The Sergeant And The Queen

Sergeant Corbin #2: “The Sergeant And The Queen” by Robert Crane (Con Leslie Sellers). This takes place in 1963, ten years after the first story “Sergeant Corbin’s War” that was set in the final months of the Korean War. In this story, military leaders in the South & North plan to put a queen on the throne of Korea, bringing the divided Koreas together once more. A descendant of a former queen has been found in America, Helen Min (Min Kilja), her ancestor had ruled Korea before her, and Korea would follow a new queen of the same bloodline. It was Corbin’s job to infiltrate North Korea with her, where their counterparts would plan her rise. Corbin is no longer an American soldier, but works for ROK General Pak Son Ap and Sheldon Shapiro of G-2 (Army Intelligence). He is known as The Butcher; he kills North Korean infiltrators and hangs their heads on poles as a warning to the North. The son of ministers who were killed by the Japanese, Corbin quotes the Bible, but knows no god. He was born in Korea, and has a Korean wife, so is a man of two countries. But his sympathies lie with Korea. The story has a good plot, but was slow. When there was action, it was fast, violent, and well-written, just not enough action to move the story along, so there was a lot of drag. Corbin loves his wife and wants to be faithful, but he finds Helen Min attractive sexually, and we have to read about this attraction page after page, along with the hatred of his parents and their religion. As a soldier who served on the Korean DMZ in 1959-’60, I enjoyed the familiar towns and areas described in the book. The author was probably more interesting than his fiction character. He served in two wars, was also a newspaper correspondent in Korea. He was a boxer, holding a title, and trained boxers. Again, a good story, it just needed more action, and less meaningless feelings he has of his parents, wife, and lust for Min Kilja.

The Fever Tree

“The Fever Tree” by Richard Mason. The author of “The World of Susie Wong” returns with a similar novel that takes place in India and Napal instead of Hong Kong.  Major Ronald Birkett of England is a cad. He uses people for his own gain. Ex British military, now a secret communist, he is a professional writer (the main character in Susie Wong was an amateur artist); he is also an assassin, and his job is to kill the Nepalese king. While in Delhi, India he meets Lakshmi Kapoor, an unhappy married woman looking for a fling with an Englishman. She falls in love with Birkett, who dismisses her affection, not relishing the idea of love. However, he slowly begins to fall in love with the beautiful Indian girl, and she becomes a distraction, while British intelligence might be on his trail. He sets up the kill using a local Indian Embassy official, a young married man, and father of two, with communist ties. The plan is to have the young man assassinate the king while he, Birkett, is elsewhere. The fever tree is Birkett’s dream of the African plain where he is a cheetah, a sleek, strong predator. This was another interesting story by Mason, but lacks the beauty of “The World of Susie Wong”, as well as the unforgettable characters from the earlier book. More literary than men’s action novel, it is still a good read.

Slicky Boys

Sueno & Bascom #2: “Slicky Boys” by Martin Limon. Army CID agents, Sgt. George Sueno and Sgt. Ernie Bascom work out of 8^th Army Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. In this second case, Sueno is now a corporal. Maybe he lost a stripe after the last case, but Bascom is still a sergeant. Still, it’s Sueno who leads the investigation. Bascom is merely a sounding board, and sometimes not even that. He really adds nothing to the cases. Plus, they are back together and back in Seoul, after separated and shipped to the DMZ when the last case was over. This time they are rooked into carrying a message to Cicil Whitcomb of the British Honor Guard for Miss Ku. When Whitcomb turns up murdered it throws suspicion on the CID boys, and they are hell-bent to solve the case. Even to the point of disobeying military orders and disobeying the Korean National Police. It is a good mystery, with lots of twists, but I just can’t accept these men as actual CID agents. I’ve known many from Korea to Europe, and the US in my twenty-year career as an Army military police NCO, but none acted like this pair. It’s almost like these men are civilian private detectives, doing what they want, when they want, and no one can stop them. The CID is better organized than this, and their agents work together, not against each other. Plus, they would have a superior Warrant Officer in charge of them, not the 1^st Sergeant. Okay, with that said, if you like a good mystery, you will like this. Just don’t mistake these slouches as real CID. The “slicky boys” organization does play a small part in this yarn, but they’re not the real focus of the mystery. The killer is a rogue American naval officer (AWOL), a well-trained SEAL, acting on his own for the North Koreans. And the plot - to pass on top secret information on placement of atomic bombs in mountains between the south and north by the American Forces, to use in case North Korea again crosses the 38^th into South Korea. I should say, unguarded nukes, at that. The locations are only known by the general command – unless the killer can get the info north. Can you imagine unguarded nukes between the north and south, and just how long that would remain secret? Please. America’s power is in its delivery system, not left unguarded where someone might – and could – stumble upon them! The author knows Korea; I’ll give him that. It is said that you must suspend your imagination to enjoy fiction. Perhaps, but I prefer some semblance of reality to any world I enter. Good mystery, good characterization (just not accurate), and will keep the reader turning the pages.

