Mr. Kill
A George Sueño and Ernie Bascom Mystery by Martin Limón
Review: US Army investigators George Sueño and Ernie Bascom are assigned to investigate the rape — possibly by an American serviceman — of a young mother on the Blue Line express train from Pusan to Seoul in Mr. Kill, the seventh mystery in this historical series set in 1970s South Korea by Martin Limón.
The engineer of the Blue Train had radioed that a young female with two small children had reported that she had been threatened with a knife and raped by a "foreigner". The most likely foreigners on the train were American soldiers, G.I.s who fell under the jurisdiction of the 8th US Army. Working with the Chief Inspector of the Korean National Police Gil Kwan-up, known to one and all as "Mr. Kill", Sueño and Bascom begin an investigation for one of their own.
From a whodunit perspective, Mr. Kill is quite good. Sueño and Bascom begin by eliminating anyone who couldn't possibly have committed the crimes — another rape occurs in a Seoul hotel by, presumably, the same man … and later murder — focusing on the few that are viable suspects. But one by one they, too, are all cleared leaving the pair with nothing to go on. Where did they go wrong?
One of the primary reasons this series is so enjoyable is the exceptional team of George Sueño and Ernie Bascom. Individually they have their own appeal — and each is given their own "story" within the context of the mystery itself, and in this one it is centered around the Country Western All Stars, a female band in the country to entertain the troops — but together they are a dynamic force that earns the respect of the reader. Mr. Kill is a terrific addition to this series.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Mr. Kill.
Acknowledgment: Soho Press provided an ARC of Mr. Kill for this review.
Review Copyright © 2012 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
G. I. Bones
Soho Press (Hardcover), November 2009
ISBN-13: 9781569476031; ISBN-10: 1569476039
Location(s) referenced in Mr. Kill: South Korea
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Mr. Kill by Martin Limón
Publisher: Soho Crime
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-56947-934-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-934-6
Publication Date: December 2011
List Price: $24.00
Synopsis (from the publisher): On a crowded train from Pusan to Seoul, the brutal rape of a young mother sparks rage on the powder-keg peninsula of Korea, pitting Koreans against Americans and the 8th Army brass against the truth. Eyewitness accounts indicate the culprit was most likely a U.S. serviceman, but by the time Sergeants George Sueno and Ernie Bascom, U.S. Army investigators, are called in, the rapist has disappeared and anti-American fervor in this proud Asian country is threatening to explode.
George and Ernie search in vain for the culprit, all the while becoming entangled in the web of military apologists who deny that any Americans were involved, and the designs of a beautiful blonde musician who fronts an all-female country western band — a woman who is out to entertain the troops in more ways than one.
Delay causes more tragedy — and this time murder — and sets off a frantic search for a killer that stretches from the sizzling hot Demilitarized Zone to the cold waters of the Yellow Sea and introduces George Sueno and Ernie Bascom to a ruthless Korean homicide investigator known to anyone foolish enough to cross him as Mr. Kill.