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JAG in Space #2
Burden of Proof
John G. Hemry is the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Fleet (writing as Jack Campbell). With his Paul Sinclair novels, he creates a world of "outstanding suspense, realism, and...first rate military SF." (Booklist)
Lieutenant Junior Grade Paul Sinclair must adjust to his new position on the warship USS Michaelson--juggling his Legal Officer responsibilities and his intensifying relationship with girlfriend Jen Shen.
When an explosion takes out most of Forward Engineering, Sinclair leads the effort to extinguish the fire. He's practically a hero. But when Captain Shen, Jen’s father, is brought in to conduct an investigation, it seems that he’s gunning for his daughter’s suitor. Soon Sinclair uncovers evidence that points to a cover-up—involving a rising star in the officer corps. His evidence is circumstantial, and the suspect is the son of a powerful vice admiral. He's determined to see justice done, but is he willing to risk his name, his career, and his future among the stars?
Lieutenant Junior Grade Paul Sinclair must adjust to his new position on the warship USS Michaelson--juggling his Legal Officer responsibilities and his intensifying relationship with girlfriend Jen Shen.
When an explosion takes out most of Forward Engineering, Sinclair leads the effort to extinguish the fire. He's practically a hero. But when Captain Shen, Jen’s father, is brought in to conduct an investigation, it seems that he’s gunning for his daughter’s suitor. Soon Sinclair uncovers evidence that points to a cover-up—involving a rising star in the officer corps. His evidence is circumstantial, and the suspect is the son of a powerful vice admiral. He's determined to see justice done, but is he willing to risk his name, his career, and his future among the stars?
293 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
30 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 6, 2024
This one got off to painfully slow start: the first 100 pages is filler-grade material, and I was seriously considering bailing out before Hemry got to the heart of the story: a terrible accident, a bad officer covering up his dereliction of duty, and the ensuing court-martial.
Once the book got moving, it's gripping, but it's hard to forgive the filler in front. It's a sin to waste the reader's time. 2.7/5 stars overall. Book #1 is first rate. Basically, read the first and stop, is my advice.
Once the book got moving, it's gripping, but it's hard to forgive the filler in front. It's a sin to waste the reader's time. 2.7/5 stars overall. Book #1 is first rate. Basically, read the first and stop, is my advice.
June 15, 2013
The second "JAG in Space" story picks up where the last left off -- a young ensign (now Lt JG) slowly advancing in his career, which includes being the collateral legal officer on his US Space Navy cruiser.
What's remarkable about this series is how unadventurous it all is. Yes, there's danger and drama, but very mundane. The "bad eggs" are easy to spot (if not to deal with), and of all the conflicts that one expects, 9 out of 10 of them simply don't materialize. It's very work-a-day and non-operatic, while still being a quite enjoyable read.
What's remarkable about this series is how unadventurous it all is. Yes, there's danger and drama, but very mundane. The "bad eggs" are easy to spot (if not to deal with), and of all the conflicts that one expects, 9 out of 10 of them simply don't materialize. It's very work-a-day and non-operatic, while still being a quite enjoyable read.
October 5, 2016
Very like the first, an enjoyable read. I really love how he extrapolates current-day Navy culture and tradition to the future (the year 2100. I had wondered how far future we were, and he mentions a document with a date once!) Warning, though: the first half of the book is about character and atmosphere, and the legal problem, which is the main plot thread, does not pick up until halfway through.
September 11, 2021
Burden of Proof see the newly promoted Lt. Paul Sinclair get tied up with an underfperforming officer who his evidence of dereliction is entirley circumstantial! All the characters and new ones are back in this one and Paul and Jen's serving on different ships is explored! This is all going fine until the engineering accident that the case around brings her father in as the Chief Invstigator! The fact that Captain Shen would perfectly like for Paul to run over by this investigaton only serves to keep Paul more on his toes!
The plot line is half in the trial and then of various ships and stations! The makes for a story that ins constantly shifting to other locations it welds together perfectly! At the same time Jen and Pauls relationship works well as we get to her ship and at the same time her father's influence is clearly felt throughout which adds to the humour as he outranks them both but cannot dicatate their private lives!
As you would expect the storyline rocks on at an epic pace! The action scences and daring do are all brilliantly interwown with the trial scenes as well! We also get more insight into how things are managed in the navay as well as what is going on with the Earth! There is word building all over the place as well from the statiions, ships, hippies etc Burden of Proof thrives on building things up! Burden is full of three-dimensional characters and this makes for characters and the interactions that are never predictable that willl keep you on your toes through! The books tones of action, daring do etc are brilliantly done and there is humour throughout that gives scenes a sensse of irony as Jen and Paul are kept on their towes! The story is told from Paul's perspective but we do get to see others ideas and points of view as well which creates for a great insight charcters such as Lt Meadows, Commander Sykesetc who all tie into the storyline and get a head of steam up!
