Ah, here we have the goods. Whatever weaknesses Brian Haig's debut novel SECRET SANCTION possessed, they have been resolved with MORTAL ALLIES. If SECRET SANCTION started slowly and was somewhat tentative in its pacing, MORTAL ALLIES begins strongly and grows in stature throughout. Sean Drummond, the intriguing Army attorney introduced in SECRET SANCTION returns in MORTAL ALLIES. Never lacking in self-assurance, he is, if anything, even more confident and brash in MORTAL ALLIES. And that's a good thing.

MORTAL ALLIES begins with Drummond summoned to South Korea for reasons unknown but which are soon manifestly made clear. His assignment is to defend an Army officer accused of murdering his lover, who happens to be the son of the South Korean defense minister. That is the least of his difficulties, however. Drummond finds himself partnered as defense counsel with Katherine Carlson, a take-no-prisoners defense attorney who has made a career out of defending and representing gay clients. Carlson and Drummond went to law school together and were antagonists from the first day of class until graduation day. Carlson, for reasons of her own, has specifically asked for Drummond to be second chair on the defense team, and the two don't get along any better now than they did in law school. But that is not their only problem. They face a recalcitrant client, a prosecution-friendly judge, and a prosecutor who has never lost a case --- not to mention having the trial in a host country that is screaming for the blood of an American. Any American.

Drummond has an additional problem: the evidence points directly and irrevocably toward the guilt of his client. South Korea, meanwhile, is a powderkeg loaded with protest demonstrations and violent uprisings orchestrated by its neighbors to the North. Drummond's investigation soon uncovers an enemy within the very heart of the Army --- an enemy with a deadly plan whose aim reaches far beyond the conviction of an Army officer for the murder of a Korean.

Haig's sophomore effort is a solid, confident one. Enjoyment of MORTAL ALLIES is not predicated upon familiarity with SECRET SANCTION, as Haig does an excellent job of interspersing the relevant backstory for readers unfamiliar with that prior novel. Haig does a masterful job of building suspense as Drummond, and the reader, attempt to discern the guilt or innocence of his client. He also is up to the task of credibly detailing the complex relationship between Drummond and Carlson. It's not all based on dislike.

MORTAL ALLIES matches and exceeds the promise of SECRET SANCTION. Haig, considering his professional and personal background, undoubtedly has many more stories upon which to base many, many more novels. His readers, as their numbers exponentially grow, will undoubtedly be the winners.

   --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

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