Brannan's Chase

Brandon's Chase by Stephen Cord: Joe Brannan and his boat, the Betty, are hired by three university types to search for possible areas to create artificial reefs along Thailand’s coast; however, it turns out they are really CIA. The Navy has lost a super weapon, and it is thought to be somewhere near the coast of Pattaya. Problems arise when a local Korean smuggler steals the weapon before the team can retrieve it, and now it’s heading for China en route to North Korea.

There is lots of action from the very beginning, as the Koreans kill two CIA agents and capture the third, framing Brannan for the murders. Joe is forced to run before the Thai police can arrest him, and now he needs to take the CIA woman away from her Korean captors to prove his innocence, but that isn’t going to be easy.

The Brannan series is the best new men’s action novels I have read in a long time. The author’s writing is fast, and the story flows smoothly, with plenty of action and suspense to keep the reader on the edge of their seats. Even though it appears the author may have killed off one of the more interesting characters in this story, I’m not totally convinced we’ve seen the last of North Korea’s highly trained Korean agent, Sook-Ju. I would certainly like to see her return in a future story, as she almost took the story away from the lead character. The read is definitely fun, and highly recommended. 

Hang Me In Hong Kong

Rick Shaw #1: “Hang Me In Hong Kong” by Earl Norman (Norman Thompson). Private-eye, Rick Shaw, Asia’s answer to a combination of James Bond and Mike Hammer, that is, if these two gentlemen also knew kung fu. Rick is Oxford educated, and his actual name is Richard Shaw II (I’m not sure where the II comes from, his father’s name was James). He is the scion of a wealthy family, and provided he behaves himself, his mama gives him a cool million every birthday. Rick doesn’t need the money from his private eyeing, he does it as a hobby, and only if there’s a woman involved in the case. A young man of basic non-violence, Rick solves his cases as he delivers death and destruction with Oriental finesse and smooth action.

         Richard Shaw is the offspring of an English father, James Muir Shaw of Scotland Yard (now dead) and a Chinese mother, Li Kung-yah, daughter of merchant and opium distributor, who is autocratic and filthy rich. Richard quickly becomes Rick Shaw (a play on rickshaw) – playboy, lover, man-about-town and collector of erotica and beautiful women.

         The case begins when a nightclub stripper, Rococo Baroque, comes to his apartment for help, and then drugs him before he can seduce her. Police Superintendent, Claude Bawls shows up to warn Rick to stay off the case, but we know he won’t. In the meantime, billionaire mother is trying to find a girl to settle Rick down – in marriage. Mama knows best.

         At one point Rick Shaw mentions a previous case, “Dash Me In Bangla”, but this is the only novel in the series ever published. I’m sure the author planned others, however. The plot is evasive. The first half of the book is dedicated to Shaw’s extensive sexual escapades, which he finds colorful metaphors to describe, like baseball games, etc.

         The plot is a merry-go-round that doesn’t make any sense until the end. Rick Shaw comes across as a sexual predator more than a detective of any note. Nor do we see any kung fu or martial arts of any sort until the final chapters. But it does work in the end, and everything comes together nicely. Unfortunately, this is no Burns Bannion, and no rousing karate fights with the bad guys, but given time I think Norman could have improved on the character.

         The plot was two-fold, a blackmailer and a Chinese communist rebel escaping from China. It was the mysterious goings-on that brought Rick into the case in the beginning, and his mother, the Moon Princess who brings the case to a close. But Rick winds up with the girl, and I won’t reveal which one, as even I had my doubts with this one. A fun read, only lacking in the martial arts from his previous series. Norman Thompson was a black belt in karate, and his “Kill Me In …” series was filled with fight scenes. “Hang Me In Hong Kong” was not.