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Sergeants Sueño and Bascom #10
The Ville Rat
How much can murder buy on the black market in 1974 South Korea?
South Korea, 1970 A young Korean woman dressed in a traditional chima-jeogori is found strangled to death on the frozen banks of the Sonyu River with only a carefully calligraphed poem in her sleeve. George Sueño and Ernie Bascom, sergeants in the US 8th Army CID, are called in by the formidable KNP detective Gil Kwon-up to investigate. George and Ernie's job is to liaise with Korean law enforcement on matters that may involve or implicate 8th Army American servicemen.
But as they learn about the case, George and Ernie realize this isn't their jurisdiction—the nearby village of Sonyu-ri is occupied by the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division, a disciplined and often brutal force that won't stand for outside officers questioning its men. All that George and Ernie are able to glean before being kicked out of town is that they are close to the truth—and that a mysterious smuggler, known locally as "the Ville Rat," holds the key to the woman's murder.
Luckily, the pair is officially assigned another investigation in the area, which allows them to continue nosing around for answers. They are to elucidate the circumstances of a shooting incident between a young African American private and his white supervising chief. Racial tensions run high, and George and Ernie must tread carefully to solve both cases. But they aren't exactly known for going out of their way to avoid stepping on US Army toes, and this is no exception.
South Korea, 1970 A young Korean woman dressed in a traditional chima-jeogori is found strangled to death on the frozen banks of the Sonyu River with only a carefully calligraphed poem in her sleeve. George Sueño and Ernie Bascom, sergeants in the US 8th Army CID, are called in by the formidable KNP detective Gil Kwon-up to investigate. George and Ernie's job is to liaise with Korean law enforcement on matters that may involve or implicate 8th Army American servicemen.
But as they learn about the case, George and Ernie realize this isn't their jurisdiction—the nearby village of Sonyu-ri is occupied by the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division, a disciplined and often brutal force that won't stand for outside officers questioning its men. All that George and Ernie are able to glean before being kicked out of town is that they are close to the truth—and that a mysterious smuggler, known locally as "the Ville Rat," holds the key to the woman's murder.
Luckily, the pair is officially assigned another investigation in the area, which allows them to continue nosing around for answers. They are to elucidate the circumstances of a shooting incident between a young African American private and his white supervising chief. Racial tensions run high, and George and Ernie must tread carefully to solve both cases. But they aren't exactly known for going out of their way to avoid stepping on US Army toes, and this is no exception.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2015
4 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
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 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 7, 2017
This is another very good entry in Martin Limon's series featuring Sergeants George Sueno and Ernie Bascom of the United States 8th Army CID. The series is set in the South Korea of the 1970s, and Limon, who spent ten years in the army in Korea, excels at describing the Korean countryside, people, and culture, as well as the interaction between the Koreans and the American Army. Sueno and Bascom are particularly appealing protagonists. They're smart, tough, and when the chips are down, they almost always follow their own instincts rather than their orders. This often gets them into trouble, but it almost always leads them to the truth.
This novel opens with the discovery of the body of a beautiful young Korean woman who has been murdered and left near the icy Sonyu River in the dead of winter. The Korean police ask Sueno and Bascom to assist in the investigation since the body is discovered near the headquarters of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division and it appears that an American serviceman may have been involved in the woman's death.
The two investigators are repulsed by the brutal murder and are happy to help, but the officers and men of the 2nd Infantry Division are a clannish bunch who refuse to cooperate. Stonewalled, Sueno and Bascom are initially frustrated in their investigation, but then another case brings them back to the region and gives them a way into the murder case. Powerful forces are threatened in the process and the two face not only a great deal of pressure but a serious threat to their own health and well-being as they pursue the investigation. This has never stopped them before, and it won't certainly stop them now, assuming they survive.
This is an interesting, fast-moving tale, and it's always fun to watch Sueno and Bascom at work. Readers who haven't found this series yet might well want to give it a try.
This novel opens with the discovery of the body of a beautiful young Korean woman who has been murdered and left near the icy Sonyu River in the dead of winter. The Korean police ask Sueno and Bascom to assist in the investigation since the body is discovered near the headquarters of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division and it appears that an American serviceman may have been involved in the woman's death.