Burden of Proof is brilliant and fact paced from the start! You will be up late to see where it goes and everyone ends up! Brilliant Crisp High Five and Highly Recommended! Get it When You Can!
The plot line is half in the trial and then of various ships and stations! The makes for a story that ins constantly shifting to other locations it welds together perfectly! At the same time Jen and Pauls relationship works well as we get to her ship and at the same time her father's influence is clearly felt throughout which adds to the humour as he outranks them both but cannot dicatate their private lives!
As you would expect the storyline rocks on at an epic pace! The action scences and daring do are all brilliantly interwown with the trial scenes as well! We also get more insight into how things are managed in the navay as well as what is going on with the Earth! There is word building all over the place as well from the statiions, ships, hippies etc Burden of Proof thrives on building things up! Burden is full of three-dimensional characters and this makes for characters and the interactions that are never predictable that willl keep you on your toes through! The books tones of action, daring do etc are brilliantly done and there is humour throughout that gives scenes a sensse of irony as Jen and Paul are kept on their towes! The story is told from Paul's perspective but we do get to see others ideas and points of view as well which creates for a great insight charcters such as Lt Meadows, Commander Sykesetc who all tie into the storyline and get a head of steam up!
Burden of Proof is brilliant and fact paced from the start! You will be up late to see where it goes and everyone ends up! Brilliant Crisp High Five and Highly Recommended! Get it When You Can!
March 19, 2015
The second Paul Sinclair book. Like the first, a work of military SF that revolves about a courtroom drama.
Life in the United States Navy in Space. Paul Sinclair and the other officers and sailors carrying out their duties -- particularly the other junior officers, whom he associates the most with. Including a time when Greenspace interferes while they try to test a weapon. The farewall dinner to Carl Meadows and his replacement Scott Silver. Meeting a captain who's his girlfriend's father. Another attempt to test. . . and then they arrive back at station.
While they are there, an explosion brings about a nasty fire. Paul is involved in fighting it. And comes off badly in the investigation, which is conducted by his girlfriend's father. None of his friends think it just, but there's nothing anyone can do.
But when it's over with, and he's living with the injustice, Sharpe, the man-at-arms, comes to him in his role of legal officer to ask him to bring a man on board to double check the results, because when he looked at the report, he discovered that the statements it listed did not include the one that he had submitted.
Which leads into more discoveries. A discussion of hunting and how quiet you have to keep. A supply officer who handed over a part to a guy with a sob story. Paul's being caught between two captains. One of Paul's friends being shut out of his cabin for a time. A senior supply officer advising Paul to consult with a junior one -- he'd be better at it, but the junior one needs to pick up the experience. Unopened mail and computer games. And a dramatic trial.
Life in the United States Navy in Space. Paul Sinclair and the other officers and sailors carrying out their duties -- particularly the other junior officers, whom he associates the most with. Including a time when Greenspace interferes while they try to test a weapon. The farewall dinner to Carl Meadows and his replacement Scott Silver. Meeting a captain who's his girlfriend's father. Another attempt to test. . . and then they arrive back at station.
While they are there, an explosion brings about a nasty fire. Paul is involved in fighting it. And comes off badly in the investigation, which is conducted by his girlfriend's father. None of his friends think it just, but there's nothing anyone can do.
But when it's over with, and he's living with the injustice, Sharpe, the man-at-arms, comes to him in his role of legal officer to ask him to bring a man on board to double check the results, because when he looked at the report, he discovered that the statements it listed did not include the one that he had submitted.
Which leads into more discoveries. A discussion of hunting and how quiet you have to keep. A supply officer who handed over a part to a guy with a sob story. Paul's being caught between two captains. One of Paul's friends being shut out of his cabin for a time. A senior supply officer advising Paul to consult with a junior one -- he'd be better at it, but the junior one needs to pick up the experience. Unopened mail and computer games. And a dramatic trial.
September 29, 2022
I am continued to be amazed by this series. This is the first series from Jack Campbell that I have read and after this series concludes will definitely continue on with his other series. We continue the tales of Paul Sinclair and him denying to want to be JAG but continues to find himselves in court martial scenes. The more I read of Campbell the more I notice that he is not only a great Sci-Fi writer but also someone that is very good at combining serious scenes with comedy. Its more that he uses comedy to relieve some of the serious tension his books create with sarcasm and some deep learning moments for the protagonist.
