Heart of War

In a savagely entertaining thriller about today's Army, Truscott (Dress Gray; Army Blue) hits most of today's hot buttons--e.g., don't ask/don't tell, women in command positions, fraternization between officers and enlisted men--as he punches out a murder mystery that leads to a riveting courtroom showdown. When Second Lt. Sheila Worthy is found dead of a knife wound in a car caught in a raging flood, Major Kara Guidry is assigned to investigate and soon discovers that Worthy was having an affair with General William Beckwith, who is openly campaigning for Chief of Staff. What makes Guidry's subsequent diggings so gripping is that everybody involved in the case has something to hide, and those in the know use their knowledge as weapons. Beckwith's wife seems to know all about his affairs; Beckwith's aide Randy Taylor is secretly gay and is approached by other gay officers to spy on his boss; and even Guidry herself has a secret: her forbidden affair with Sergeant Mace Nukanen. With its brilliantly depicted scenes of politicking and blackmailing, the novel at times seems like a high-stakes poker game in which everyone holds a winning hole card. The only flaw is minor, a final courtroom scene that's played at the same blistering pace as the rest of the novel, making it feel rushed rather than climactic. Otherwise, Truscott's latest wins a thriller Medal of Honor. Literary Guild selection; film rights to Jaffe Entertainment. (June)