The two investigators are repulsed by the brutal murder and are happy to help, but the officers and men of the 2nd Infantry Division are a clannish bunch who refuse to cooperate. Stonewalled, Sueno and Bascom are initially frustrated in their investigation, but then another case brings them back to the region and gives them a way into the murder case. Powerful forces are threatened in the process and the two face not only a great deal of pressure but a serious threat to their own health and well-being as they pursue the investigation. This has never stopped them before, and it won't certainly stop them now, assuming they survive.
This is an interesting, fast-moving tale, and it's always fun to watch Sueno and Bascom at work. Readers who haven't found this series yet might well want to give it a try.
January 29, 2024
Ville Rat is another good entry into Sueno and Bascom series. The action is great, the twists and turns are all there. However, the ending of the book seemed rushed, and many loose ends could have been tied up. Another 50 pages could have wrapped the story up nicely. Despite this, it will not keep me from reading more of the series. Limon is a great fiction writer.
September 27, 2017
Man, what a quick, engrossing read! This is vintage Limon with his protagonists, George & Ernie, right in the thick of it & I would have it no other way. I have no more to read, but I am in the market for the 11th & 12th in the series as well as the short story in the upcoming SoHo Crime Christmas collection entitled "A PX Christmas". I am absolutely hooked!
November 29, 2016
When the body of a beautiful Korean woman washes up on the shore of a frozen river, it sets off an investigation that carries Ernie Vascom and George Sueno, two irreverent 8th Army CID agents, into areas far afield from just a murder inquiry. The event takes place during 1974 in South Korea, not far from the DMZ. Not only do they have to fight higher-ups in the chain of command, but must determine the motive for the killing.
Despite the fact that Pres. Harry S Truman “desegregated” the armed forces years before, the novel graphically portrays how black and white soldiers maintained their separate ways when off duty, convening in all Black or all-White bars for recreation. And in the midst of this enters the Ville Rat, the so-called nickname of a former GI who caters to the Black bars by supplying Colt 45 favored by the Blacks because of its higher alcohol content. The Ville Rat holds a key clue to the investigation and Ernie and George desperately try to find the illusive person to solve the case.
.
As a police procedural, the novel is juxtaposed between a detailed investigation and the seamier side of Army politics and Korean night life. “The Ville Rat” is the 10th novel in the series, each reflecting the author’s deep knowledge of the Korean people and culture, much less of the army and its officers. This newest entry is no exception, and is recommended.
Despite the fact that Pres. Harry S Truman “desegregated” the armed forces years before, the novel graphically portrays how black and white soldiers maintained their separate ways when off duty, convening in all Black or all-White bars for recreation. And in the midst of this enters the Ville Rat, the so-called nickname of a former GI who caters to the Black bars by supplying Colt 45 favored by the Blacks because of its higher alcohol content. The Ville Rat holds a key clue to the investigation and Ernie and George desperately try to find the illusive person to solve the case.
.
As a police procedural, the novel is juxtaposed between a detailed investigation and the seamier side of Army politics and Korean night life. “The Ville Rat” is the 10th novel in the series, each reflecting the author’s deep knowledge of the Korean people and culture, much less of the army and its officers. This newest entry is no exception, and is recommended.
August 9, 2018
3.75 great. held my attention. would read another.
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.
August 11, 2021
When a young woman is found dead in a river, Mr. Kill requests Sueño and Bascom to help with the investigation - the body washed out just under the Division compound so the US army will be involved anyway so he can at least get the best possible team. Which does not sit very well with either Division or with the big bosses down in Seoul.
And yet, the investigation is theirs. Before long it gets tangled with the black market which seems to be everywhere in Korea. And just so our guys are not bored, they also get asked to investigate an internal matter - a soldier shot at another (with a higher rank) and is getting court marshaled.
We learn some more about the Korean culture (the kisaeng tradition and its revival post WWII for example) but the novel is more concerned with the internal relationship inside of the army - the segregation (which technically does not exist anymore but seems to be alive and well) and the army's and the common soldiers' views towards homosexuality. It is the 70s and most of the commanding staff is from another generation - which makes them uncomfortable with the latter and even worse with the first. Add the Division commander who is trying to convince everyone that everything is ok in Division and some parts were almost cringe-worthy - the 70s is another country in a lot of ways.
And somewhere between all of the running around the country, Sueño's new love is blooming, he does not get beaten for a change (but someone tries to kill him a few times) and Ernie Bascom is... Ernie Bascom.