I highly recommend this book and series, but would understand if its not the cup of tea. All of Campbells characters come off as real and Paul Sinclair is a great protagonist with very well developed support characters. This is one of the few book series that has me staying up to 5 in the morning just to get as far as I can which doesn't happen often. Both book 1 and 2 have slow starts, great action in the middle, and really great trials at the end. On to book 3.
I highly recommend this book and series, but would understand if its not the cup of tea. All of Campbells characters come off as real and Paul Sinclair is a great protagonist with very well developed support characters. This is one of the few book series that has me staying up to 5 in the morning just to get as far as I can which doesn't happen often. Both book 1 and 2 have slow starts, great action in the middle, and really great trials at the end. On to book 3.
April 1, 2018
Another good Paul Sinclair Story
Finished the second "Paul Sinclair" story and liked it immensely. I will say Mr. Hemry's court room descriptions are a bit of a slog. I spent 20 years in the military with 10 of them as a senior NCO [The Air Force's version of a Chief Petty Officer ) I was involved in 2 Courts Martial (look it up civies that's the correct way to say it) as Master at Arms and find the procedures described here accurate to my experience. Maybe that's why I find some of the detail a bit tedious. But to the rest of the book - OUTSTANDING! Good character development, good sense of literary tension and he always comes through with a satisfying ending. Readers can buy the book knowing they'll get their money's worth.
Finished the second "Paul Sinclair" story and liked it immensely. I will say Mr. Hemry's court room descriptions are a bit of a slog. I spent 20 years in the military with 10 of them as a senior NCO [The Air Force's version of a Chief Petty Officer ) I was involved in 2 Courts Martial (look it up civies that's the correct way to say it) as Master at Arms and find the procedures described here accurate to my experience. Maybe that's why I find some of the detail a bit tedious. But to the rest of the book - OUTSTANDING! Good character development, good sense of literary tension and he always comes through with a satisfying ending. Readers can buy the book knowing they'll get their money's worth.
February 16, 2015
Another great science fiction book by John G. Hemry a.k.a. Jack Campbell. This book is a blend of hard SF, military SF and legal drama. It describes the first tour of duty of a young Navy Ensign (Ensign Paul Sinclair) on a deep space ship. One of his side jobs is as the ships legal adviser. When a new officer on the ship causes an explosion which kills an enlisted man, his side job suddenly takes on great importance and a test of his character. A great read which I highly recommend.
January 28, 2012
Awesome space disaster rescue and courtroom drama! :DDD Horribly awkward space romance! DDD: (Bonus for all female characters, including the love interest, being fully rounded individuals, though. I'll put up with some awkwardness for that.)
August 10, 2024
I'm still enjoying the characters in this series, but finding the plot rather limited. I keep thinking that I'll stop after this book and deciding to continue.
June 19, 2022
By nearly halfway it was clear I would only finish this book because I’m stubborn and too sick to do much else today. Barely a story yet by nearly halfway? Booooring. Repetitive dull procedure taking up soooo maaany words and lines, ugh. I’m being generous with three stars, because, well I dunno, I need an excuse to have finished it? Not terrible but… Formulaic and predictable, this story is essentially like a TV episode dragged out with the addition of loads of stuff they know they couldn’t waste time on on TV. I find myself trying to remember if JAG was this predictable and dull. Guess I should have expected it to be this way, and probably something to do with why I’ve never read such a thing before. Maybe some people are into this kind of thing. Good luck to them. I prefer characters that aren’t cliche and cardboard, stories that have depth and are not predictable, and in which things happen that are interesting, without getting bogged down in routine details. Serves me right for stepping outside my usual fictional haunts.
January 18, 2018
Summary: Really well written and thoughtful book, the plot is weak and the action thin, but the premise is excellent. Just as good as the first book in the series
Plotline: Very simple plot but superbly presented
Premise: Totally believable, but not very far in the future
Writing: Simple, very descriptive, the detail is breathtaking
Ending: Predictable but satisfactory
Pace: Never a dull moment!
Plotline: Very simple plot but superbly presented
Premise: Totally believable, but not very far in the future
Writing: Simple, very descriptive, the detail is breathtaking
Ending: Predictable but satisfactory
Pace: Never a dull moment!
January 27, 2025
I am a huge fan of Jack Campbell, and have loved his books for years. Wasn’t sure I would like this JAG series, but the first book drew me in and made me a fan, and this second book absolutely grabbed me and did not let me go! Don’t expect Black Jack Geary, it’s a different kind of story, but I love the way he creates the characters and the situations, and he is so good at building and drawing out suspense.
