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Sergeants Sueño and Bascom #6
G.I. Bones (A Sergeants Sue? and Bascom Novel) by Martin Limon
Two US Army criminal investigators delve into a twenty-year-old murder in South Korea in “easily the best military mysteries in print today” (Lee Child). A Korean fortune-teller is haunted by a long-dead American soldier who wants his bones found and buried. A Latino soldier and the underage daughter of a white American officer are missing. Several notorious Korean gangsters who own bars in Itaewon—Seoul’s red light district—have been killed. American military police officers George Sueño and Ernie Bascom must dig deep into the bloody history of Itaewon in order to find out who killed the dead soldier, who’s taking revenge on the gang lords, and where to find the missing girl. An NPR Best Book of the Year “The latest in the series, G.I. Bones , is brilliant—imbued with affecting characters, a morally knotty storyline, and a last chapter that just plain stuns.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR “A slam-bang thriller . . . Limón keeps the action coming at a furious pace.” — Albuquerque Journal “The locations . . . are as amazingly vivid as ever, and his wild men heroes are just as good company.” — Los Angeles Times
Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
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About the author
Martin Limón
46 books96 followersMartin Limon retired from U.S. military service after 20 years in the Army, including a total of ten years in Korea. He and his wife live in Seattle. He is the author of Jade Lady Burning, which was a New York Times Notable Book, Slicky Boys and Buddha's Money.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 4, 2016
PROTAGONIST: US military police, George Sueno and Ernie Bascom
SETTING: 1970s South Korea
SERIES: #6 of 6
RATING: 3.5
Martin Limon has been justly praised for his depiction of life in the military in Seoul, Korea, in the 1970s. His series features two agents for the Criminal Investigation Division of the 8th United States Army, George Sueno and Ernie Bascom. At first glance, they seem an unlikely pair, with Sueno taking a relatively measured approach as compared to Bascom's more flamboyant style. However, as in all great partnerships, they complement one another and support each other despite their differences.
As the book opens, Sueno is whisked off to a fortune teller by the chief public health service officer, Doctor Yong In-ja. Doc Yong has learned that Auntie Mee has a request of great importance to make of Sueno. Even if that were not the case, George would have gone along willingly, as he has more than a professional interest in Doc Yong. Accompanying them is a young woman, Miss Kwon, who is a local prostitute.
Auntie Mee makes a startling revelation. She wants Sueno to recover the bones of an American soldier, Florencio Moretti, who disappeared in 1953. She states that he bothers her every night and that he will only be happy if his bones are returned to his family in the States. Furthermore, she warns that if the bones are not found soon, Miss Kwon will meet an unpleasant fate.
Sueno's research reveals that Moretti was a model soldier who spent his life serving not only the military but the local people as well. He represented the poor and worked hard to improve their lives. Some of his efforts were not appreciated by the local underworld lords, known as the "Seven Dragons"; Floretti's work was threatening their authority in Itaewon, a city located very near the military complex which had been developed to meet soldiers' most basic needs. Prostitution and black marketing are rampant. As you can imagine, the city thrives and those who benefit from its rewards aren't going to give them up easily.
Through some painstaking analysis, Sueno is able to find Moretti's bones, only to have them stolen before he can send them to the family. He and Bascom find themselves facing danger from the locals and resistance from their own leadership who would prefer not to make waves. They end up investigating quite a few other situations that are tangentially related to the original quest. Although I enjoyed the setting and the individual sub-plots, I felt that the book suffered from an overly ambitious plot. In addition to the search for Moretti's bones, Sueno and Bascom were also charged with finding the wayward daughter of an influential colonel and resolving at least 3 murders.
Where Limon excels is in depicting the local culture and developing characters who get under your skin. The relationship between Sueno and Doc Young was wonderfully done. The picture that Limon paints of life in the military and the complicated relationships between them and the local population seems very authentic. The glimpses of Korean culture have me wanting to learn more. I'll be searching out other books in this series—it's a winner.
SETTING: 1970s South Korea
SERIES: #6 of 6
RATING: 3.5
Martin Limon has been justly praised for his depiction of life in the military in Seoul, Korea, in the 1970s. His series features two agents for the Criminal Investigation Division of the 8th United States Army, George Sueno and Ernie Bascom. At first glance, they seem an unlikely pair, with Sueno taking a relatively measured approach as compared to Bascom's more flamboyant style. However, as in all great partnerships, they complement one another and support each other despite their differences.