Not a good novel to get introduced to the series - while the mystery can work as a standalone, a lot of the secondary characters rely on knowing them (there are introductions but they are very concise). But if you had been reading the series, it is a good addition to it.
And yet, the investigation is theirs. Before long it gets tangled with the black market which seems to be everywhere in Korea. And just so our guys are not bored, they also get asked to investigate an internal matter - a soldier shot at another (with a higher rank) and is getting court marshaled.
We learn some more about the Korean culture (the kisaeng tradition and its revival post WWII for example) but the novel is more concerned with the internal relationship inside of the army - the segregation (which technically does not exist anymore but seems to be alive and well) and the army's and the common soldiers' views towards homosexuality. It is the 70s and most of the commanding staff is from another generation - which makes them uncomfortable with the latter and even worse with the first. Add the Division commander who is trying to convince everyone that everything is ok in Division and some parts were almost cringe-worthy - the 70s is another country in a lot of ways.
And somewhere between all of the running around the country, Sueño's new love is blooming, he does not get beaten for a change (but someone tries to kill him a few times) and Ernie Bascom is... Ernie Bascom.
Not a good novel to get introduced to the series - while the mystery can work as a standalone, a lot of the secondary characters rely on knowing them (there are introductions but they are very concise). But if you had been reading the series, it is a good addition to it.
September 30, 2022
This is my new favorite author of my favorite GI CID investigators. This is the 10th book of the series that I have read. Martim Limon continues with the wittiness of this military fiction murder mystery. I enjoyed the book as I did all the previous editions, but the ending left me a little flat.
Although he wraps up the mystery. The Book is about a character called the Ville Rat. He contimually eludes them throughout the book and never catches him in the end. Others do, but I expected our main heroes to do that.
Good book and I just ordered the next one in the series.
Although he wraps up the mystery. The Book is about a character called the Ville Rat. He contimually eludes them throughout the book and never catches him in the end. Others do, but I expected our main heroes to do that.
Good book and I just ordered the next one in the series.
June 21, 2023
Excellent procedural methods which don't always work, making for the Sueno and Bascom's unusual developed personalities over time. Having the interesting location of South Korea also adds a great dealn each of the series and explains some of the havoc. I've read the previous nine books in the series and found this one to be the least so far.
January 22, 2020
Enjoyed the unusual setting (postwar Korea--US military bases) and the author's interest in identity in the 1970s/black, white, Asian. Characters didn't go too deep, and the women were pretty mute puppy loves. But enjoyed nonetheless.
June 14, 2018
3.5 stars
September 28, 2018
A Fun Read
Great knowledge of the culture of Korea and how it can conflict with USA culture. Strong unique characters in Sueno and Ernie. Interesting plot.
Great knowledge of the culture of Korea and how it can conflict with USA culture. Strong unique characters in Sueno and Ernie. Interesting plot.
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February 21, 2026After serving in South Korea while in the Army, this was a very entertaining Book. I'vde read most of Martin Limon's books and fine them well written and very real.
December 15, 2015
The local Korean police ask for Sueno and Bascom to check out the murder of a beautiful bar hostess. Then there is an issue with somebody supplying smuggled Colt 45 malt liquor to the bars frequented by black GIs, some possible jiggering with the books of the local PX and a black GI on trial for shooting a white noncom. And the usual inter service rivalries between the Second and Eight Armies. That's just for starters. Most of it gets sorted out in the end. George and Ernie are their usual capable but wise guy selves.
The series is consistently well done, the setting is unique and believable. The racial tensions among the troops and the relationships between the occupying GIs and the local Koreans are all portrayed with authenticity.
The series is consistently well done, the setting is unique and believable. The racial tensions among the troops and the relationships between the occupying GIs and the local Koreans are all portrayed with authenticity.
May 20, 2016
My first read in the series featuring Sueno and Bascom, sergeants in the 8th Army CID, who investigate corruption and murder in South Korea in the 1970s. Vivid portrayal of military life. Will read others in this series.
November 26, 2015
Bravo! The Ville Rat is one of Limon's best. Ernie is brash and big as life here, seasoned by his partner, George. Loved it.
October 24, 2015
This was another great episode in the Sueno and Bascom detective series by Martin Limon. I've read them all now and will have to wait for book #11 to come out in one or two years.
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December 5, 20158th Army CID Sueno and Bascom investigate murdered prostitute and contraband Colt 45 in 70's South Korea.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews