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Shop nowThe Iron Sickle
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Learn moreEarly one rainy morning, the head of the US Eighth Army Claims Office in Seoul, South Korea, is brutally murdered by a Korean man in a trench coat carrying a small iron sickle hidden in his sleeve. The attack was a complete surprise, carefully planned and clinically executed. How did this unidentified Korean civilian get into the tightly controlled base? And why attack the claims officer? Is there an unsettled grudge, a claim of damages that was rejected by the Army?
Against orders, CID agents Sergeants George Sue├▒o and Ernie Bascom start investigating. Somehow, each person they speak to has not yet been interviewed. The Eighth Army isn't great at solving cases, but they aren't that bad either. As George and Ernie continue their search, they begin to suspect that not everyone wants the case solved.
Martin Limón retired from military service after twenty years in the US Army, including ten years in Korea. He is the author of the Sergeants Sueño and Bascom series, which includes Jade Lady Burning, Slicky Boys, Buddha’s Money, The Door to Bitterness, The Wandering Ghost, GI Bones, Mr. Kill, and The Joy Brigade. He lives near Seattle.
Timothy Andres Pabon is an actor and Spanish and English voice-over artist/audiobook narrator from Washington DC. He has over 140 books on Audible.com, one of which was nominated for a 2015 Society of Voice Arts and Sciences Award and another which was awarded an AudioFile Earphones award as part of an ensemble audiobook cast in 2014. His voice-over clients include Gabrielle Giffords, Hillary Clinton, The Sierra Club, NBC, and the 10-episode series Chasing Che on National Geographic. He has been seen on House of Cards seasons 3 and 4 as Mark, a White house press correspondent. He has also been a costar on HBO's acclaimed series The Wire opposite country music legend Steve Earl. As a stage actor he has worked Off-Broadway at the June Havoc Theatre, and his regional credits include Center Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage, The Hippodrome, Olney Theatre, Rep Stage, and GALA Hispanic Theatre. Tim is a proud father of two children, and a member of AFTRA/SAG and Actor's Equity.
Reviews
“Limón is one of the best military writers ever. His stories are addictive entertainment today—and valuable slices of history tomorrow.”
“Limón is an expert guide to Korea and the US Army whose passionate commitment to his subject is expressed in direct, searing prose.”
“Limón has a profound ability to depict everyday South Korean civilian life in a police state, where anyone can be taken off the streets and lost to an impersonal bureaucratic machine…His vivid portraits of Korea, particularly the Itaewon district where Sueño and Bascom often work black-market duty, are deeply textured, nuanced, intimate. He doesn’t just describe the clamor and sweat inside an ex-pat bar crowded with GIs. He drops you onto the bar stool and hands you a glass.”
“Limón brilliantly combines a procedural with a harrowing portrayal of the wounds of war in his ninth novel featuring US Army Criminal Investigation Division agents George Sueño and Ernie Bascom…The secret at the heart of the crimes is truly chilling, and Limón’s nuanced characters enhance a fast-paced, carefully crafted plot.”
“A fine, character-driven tale, drenched in fascinating Korean War history and reflecting the author’s firsthand knowledge of army life.”
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