Hidden Moon James Church St. Martin's $23.95 November 07

James Church's North Korean Inspector O, returns in Hidden Moon. In a nation where passing the buck, covering your ass, fighting with rival offices, shifting the blame and worrying over who's watching you is raised to the nth power; Inspector O is unique in police circles as he's known to get things done. A bank has been robbed. This is a rare occurrence in North Korea. Few people have money and don't trust the banks, regardless. Foreigners use the bank. They're very vague when questioned. Lots of Euros appear and disappear. People end up dying. O is told to back off. He's told to pursue the case. He's assigned a partner from a different branch agency. O sands his varieties of wood, banters with his boss and tries to make sense of everything going on as intrigue piles on intrigue. This is a police procedural but if you're looking for familiar ground you won't find it here unless you're willing to read into it. Fans of exotic locale,unique perspective, and a different writing style will thoroughly enjoy Hidden Moon and Inspector O.

Dave Biemann