Going to read the third book now!
Going to read the third book now!
September 25, 2023
Very good story that happens to take place in space, but could easily be on any US naval installation nowadays. Not sure why of the four JAG in Space novels only this one is unavailable for kindle, but I managed to pick up a secondhand paperback. This series is interesting and worth reading. Looking forward to the next one.
November 8, 2023
Hemry, alias Jack Campbell, writes compelling stories and this series about the legal ramifications in the US Space Navy is the same. I have enjoyed the whole series. This story has a nice action sequence to set up the criminal and legal story as our Lieutenant Junior Grade Sinclair has to lead a fire brigade to put out a fuel fire in engineering after an explosion.
May 26, 2019
A less-obvious plot than the fist of the series, and overall a more entertaining novel with more going on at all times. I'm not entirely sure on the trial itself - pretty thin evidence, particularly when you're calling the novel Burden of Proof.
February 10, 2022
3.5 stars. Lieutenant Sinclair discovers some anomalies that lead to a court martial of a fellow officer. I really enjoyed this but it wasn't really interesting. I was just invested in the characters.
February 25, 2025
Another entertaining legal procedural drama type story in the space navy of 2100 and very much characteristic of exactly what it is. I thought the court martial was interesting, but I also enjoyed the slower paced character arcs surrounding it.
March 26, 2025
In which the main character's actions in the previous book, plus a couple of serious cases of nepotism, cause things to spiral. I liked the legal plot a lot, but found the complications of the romance plot and her jealousy -- too serious to be just a play for laughs -- to be annoying and borderline inappropriate (death threats of the "just kidding" sort). But I like the story, and again the verisimilitude covers up a number of sins.
June 27, 2017
better than the first book, tighter
January 15, 2018
I am so behind on my reviews. I will catch up on my reviews soon.
October 17, 2019
Loved the first one, loved this one.
A Scott Turow novel in space. I loved the legal wrangling that went on in this book as part of the tale. I highly recommend this book.
A Scott Turow novel in space. I loved the legal wrangling that went on in this book as part of the tale. I highly recommend this book.
November 19, 2023
I like this one better than the first in the series. More courtroom drama and development of old and new characters.
January 18, 2024
day-to-day life of young naval officer who gets caught up in investigation of an onboard explosion. low-key enjoyable. few elements of sci-fi.
April 9, 2025
A predictable level of not good, but not so bad as to be actively annoying.
October 10, 2014
It’s always nice when a series with a shaky start improves rather than collapsing under the weight of previous issues.
This book continues to follow Paul Sinclair on the Michaelson, in a “U.S. Navy in Space” setting. This time he’s introduced to a slacking officer who he has to deal with in the middle of a crisis. The crisis results in an investigation of serious wrongdoing, which Paul initially carries out. He subsequently takes a central role in the ensuing court martial.
Hemry either figured out that the minutiae of Navy life wasn’t everyone’s forte, or he figured that he’d covered the details well enough in the previous volume that he didn’t have to rehash them here. Either way, there is much less naval jargon and procedure and a lot more stuff happening. Navy procedure is still rampant, but most of it is only discussed when people are doing things that need context. As a result the book’s pacing is a lot better.
Another thing that helps with that is that more things actually happen. The disaster, investigation, and court-martial take up much more space than the incidents in the previous book did, and the book is better for it. The investigation part of it was a well-done detective story, and there is a lot more byplay and legal maneuvering in the court martial. Some might not consider that interesting, but the byline of the series is “JAG in space”, so I’m not sure what those people were expecting.
The major failing here is that the characters are a bit weak; there isn’t a great deal of complexity to many of them, and the ones that are slightly more complex don’t get much time in the story. The romance sub-plot is still present, but it is still predictable and somewhat clumsy, to my mind. The girl’s father is also introduced, and that encounter also follows patterns so predictable as to be clichéd.
Despite that, the story is more like a cop show. While it’s nice if the side plots are engaging, much can be forgiven if the main mystery is well done, and that’s certainly the case here.
This book continues to follow Paul Sinclair on the Michaelson, in a “U.S. Navy in Space” setting. This time he’s introduced to a slacking officer who he has to deal with in the middle of a crisis. The crisis results in an investigation of serious wrongdoing, which Paul initially carries out. He subsequently takes a central role in the ensuing court martial.
