This is the rare collection whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Seventeen tough cases from the files of a pair of two-fisted military detectives, circa 1971.
George Sueño and his partner, Ernie Bascom, are stationed on the U.S. 8th Army base in South Korea. Even though it's been quite a while since the large-scale conflict in that country, there's still plenty of tension between the American military and the locals, as well as capital crimes involving both groups (The Joy Brigade, 2012, etc.). Many of the stories, written over two decades, have been previously published. Some highlights: "The Opposite of O" concerns the murder of a pair of Korean sisters and the culture clash it exemplifies. "Pusan Nights" brings Sueño and Bascom in to solve a series of muggings perpetrated against shipmates aboard the Kitty Hawk; the investigation does not go as planned. "A Piece of Rice Cake" starts as a slightly humorous tale about robbery at the Officer's Club but turns into a sad episode about the hardscrabble existence of the natives. "The Filial Wife" takes the duo to the city of Taegu to tackle a case with no suspects and, ultimately, a highly improbable killer. In "Seoul Story," the guys show a softer side when they rescue a local orphan clinging to life. Limón's strengths are the muscular immediacy of his prose, the gritty righteousness of his heroes and the vivid depiction of the complex subculture that they troll. The more streamlined plots of his short stories make these elements more prominent.
This is the rare collection whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61695-332-4
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Soho Crime
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
This ran in the S.E.P. and resulted in more demands for the story in book form than ever recorded. Well, here it is and it is a honey. Imagine ten people, not knowing each other, not knowing why they were invited on a certain island house-party, not knowing their hosts. Then imagine them dead, one by one, until none remained alive, nor any clue to the murderer. Grand suspense, a unique trick, expertly handled.
Pub Date: Feb. 21, 1939
ISBN: 0062073478
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1939
SEEN & HEARD
A murder is committed in a stalled transcontinental train in the Balkans, and every passenger has a watertight alibi. But Hercule Poirot finds a way.
**Note: This classic Agatha Christie mystery was originally published in England as Murder on the Orient Express, but in the United States as Murder in the Calais Coach. Kirkus reviewed the book in 1934 under the original US title, but we changed the title in our database to the now recognizable title Murder on the Orient Express. This is the only name now known for the book. The reason the US publisher, Dodd Mead, did not use the UK title in 1934 was to avoid confusion with the 1932 Graham Greene novel, Orient Express.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1934
ISBN: 978-0062073495
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1934
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