As the book opens, Sueno is whisked off to a fortune teller by the chief public health service officer, Doctor Yong In-ja. Doc Yong has learned that Auntie Mee has a request of great importance to make of Sueno. Even if that were not the case, George would have gone along willingly, as he has more than a professional interest in Doc Yong. Accompanying them is a young woman, Miss Kwon, who is a local prostitute.
Auntie Mee makes a startling revelation. She wants Sueno to recover the bones of an American soldier, Florencio Moretti, who disappeared in 1953. She states that he bothers her every night and that he will only be happy if his bones are returned to his family in the States. Furthermore, she warns that if the bones are not found soon, Miss Kwon will meet an unpleasant fate.
Sueno's research reveals that Moretti was a model soldier who spent his life serving not only the military but the local people as well. He represented the poor and worked hard to improve their lives. Some of his efforts were not appreciated by the local underworld lords, known as the "Seven Dragons"; Floretti's work was threatening their authority in Itaewon, a city located very near the military complex which had been developed to meet soldiers' most basic needs. Prostitution and black marketing are rampant. As you can imagine, the city thrives and those who benefit from its rewards aren't going to give them up easily.
Through some painstaking analysis, Sueno is able to find Moretti's bones, only to have them stolen before he can send them to the family. He and Bascom find themselves facing danger from the locals and resistance from their own leadership who would prefer not to make waves. They end up investigating quite a few other situations that are tangentially related to the original quest. Although I enjoyed the setting and the individual sub-plots, I felt that the book suffered from an overly ambitious plot. In addition to the search for Moretti's bones, Sueno and Bascom were also charged with finding the wayward daughter of an influential colonel and resolving at least 3 murders.
Where Limon excels is in depicting the local culture and developing characters who get under your skin. The relationship between Sueno and Doc Young was wonderfully done. The picture that Limon paints of life in the military and the complicated relationships between them and the local population seems very authentic. The glimpses of Korean culture have me wanting to learn more. I'll be searching out other books in this series—it's a winner.
Read
June 4, 2010I don't know how many people are as fascinated as I am by the period of rapid reconstruction after the Korean War, but there are no guides as convincing as Martin Limón. Although he ostensibly focuses on the GI experience of Korea, it quickly becomes impossible to disentangle the US Army from the development of Seoul -- particularly of the bar district known as Itaewon.
This author nails every detail of daily life in the seamy littoral zone between the US base and the Korean capital from the 1950's to the 1970's. The haircuts of the various strata of bar girls, the tailoring of old-time GI uniforms, the nicknames of various members of the criminal demimonde, the racial tensions bubbling under the surface of the supposedly color-blind military... they all come across in cinema verité. I dunno that this plot is going to win any prizes for plausibility, but Limón sells it as well as anyone could.
This author nails every detail of daily life in the seamy littoral zone between the US base and the Korean capital from the 1950's to the 1970's. The haircuts of the various strata of bar girls, the tailoring of old-time GI uniforms, the nicknames of various members of the criminal demimonde, the racial tensions bubbling under the surface of the supposedly color-blind military... they all come across in cinema verité. I dunno that this plot is going to win any prizes for plausibility, but Limón sells it as well as anyone could.
December 7, 2010
Another rollicking read in the Red Light District of Seoul. The ending just blew me away.Bascom and Sueno are the go-to guys as always and their infinite stock of idealism and fairness gets met with a heady dose of compromise and realism in this book. We have the usual body count of pimps and hookers but this time they are all tied to a murder and massacre from the closing days of the Korean Armistice. Simultaneously we have the high spirited daughter of an American officer running the ville with her enlisted boyfriend and becoming involved with the main plot line. I would love to see where Limon goes with the ending of this book. I can imagine starting the next book twenty to thirty years later when Sueno is retired and possibly living in the Korea of the 21st Century.
May 3, 2010
realistic and keeps interest up throughout book in 1972 Korea
September 10, 2017
This one was like an episode of "Cold Case", but with the added attractions of attempted suicides, runaway dependents & other assorted capers. In sum, the usual for Sgts. Sueno & Bascomb!
November 30, 2009
In this, their sixth outing, the two MP Sergeants from Military Intelligence are tasked with two jobs: in 1973 they have to find their bosses willful 17 year old daughter and solve a more than 20 year old homicide that the U.S. Army and Korean National Police had conspired to cover up back in 1953, just as the cease fire was taking effect.
Just as you might guess, they connect with some of the same people involved in both problems.
I found the description of Korean customs and the sprinkling of language made the story more real. This is a series I always enjoy, even though most of the cast of characters come from Korean criminal elements and American soldiers enjoying the bars and business girls near their base, close to Seoul.
