The Defender

This nifty little legal thriller is advertised as "a novel of Word War II," and it doesn't disappoint as either a historical novel or a legal thriller. Lieutenant Dominick Sisko has been charged with disobeying an order and cowardice. Sisko took his unit off the offensive and retreated down hill 399 against the order of a senior officer. His defense? The commanding officer, killed in the offensive, gave him the order to retreat. Lieutenant Colonel Harry Voss, a family friend to Sisko, is called in by the Judge Advocate General to act as the defense. The court martial is rushed, and Voss finds himself running against the clock, the prosecutor and the truth. The story is more than it seems, and Voss is uncomfortable with both the over zealous attitude of the prosecutor and the facts of the case. The characters all have divergent motives, and Voss is faced with more than just a normal defense. He his faced with his own conscience. The Defender is a fast-paced, and thrilling novel. Mesce's writing shines in the courtroom scenes--the dialogue is crisp, realistic and the story his characters testify is engrossing. The characters have the feel of realism without an overbearing reliance on description and back-story. The setting is well drawn with tight, understated images. The Defender is a winner, and I enjoyed every page. Ben Boulden Gravetapping: a thing for books

In November of 1944, the third Battalion's 103rd Infantry Regiment was ordered to take out and hold a German-held hill (#399) in the Huertgen Forest. Twice they tried and failed but on the third attempt were able to take the hill. When Captain Joyce ordered the men under his command to hold the hill, lieutenant Dominic Sisko said Major Porter ordered a retreat. When Dom and the men came down off the hill, Major Porter was nowhere to be found. Captain Joyce had Dom placed under arrest.In December of 1944 in Belgium, Captain Courie is eager to prosecute the lieutenant on various charges. When word reaches Lieutenant Sisko's friend in Scotland about his troubles, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Voss rushes to Belgium to defend the young man he helped raise. As the hearing moves forward, Harry struggles to find evidence that would give Lieutenant Sisko a chance of being acquitted.Fans of military legal thrillers will find THE DEFENDER a fascinating, shocking, and disturbing tale of what can happen to soldiers operating in the battlefield. The brilliant hero, who defends him, portrays the defendant of this enthralling courtroom as a victim. Voss gives hope to Sisko (and the readers) that somehow the accused will be found not guilty of disobeying a direct order. Bill Mesce Jr. has an excellent sense of place and time, as if he worked Judge Advocate General issues during WWII and is reporting on what he saw.Harriet Klausner