By Brian Haig
Time Warner Audio Books - May 2002
ISBN: 1586212737 - Abridged Audio - 4 cassettes
Read by John Rubinstein
Espionage Thriller -
for Very mature theme
Reviewed by: Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.Com
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As a West Point graduate, a career military stagiest who served in the Army and special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brian Haig is one of those writers who writes what he knows and knows what he writes. If he ever gets stumped, all he has to do is call dad (former Secretary of State Alexander Haig) for a little know-how.
Mortal Allies is Haig's second novel starring Sean Drummond, a JAG lawyer. It begins with Drummond, who was in mid-holiday, arriving in his formal Bermuda attire - shorts and rumpled tee shirt to South Korea. It's during the memorable essence of Korea and a riot that Drummond discovers the case he has been ordered to is life-threatening to all involved. The officer he will be defending, Capt. Thomas Whitehall, has been accused of murdering and raping, in that order, the son of a South Korean defense minister. Later, Drummond discovers he will be second chair to a civilian lawyer; the very woman he competed with in law school. Katherine Carlson, now a famous lawyer, has been known to present her side of a case through the media. She isn't fond of the military or the "don't ask, don't tell" rule. Most of her clients are gay. Carlson's goal seems to be to use Drummond as a token for her legal team. The legal strategy is to prove Whitehall was framed, but Drummond feels it will be a mistake. Of course, that ends up being the least of his worries when the defense of a gay officer unravels clues of espionage and puts him in the line of fire.
With the ability to bring a military thriller to life along with the charismatic dry humor of his lead character, Haig's second novel is proof positive that he can compete with Clancy and DeMille. Readers can expect military justice along with a provocative storyline written in the voice of a clever storyteller.
And speaking of storyteller, actor John Rubinstein does a tremendous job of bringing Mortal Allies to life on Time Warner's audio book version.