The murder mystery is, of course, the major part of the story, and watching these two M.P.s at work is fun.
Just as you might guess, they connect with some of the same people involved in both problems.
I found the description of Korean customs and the sprinkling of language made the story more real. This is a series I always enjoy, even though most of the cast of characters come from Korean criminal elements and American soldiers enjoying the bars and business girls near their base, close to Seoul.
The murder mystery is, of course, the major part of the story, and watching these two M.P.s at work is fun.
October 7, 2014
Ok, so this was my fifth Sueno & Bascom mystery set in the 1970s Korea by Martin Limon. And I'm going to start the sixth one right away, partly because I happen to be traveling in Korea, but mostly because I'm addicted. These are true thrillers, written in a great style and flow, but with a strong social, historical and cultural context, which is weaved into the books in such a way that it never stops the action. Very important - and rare - there is nothing annoying in any of Limon's books. The characters are human and react like humans. They are moral but fallible. The stories are told from the perspective of a CID agent in Itaewon when the US 8th Army still ruled, but the scenarios and sympathies are never one-sided or black-and-white. Can't wait to get to the next one. I hope Martin Limon keeps on churning them out.
February 2, 2012
Loved this book! I think the whole atmosphere of 1960's Korea, with a murder case being led by MP's, added up to an environment that was original and therefore interesting. The book captures the tensions between the US 8th Army and the South Koreans, between the North and South Koreas, and others. Add in three separate plots, which evenuaully all combine and you have an excellent recipe for a great book. The two MPs Sueno and Bascom are very different characters - one is a Mexican Maerican who can speak Korean and can relate to the Koreans to some extent. The other is more of a lower-class kind of guy who is at home in the low-life nightlife of the area. This is the sixth in the series of stories about the MP detecives ; I will definitely go and find the others.
March 29, 2010
An interesting mystery set in South Korea during the early seventies. There was good background material on the political and economic situation at the time and during the early 50s. The story follows the investigation into the death of an American G.I. who worked on reconstruction efforts right after the Korean war. Two military intelligence MPs look into the old mystery and run into danger as a result of the corruption behind the death. This is one in a series with Sergeants Sueno and Bascom. I look forward to reading more of them. The characters were interesting and the historical background was enlightening.
January 9, 2011
I'd definitely drop back and read the rest of the series if it weren't for one thing. I seem to have run across several good mysteries set in the Far East lately. Although the storylines and writing are great, I can't cope with the frustration of corrupt governments, powerful criminal organizations and the too real descriptions of the hardship and poverty. I do depression at the state of the world quite well on my own, thank you very much. I don't need help.
Read
July 29, 2011I really like this murder mystery series, which is set in Seoul in the 1970's on an American army base and the nearby village. I also love this publisher, and have read any author they publish that I have found, and never been disappointed. This particular installment, which focuses on an old crime that leads into a new one, and the solution to both crimes is where we end up (always satisfying to have the lose ends tied up andin this one they are tied up nicely).
July 20, 2015
This was an great story - the revenge sought on the 'mafia' of Korea (Seven Dragonsafter their gang style management of the city beginning about 25 years earlier. Sueno and Bascom get mixed up because they are searching for the body of a missing/presumed dead soldier from about the same time of the beginning of the Seven Dragons. The only part that I didn't quite dig was the addition of the missing army brat/daughter of a high ranking official.
October 7, 2012
I would rate the first half of the book a two and the last half a four. For me the beginning was somewhat lackluster, and then the storyline, action, tension kicked into gear. I really enjoy the characters and learning about parts of Korean history in the 1970s. I will certainly read the next in the series--Mr. Kill.
January 2, 2010
i never would have read a military mystery, but the book reviewer on fresh air said it was good and she was right. it's hardboiled, which i like. the author sometimes repeats details, which i found a little insulting to my memory.
January 7, 2010
Martin Limon does a terrific job of describing a U.S. soldiers life on and off base in Korea in these murder mysteries. Anyone who had family or friends deployed overseas will get a sense of how our service men and women are viewed by locals through this entertaining book.
March 25, 2011
Set in the early 70s in Itaewon, South Korea near the DMZ, military investigators deal with a Colonel's wayward daughter and a 20-year old murder. This book took me away to a different place and time, sights and smells. I enjoyed his transcriptions of easy Korean phrases.
September 25, 2012
I like this unusual setting: a Chicano criminal investigator for the US Army based in Korea in the 1970s. The characters are good and the hero actually speaks Korean. Realistic descriptions of GI bars and "business girls," i.e., young prostitutes and old madams who populate these mysteries.