Hemry either figured out that the minutiae of Navy life wasn’t everyone’s forte, or he figured that he’d covered the details well enough in the previous volume that he didn’t have to rehash them here. Either way, there is much less naval jargon and procedure and a lot more stuff happening. Navy procedure is still rampant, but most of it is only discussed when people are doing things that need context. As a result the book’s pacing is a lot better.
Another thing that helps with that is that more things actually happen. The disaster, investigation, and court-martial take up much more space than the incidents in the previous book did, and the book is better for it. The investigation part of it was a well-done detective story, and there is a lot more byplay and legal maneuvering in the court martial. Some might not consider that interesting, but the byline of the series is “JAG in space”, so I’m not sure what those people were expecting.
The major failing here is that the characters are a bit weak; there isn’t a great deal of complexity to many of them, and the ones that are slightly more complex don’t get much time in the story. The romance sub-plot is still present, but it is still predictable and somewhat clumsy, to my mind. The girl’s father is also introduced, and that encounter also follows patterns so predictable as to be clichéd.
Despite that, the story is more like a cop show. While it’s nice if the side plots are engaging, much can be forgiven if the main mystery is well done, and that’s certainly the case here.
March 8, 2015
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
With this second in the series, we establish the pattern of interaction/action in the first half of the book and then trial in the second. Author Campbell never gives away so much information that there is a foregone conclusion nor are there any tv-drama hysterics or surprises. This serious is about an everyman standing up for ideals (a recurring theme in Campbell's books) despite the costs.Story: As Paul Sinclair works his way up the military ladder, engages with a new Captain for the Michaelson, and gets to know fellow officer Shen better, life settles down on the ship. Until an explosion rocks the engineering deck and costs a good man his life. When the evidence is collected, it points to an officer better at impressing superiors than performing his job. A young man whose father is an admiral. As Sinclair watches on the sidelines, he'll find he may be more involved in the case than hoped - or feared.
The story begun in the first book builds quite nicely in this second novel. The characters are all interesting and fascinating - from the antagonists to the friends that Paul meets on the ship. As crew continues to rotate around him, he'll deepen some relationships but also be forced to say goodbye to others.
The court scenes are surprisingly engaging and it helps that even Paul himself is not sure that the fellow officer is guilty. I found that once I started the book, I didn't want to stop and stayed up quite late with it. The story really was that good.
I listened to the Audible version and the narrator did an excellent job.
June 12, 2011
The second installment in the JAG is Space series is structured much like its predecessor, A Just Determination. Paul Sinclair is now a Lieutenant JG, still serving on the U.S.S. Michaelson. A deadly accident in forward engineering isn’t investigated as it should. An officer attempts to cover up the truth. Sinclair is in the middle. To mix things up, his girlfriend Jen’s father is a Navy Captain. Major trial in the second half.
This story is a bit weaker than A Just Determination, but still quite good. If you liked the first book, you will undoubtedly like this one. Hemry does well in advancing Paul and Jen’s stories and the changes in their characters.
Note: Hemry also writes under the pseudonym Jack Campbell.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=843
This story is a bit weaker than A Just Determination, but still quite good. If you liked the first book, you will undoubtedly like this one. Hemry does well in advancing Paul and Jen’s stories and the changes in their characters.
Note: Hemry also writes under the pseudonym Jack Campbell.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=843
December 25, 2016
Very enjoyable account of another case that a legal officer has to deal with. Everybody is being very professional and precise, collars starched and buttons gleaming and seemingly always at attention. Things seem very tidy.
For me, it is often very difficult to tell which customs are space navy and which are already present in the real US armed forces. My basically pacifist family has little to do with the our own armed forces. My elderly relatives were all drafted to serve in the Wehrmacht and later the Volkssturm, my father and childhood sweetheart were drafted for nine month, my brother for one, but the military does not have a strong presence in my life. Especially when it comes to the highly standardised language and sheer amount of flag-saluting.
For me, it is often very difficult to tell which customs are space navy and which are already present in the real US armed forces. My basically pacifist family has little to do with the our own armed forces. My elderly relatives were all drafted to serve in the Wehrmacht and later the Volkssturm, my father and childhood sweetheart were drafted for nine month, my brother for one, but the military does not have a strong presence in my life. Especially when it comes to the highly standardised language and sheer amount of flag-saluting.
March 23, 2009
Second in a series, this is an excellent military and courtroom drama and the author is obviously well versed with both. This is the Navy in space although I would not call this a sci-fi since they don't deal with anything of an "alien" nature. Although the story itself could stand alone, most of the characters were introduced in the first book as well as their relationships to each other. Because this story was definitely more compelling, I actually liked this book even more than the first one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews