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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
Secret Sanction by Brian Haig



Warner, Jun 2001, 24.95, 405 pp.
ISBN: 0466527432

    Every military officer knows that some assignments almost always lead to retirement such as the critical but deadly role of garrison commander. That is how Major Sean Drummond of the Judge Advocate General's Corps feels as he stops at Fort Bragg to catch a flight to Bosnia where his next case awaits him.

    In Bosnia, someone executed thirty-five Serbs gangland-style. The bodies were all found containing bullets in the brains. The international media quickly jumps on the Serbian claim that an American Special Forces team of nine people committed mass murder. Sean will prosecute the case against the accused American soldiers in a military court of law. However, as he gathers information and realizes that at least one of his two aids is a “spy”, Sean knows that there is more to this mass execution then the brass will tell him. Several of the higher-ranking officers advise Sean on the record (tape recording on) before warning him about going too far and destroying his career (tape recording off). Can Sean truly prosecute a case that his superior officers want him to lose?

    SECRET SANCTION is a powerfully fresh military legal thriller that provides sub-genre fans with insight into a different form of justice as well as a close up look at Bosnia. The invigorating story line centers on military justice and wondering if Sean, who believes in the Army values including justice and honor (while higher ranked officials use the values as a convenient façade) can fairly prosecute the case? Brian Haig shows insider information of the working of the US Army in a peacekeeping scenario. This adds spice to a well-written, issue-raising thriller.

Harriet Klausner


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - Dry-cynical
Time/era of story:
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Legal Thriller Yes
Legal Plotlets
descript. of violence and chases - 10 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 70 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
Motive of antagonist - power
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Eastern Europe

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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