May 27, 2017
Exceptional writing and I loved how completely it took me to another place and time. A few of the events and plot twists strained credulity, but that said, I'm really looking forward to reading more by this wonderfully talented, gracious, humane and kind writer.
January 4, 2010
Interesting characters.
Sgts Sueno & Bascom, again, entertaining.
Liked the ending. So often things work out that way,very true to so many relationsips.
Sgts Sueno & Bascom, again, entertaining.
Liked the ending. So often things work out that way,very true to so many relationsips.
January 31, 2010
Quite good. Turns out its a series, so I'm going to go back to read the earlier ones...
January 19, 2010
Mind candy :)
March 21, 2010
This is about the army in Korea after the war. It was a subject I knew very little about. Good story and entertaining.
December 11, 2011
Good mystery set apart by the evocation of South Korea in the immediate aftermath of the Korean war and twenty some years later, with a large U.S. troop presence that remains (28,000) to this day.
May 6, 2012
Interesting mystery in an interesting setting (1972 Korea). But a couple of times it got so repetitive I wondered if some pages had been mistakenly repeated.
May 1, 2014
Last one in this series that feels like a mystery.
April 27, 2019
I'm steadily going through the Sueno and Bascom series. Unfortunately, there are only 14 books plus a book of short stories. I started in the middle, then started reading them somewhat in order. I really like this series because they are easy to read and follow and easy to get into. It's best to read them in order if you are starting new.
The setting is 1970's South Korea and the protagonists are two 8th Army CID detectives. Bascom is a bit like Michael Connelly's Bosch in that he doesn't care for protocol and is more likely to antagonize the people he comes in contact with rather than acting like a normal person and that includes his superiors. Sueno is somewhat the same but more level headed. Both are good CID detectives who don't have time for BS and try to solve the crimes they are tasked to instead of slacking off. Another selling point for them is that they try to relate to the native Koreans as people rather than 2nd class citizens to abuse like some other Americans. Limon does a great job of making the characters real (including the bit parts, the GI's and the Koreans). That's the character study part that I like.
The other good part is the setting. Limon was actually serving in Korea and gives a really good depiction of it from the GI point of view. It's like going back in time with the US Army. Not all of it is good; there's a lot of corruption, poverty, booze and sex, yea, some of it actually reads like The Virgin Soldiers (Leslie Thomas). He makes the country and the people come to life.
The army police procedural part is only so-so. There isn't a lot of excitement in the cases. The detectives do their due diligence, do their footwork and solve the crimes. There is mystery but somehow Limon just doesn't get a lot of excitement across. The interest I get from reading the books is from the character development; I care what happens to the people in the story more than I do about the crimes.
That's the basic review. I can't add a lot about this book itself, not that it matters much to me. I find all the stories fairly uniform and as I go through the series I feel like I'm binge watching a TV show - I finish one episode and move along to the next. They are all different stories but in the same format. Overall, I really like the series and highly recommend them.
The setting is 1970's South Korea and the protagonists are two 8th Army CID detectives. Bascom is a bit like Michael Connelly's Bosch in that he doesn't care for protocol and is more likely to antagonize the people he comes in contact with rather than acting like a normal person and that includes his superiors. Sueno is somewhat the same but more level headed. Both are good CID detectives who don't have time for BS and try to solve the crimes they are tasked to instead of slacking off. Another selling point for them is that they try to relate to the native Koreans as people rather than 2nd class citizens to abuse like some other Americans. Limon does a great job of making the characters real (including the bit parts, the GI's and the Koreans). That's the character study part that I like.
The other good part is the setting. Limon was actually serving in Korea and gives a really good depiction of it from the GI point of view. It's like going back in time with the US Army. Not all of it is good; there's a lot of corruption, poverty, booze and sex, yea, some of it actually reads like The Virgin Soldiers (Leslie Thomas). He makes the country and the people come to life.
The army police procedural part is only so-so. There isn't a lot of excitement in the cases. The detectives do their due diligence, do their footwork and solve the crimes. There is mystery but somehow Limon just doesn't get a lot of excitement across. The interest I get from reading the books is from the character development; I care what happens to the people in the story more than I do about the crimes.
That's the basic review. I can't add a lot about this book itself, not that it matters much to me. I find all the stories fairly uniform and as I go through the series I feel like I'm binge watching a TV show - I finish one episode and move along to the next. They are all different stories but in the same format. Overall, I really like the series and highly recommend them.
