surprise of previous books set in South Korea.
It could also be that the environment of this book purposely highlighted how George (and the governments he usually works in and with) are out of their element and not equipped to deal with North Korea, which I can appreciate but doesn’t lessen my disappointment with this book
The setting inhibits the action and characterization, so it illustrates well the grim limited scope of life in North Korea but naturally lacks the humor, complexity, action, color and elements of surprise of previous books set in South Korea.
It could also be that the environment of this book purposely highlighted how George (and the governments he usually works in and with) are out of their element and not equipped to deal with North Korea, which I can appreciate but doesn’t lessen my disappointment with this book
November 14, 2020
Mr. Limon spent ten years with the U.S.Army in Korea. With that behind him his series of novels about Army Sgt. Sueno and company have to be taken as accurate pictures of Korean life. When one adds to his information that gleaned from James Church's work about Inspector O, a picture emerges with good detail. Of course, other sources contribute over the years in periodicals, for instance.
As for the present story, set in the early 70s, it is a tale of high adventure, full of close calls, capture and escape, prison and battle. There are secret tunnels and ancient caves. And a predictable ending, given the usual lackluster performance of our foreign policy and our molasses military. One feature which resonates with today's political foolishness is the descriptions of how The Dear Leader manipulated the perceptions of the North Korean people and used fear to keep his apparatus loyal.
Recommended.
As for the present story, set in the early 70s, it is a tale of high adventure, full of close calls, capture and escape, prison and battle. There are secret tunnels and ancient caves. And a predictable ending, given the usual lackluster performance of our foreign policy and our molasses military. One feature which resonates with today's political foolishness is the descriptions of how The Dear Leader manipulated the perceptions of the North Korean people and used fear to keep his apparatus loyal.
Recommended.
August 27, 2022
This book is the 8th in the series by Martin Limon. I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous 7 books, but unfortunately this one fell short.
I have grown to love these 8th Army CID detectives. They are a great compliment to one another. They play great off of each other. For some reason the successful team was broken up for this story. Sgt Sueno is given a separate mission without his trusty sidekick. This book, to me, takes Sgt Sueno out of the character of an Army detective and turns him into a James Bond kind of character. He seems much smarter now, and now has a black belt in martial arts. (He used to get his ass kicked on a regular basis.) It just isn't the same lovable person.
I won't reveal the ending, but it was a real disappointment. Besides not really ending. Maybe the same story will continue in book #9.
I wasn't as happy with this book as the first 7. I do have the next 3 books. Hopefully they will get us back to basics.
I have grown to love these 8th Army CID detectives. They are a great compliment to one another. They play great off of each other. For some reason the successful team was broken up for this story. Sgt Sueno is given a separate mission without his trusty sidekick. This book, to me, takes Sgt Sueno out of the character of an Army detective and turns him into a James Bond kind of character. He seems much smarter now, and now has a black belt in martial arts. (He used to get his ass kicked on a regular basis.) It just isn't the same lovable person.
I won't reveal the ending, but it was a real disappointment. Besides not really ending. Maybe the same story will continue in book #9.
I wasn't as happy with this book as the first 7. I do have the next 3 books. Hopefully they will get us back to basics.
February 14, 2019
#44 for the year the 14th of february 2019 thursday afternoon finished good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner...didn't like the finish. meh. liked the use of the korean language sprinkled throughout. thought there were some too-easy outs...at least one, after during the orgy...given all that went prior...didn't get the one woman who shows up in uniform at the end...what was that all about. first from limón for me.
May 12, 2020
This is such a terrific series. Good characters and really interesting background on Korea. But this novel is horrible. The plot is IN-SANE from beginning to end. The travails that George goes through would kill any ordinary mortal. And the whiffs of soft core porn are embarrassing. Fingers crossed that we get back to normal in the next book.
December 8, 2021
I forgot that I really have never liked any of the Martin Limon books I've read. And this one, as another reader has said, is even more implausible than previous ones. If this is supposed to inform the reader about N Korea and Koreans it certainly didn't achieve that goal - and was just not that interesting.
April 6, 2023
It has been a while since I continued this Sueno & Bascom series. This was #8 in the series, the previous, have all been read. Very good writing. Lemon having served many years in Korea knows his stuff. I had to hunt out this book through the Interlibrary Loan System. I have the next one in the series so will be able to continue on. Well worth the effort.
August 30, 2023
This was a good solid book in the series. It is full of action and is a good espionage story. The case is not like the normal case that the duo has faced before. The setting is North Korea and Sueno is without his partner most of the time. This is not my favorite book in the series by any means, but it is still a good solid read.
October 31, 2018
a little too unbelievable for me
April 5, 2021
Non è un giallo - è un bel thriller (a sfondo spionaggio) che si legge velocemente. Il personaggio (compare solo Sueno - Bascom è assente) e l’ambientazione lo rendono godibile.
April 15, 2021
Could not put it down - very suspenseful!
May 12, 2023
More of Sueno's private life in this one. Get to see a lot more of hispersonality in this one.
August 24, 2024
I read this in a day; Sgt. Sueño got quite beat up rushing about the North Korean countryside.
June 12, 2016
FWIW: George Sueño's CID partner, Ernie Bascom, is almost totally absent from this novel.
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