The hoary ad line “Ripped from today’s headlines!” is an almost comically ironic way to describe Lucian K. Truscott IV’s Heart of War (Dutton, $23.95), an entertaining, provocative and brassy whodunit. Considering that much of Truscott’s story is set in military courts-martial, though, no other phrase leaps so immediately to mind.
At its most basic level, “Heart of War” tries to unravel the mystery that surrounds the murders of two female officers stationed at Ft. Benning, Ga. More to Truscott’s point, however, the Army’s politically charged investigation allows for a serious discussion of sexual mores, political ambition and homophobia in the military. Born into a distinguished Army family, Truscott–a West Point grad and author of “Dress Gray”–knows the terrain as well as any writer, and it shows at every turn in the narrative.
Maj. Kara Guidry, an up-and-coming lawyer in the judge advocate general’s office, is assigned to investigate the murders and prosecute the case. It only complicates matters when the major discovers that she and both of the victims spent time in the sack–15 years apart–with the leading suspect, who turns out to be the very-married base commander. Aside from being a randy old goat and possibly a serial killer, Gen. William Beckwith also is a leading candidate to become the next Army chief of staff.
Guidry, for her part, is no model officer. She’s deeply involved with a male sergeant several years her junior, leaving her open to charges of fraternization. Armed with this intelligence, Beckwith threatens the major with blackmail.
Guidry’s nothing if not persistent, though. She risks all by agreeing to defend the man ultimately charged in the murder–Beckwith’s closeted aide and all-purpose beard–and puts the career of another gay officer at risk when she asks him to provide an alibi for her client.
If all this sounds too much like “Ft. Melrose Place,” be assured that Truscott nimbly avoids most of the soap-opera land mines that threaten to blow up his story’s credibility. By providing satisfying plot twists when needed and consistently challenging civilian notions of military life, he has produced a novel that ought to become a popular take-along title on trips to the beach and on peacekeeping missions overseas.
The Ax, by Donald E. Westlake (Mysterious, $23).
Here’s another intriguing novel that effectively exploits current events. In “The Ax,” the always inventive Westlake imagines an inky-black scenario in which one downsized middle manager improves his chances of finding a new job simply by eliminating the competition. After his seemingly secure job in a Connecticut paper company is eliminated, Burke Devore discovers how hard it is for a middle-age white male to find gainful employment and maintain any sense of dignity on the dole. We encounter the mild-mannered Devore at the point where he cleverly determines how he’ll reduce the size of the talent pool for what could be a rare job opening.
“I’m not a killer,” he tells the reader. “I’m not a murderer, I never was, I don’t want to be such a thing, soulless and ruthless and empty. That’s not me. What I’m doing now I was forced into, by the logic of events; the shareholders’ logic, and executives’ logic, and the logic of the marketplace, and the logic of the work force, and the logic of the millennium, and finally by my own logic.
“Show me an alternative, and I’ll take it. What I’m doing now is horrible, difficult and frightening, but I have to do it to save my own life.”
This type of inner dialogue–scary, but also darkly comic–fills the book and echoes Jim Thompson’s “The Killer Inside Me.” While “The Ax” is filled with violent acts, not much crime detection actually takes place. Instead, Westlake is concerned more with forcing readers to put themselves in Devore’s shoes than bringing him to justice. As such, he has crafted a brilliant cautionary tale that should be required for MBA candidates.
Star Witness, by Lia Matera (Simon & Schuster, $22).
The galleys for this eerie whodunit had already been shipped when the Heaven’s Gate faithful decided to follow their muse to the UFO hiding behind the Hale-Bopp comet. Thus, Matera can’t be accused of capitalizing on their mass suicide. Still, comparisons are likely to be drawn, as her protagonist, attorney Willa Jansson, is hired to defend a California man against charges of vehicular manslaughter. The plea: not guilty–the accused, having been abducted by aliens at the time, was nowhere near the scene of the fatal accident involving his car. Matera has done her homework and gives her client–and readers–their money’s worth in a case filled with crop circles, black helicopters and bright lights from the sky.
Indigo Slam, by Robert Crais (Hyperion, $22.95).
In the latest installment of this increasingly popular Los Angeles-based series, hard-guy P.I. Elvis Cole is hired by three children to find their father, a counterfeiter who has been on the lam since leaving the government’s witness-protection program. As it turns out, Chuck Hewitt–master engraver and dope fiend–ran a scam on some unforgiving Russian Mafia types and needs to come up with a bundle of real money to ensure the security of his family before he either gets whacked or dies of cancer. To do this, he produces currency for Vietnamese freedom fighters based in Orange County. Cole and his enforcer find Hewitt’s cause to be the lesser of several evils and decide to help him out of his mess–thus guaranteeing, of course, an explosive climax. Crais is in fine form throughout much of the story, but there is some evidence that Cole’s increasingly serious relationship with Lucy Chenier is adding a squishiness to the series that could hurt future cases.
The Death and Life of Bobby Z, by Don Winslow (Knopf, $22).
This fast-paced, hyperviolent and often funny novel has already been grabbed by Warner Bros.–to the tune of about $750,000–as a project for director Richard (“Lethal Weapon”) Donner. Full of explosive action and deliciously evil characters–oh, yes, and a cute little tyke and sexy dame–it could make a nifty summer-action flick. Bobby Z is a legendary surfer-smuggler whose identity is assumed by Tim Kearney, a hard-luck con and former war hero let out of the joint to trap a Mexican drug lord. Things go desperately awry on the border, and Kearney must find a way to avoid various dopers, bikers, Indian trackers and corrupt federal drug agents to save himself and the reputation of his alias. He may be a loser, but Kearney displays the survival skills of a cockroach trained by Marines. Anyone fond of Kem Nunn’s studies of the dark side of southern California surfing and high-desert culture should find much in Winslow’s outrageous crime caper to their liking.
Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe: The Little Sister, illustrated by Michael Lark (Fireside, $15).
If you’re a fan of mysteries and are having trouble persuading your teenagers to read crime fiction, try the Classics Illustrated approach via this graphic adaptation of Chandler’s 1949 classic. The crisp dialogue and blunt action are a perfect fit for Lark’s sophisticated comic-book format, and his edgy drawing style captures all the noir shadings (Marlowe’s cigarette smoke takes on a life of its own) and post-war landmarks of Chandler’s L.A. No substitute for reading the novel, but an amusing diversion nonetheless.
