Colonel Julia Endicott is serving a Washington tour as Deputy Director of Public Affairs. She is apparently on the fast track to General when the Chief of Staff calls her into his office. There she meets Special Agent Ted Marsh (OSI), who is investigating her for the murder of Captain Gabe Hunter. Julia knew Hunter in Vietnam, and was there when he became an MIA in June 1972. His remains have just been recovered, and found with them are two very incriminating pieces of evidence: her service revolver and her St. Christopher's medal.

Julia's first tour of duty was in Vietnam. Immediately upon her arrival she meets the flirtatious, semi-engaging rake, Gabe Hunter. Resisting him becomes easier when she discovers her bunkmate Claire Simmons is desperately in love with him. In her role in Public Affairs she also meets Dean Lassiter, future Pulitzer Prize winner. The four of them work and play together on more than one occasion.

Since this novel is set in the present, the author, in order to develop the plot, alternates chapters with flashbacks to Julia's tour in Vietnam. Using this technique, she exposes us to hidden secrets and to possible motives for the murder of Capt. Hunter. The Vietnam chapters bring the flavor of the country in possibly one of the most objective fashions I've read. The author describes the actions of the U.S. in a balanced, dispassionate way that is almost refreshing -- neither a defense nor a condemnation of the role of the U.S. in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, back in the present day Washington chapters, Lovelace is meticulous in her depiction of the investigative process that leads to a formal inquiry, and a possible court-martial. (Very, very meticulous…) Military personnel and their dependents may appreciate the fine distinctions she draws. But for others who are not interested in the details, it may overwhelm the story.

When the flashbacks stop midway through the book, the characters become less plastic. Although I never felt I got to know the characters, some emotion did leak through, along with a bit of romantic tension and passion. The resolution of the plot is carefully unveiled and cleverly presented.

While I appreciate the author's careful attention to detail and the technical expertise exhibited in crafting this novel, I wish Lovelace would take the time and the care necessary to interject some humor in her dialogues. And if her characters were developed slowly, layer by layer, they would not be so narrowly focused and so reminiscent of cardboard cutouts. In short, I believe these style changes would permit her to build and sustain credible emotional tension among her characters, and might catapult her work to the five-heart level.

--Thea Davis