July 23, 2021
There are two situations facing out two 8th Army Criminal Investigation Detective (CID) Sergeants Sueno and Bascom. The local Korean Doctor who Sueno has set his sights on has a problem that she says only he can solve. She has a friend who has been told by a spirit reader that she will die. When Sueno goes to speak to the Psychic, she says she can help but only if our boys can get rid of he ghost of a dead GI. He disappeared twenty years ago and wants his bones returned to the US.
When the Sergeants check the 8th Army records they find that the soldier disappeared and he was never found (awol presumed dead). With the help of the Doctor they go looking for information in the local red light district. While asking questions in the area they find that they have put themselves in a position that puts them at odds with the local mafia/protection racket.
Their second headache is looking for the daughter of the Colonel J-2 (Intelligence). She is underage and has stolen $1,000 from her dad's safe and run off with a soldier. Of course she could be anywhere but they know the best place to hide is the red light district. When they go looking for and find her, she quickly escapes from the Compound again. She has hooked herself up with a group that runs 'escorts' for wealthy Japanese salarymen.
All in all it's a good story and presents the relationship between the American Military and the Korea people at a time before it became one of the Asian Tigers.
When the Sergeants check the 8th Army records they find that the soldier disappeared and he was never found (awol presumed dead). With the help of the Doctor they go looking for information in the local red light district. While asking questions in the area they find that they have put themselves in a position that puts them at odds with the local mafia/protection racket.
Their second headache is looking for the daughter of the Colonel J-2 (Intelligence). She is underage and has stolen $1,000 from her dad's safe and run off with a soldier. Of course she could be anywhere but they know the best place to hide is the red light district. When they go looking for and find her, she quickly escapes from the Compound again. She has hooked herself up with a group that runs 'escorts' for wealthy Japanese salarymen.
All in all it's a good story and presents the relationship between the American Military and the Korea people at a time before it became one of the Asian Tigers.
August 14, 2019
Review from Asia Thrills - https://asiathrills.com/g-i-bones-by-...
“G.I. Bones” is the sixth in Martin Limón’s great series featuring US military sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom in 1970s Seoul, and so far (I haven’t yet read them all) it is my favorite.
A fortune teller demands that the two military cops find the remains of a soldier who died in mysterious circumstances. She says the corpse is giving off a strange aura that is disturbing her business.
They go off searching in all the usual places – the red-light districts of Seoul and the gangster hang-outs – and find themselves embroiled in a twenty-year-old plot that involves corruption in high places.
Along the way they become mixed up in a delightful sub-plot involving the promiscuous teenage daughter of an army officer. She has gone missing, along with a large sum of money.
A vintage Limón thriller, loaded with action and dripping with atmosphere.
“G.I. Bones” is the sixth in Martin Limón’s great series featuring US military sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom in 1970s Seoul, and so far (I haven’t yet read them all) it is my favorite.
A fortune teller demands that the two military cops find the remains of a soldier who died in mysterious circumstances. She says the corpse is giving off a strange aura that is disturbing her business.
They go off searching in all the usual places – the red-light districts of Seoul and the gangster hang-outs – and find themselves embroiled in a twenty-year-old plot that involves corruption in high places.
Along the way they become mixed up in a delightful sub-plot involving the promiscuous teenage daughter of an army officer. She has gone missing, along with a large sum of money.
A vintage Limón thriller, loaded with action and dripping with atmosphere.
August 17, 2022
This is the 6th book in this series. Although you don't have to start with book one to get it. This is the 6th book that I have read. I got hooked as soon as I started reading his first book. These 2 unorthodox CID detectives stationed in Seoul Korea never cease to rock the boat to solve their cases. This book, like the others, have a lot of twists & turns that will keep you guessing. They are trying to find the bones of a GI from 20 years ago while also trying to find a missing military dependent. I think this book was their best so far although I thought the ending was a little weak.
Like the earlier books in the series, it's a page turner. I finished all 266 pages in two days. I can't wait to start book #7.
Like the earlier books in the series, it's a page turner. I finished all 266 pages in two days. I can't wait to start book #7.
July 29, 2021
Martin Limon’s GI Bones isthe sixth of his novels that follow two US army criminal investigators (Sergeants Sueno and Bascom) in 1970s South Korea. It was a National Public Radio Best Book of the Year (2009). On this outing, they’re investigating a cold-case missing/murdered GI and hunting down an officer’s delinquent teenage daughter. The local color here (both South Korea and US military) is fabulous and the story races along. A fast, fun read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews