G.I. Bones

September 28, 2009
When a Korean fortune-teller claims the spirit of a long dead American soldier is bothering her at the outset of Limón's well-crafted sixth mystery to feature U.S. Army criminal investigators George Sueño and Ernie Bascom (after 2007's The Wandering Ghost
), the pair delve deep into the more than 20-year-old case of Tech. Sgt. Florencio R. Moretti, who went missing in 1953 and is presumed dead. At first, their mission is simply to find Moretti's remains, but as they search for the truth in Seoul's red-light district, Itaewon, they uncover a past of military and government corruption, prostitution and murder. As usual, Sueño and Bascom don't hesitate to put their own lives and careers at risk. Limón's own experiences as a U.S. soldier stationed in Korea serve to enrich the intricate portrait of 1970s Seoul. While excessive attention to details of Korean language and dialect slow the pace at times, loyal fans and newcomers alike should be pleased. Author tour.

October 1, 2009
When a two-fisted military sleuth shakes the trees in search of a soldier's remains, he uncovers secrets some would kill to protect.

Narrator George Sue˜o, agent for the Criminal Investigation Division of the 8th U.S. Army in Seoul, circa 1973, gets a strange request from Auntie Mee, a highly respected local woman known as"the most famous chom-cheingi in Seoul," whom he's met through his close friend Doc Yong. The mysterious fortune teller requests that Sue˜o find the bones of a G.I. she calls Mori Di. Cryptically, Auntie Mee warns that failure to find the bones will prove perilous to Miss Kwon, a delicate young"business girl" Doc Yong has taken under his wing. The victim of an unsolved murder, Mori Di has haunted Auntie Mee's dreams for nearly two decades. Sue˜o's respect for Doc Yong prompts him to take the matter seriously. With his sidekick Bascom, he searches military records from the Korean War and discovers the identity of the likely victim: Sgt. Florencio Moretti, missing and presumed dead. Further research reveals that an investigator calling himself Cort found evidence of multiple coverups, both American and Korean, of Moretti's movements and of a shameful incident known as the Itaewon Massacre. A lively subplot involves AWOL corporal Francisco"Paco" Bernal, his underage girlfriend Jessica Tidwell (a rigid colonel's wild daughter) and his theft of thousands in government money.

Sue˜o's sixth mystery (The Wandering Ghost, 2007, etc.) combines a brash, righteous hero with gritty local color for a crackling good read.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2009
Adult/High School-Military Police Sergeants Sueño and Bascom are pitted against the Seven Dragons, gang lords of Itaewon, the red-light district of Seoul, in this sixth volume in the highly praised and popular crime series set in 1970s Korea. The plot is crisp, the characters are fully portrayed, and the dialogue is convincing. But perhaps the authors greatest strength is his richly rendered atmosphere. With a full palette of sights, sounds, smells, and tastes, he creates a window into another world, a foreign culture (for most American readers), and a set of circumstances fraught with intrigue, danger, hope, and passion. The two sergeants of the United States 8th Army Criminal Investigation Detachment are called upon to find the bones of a G.I. named Moretti, who was murdered some 20 years earlier but whose body was never found. Now, some two decades later, his bones become restless, apparently stalking a fortune-teller, Aunti Mee. She calls upon the resourceful team of Sueño and Bascom to find the bones and send them back to the United States, so that both the dead and the living can get some peace. The sergeants pursue the case, against the wishes of nearly everyone in positions of authority and power. A subplot involves an Army officers teenage daughter who goes missing, and who is determined to free herself from the shackles of her overbearing parents. Thats an old story, but one that is given a new setting and new consequences in Limóns gritty, always entertaining novel."Robert Saunderson, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2009
Sergeant Sueo of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Eighth U.S. Army in Seoul, South Korea, is asked to find the bones of a G.I. murdered at the end of the Korean War. Apparently, his ghost is haunting local fortune-tellers. But Sueo and his partner, Bascom, who are also probing the disappearace of an officer's daughter, find their lives are on the line when present-day criminals get into the action. VERDICT In this sixth series entry (after "The Wandering Ghost"), the author demonstrates his knowledge of military politics and South Korea in the 1970s. The only question is why Limn has not received more recognition. Mystery fans, especially male readers and those who enjoy gritty police procedurals in exotic locations, will want this solid crime novel.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2009
Sergeants Sueo and Bascom, of Eighth Army Criminal Investigations Division in Seoul, Korea, are pulled into a cold case dating back to the 1953 cease-fire, when much of the country had been reduced to rubble. A Sergeant Moretti was assigned to rebuild Itaewon, a district adjacent to the U.S. main base, now famous for its bars and business girls. The altruistic Morettis projects fed and housed thousands of refugees and protected them from rising criminal gangs. But Moretti disappeared, and Sueo and Bascom must battle a powerful gang, the Korean National Police, and army bureaucracy to learn his fate. This is Limns sixth Sueo and Bascom adventure, and fans will be rewarded with what is arguably the best novel in the series. Its an action-packed, convoluted tale of altruism, tragedy, revenge, and miscalculation, enriched by insights into Korean politics, culture, and society, as well as into the equally foreign culture of the U.S. Army. The relentless action and the vivid portrait of a little-known country drive the appeal of this outstanding crime novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)