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Sean Drummond is the Army JAG major who nobody wants. He is a troublemaker, a smart aleck, the antithesis of a team player. What is even more irritating is the fact that, in a room occupied by any cross-population of individuals, Drummond normally will be the smartest one present. However, it is precisely the qualities that make Drummond so difficult to live and work with that make his exploits such an entertaining read.
THE PRESIDENT'S ASSASSIN, Haig's latest Drummond novel, is easily his best. Haig takes Drummond out of the office and courtroom and puts him in the field when he is loaned --- or, as Drummond tells us, banished --- to a CIA sub-agency called The Office of Special Projects. The book begins with Drummond accompanying a beautiful and subtly beguiling FBI agent to a home in a posh Washington, D.C. suburb, which is the scene of a terrifying mass murder. It turns out to be only the first step in a series of planned assassinations that are to culminate in the murder of the President of the United States --- unless a ransom of $100 million is paid.
Drummond is involved with the FBI on behalf of the CIA, due to the possibility of a foreign connection, but the combined might and majesty of the nation's law enforcement agencies is found wanting. The people behind the murders constantly appear to be several steps ahead of everyone. To make matters worse, the entire operation seems to have been planned and coordinated by a rogue Secret Service agent.
Drummond is at his wisecracking best, saving his best quips for the most inappropriate times, yet his insight proves to be invaluable when it comes to nailing down the trail of the assassins. Things take a sudden and dramatic turn, however, when the decision is made to pay the ransom, and the assassins choose Drummond to make the delivery. A resolution seems imminent, but appearances are deceiving. Drummond cannot escape the feeling that something is wrong --- and, as usual, he is quite right.
Haig has pulled off a neat trick here with Drummond. The Army lawyer is obnoxious enough to those around him that he keeps getting passed off to new agencies and given new assignments, thus ensuring that he can be involved in fresh plots with new supporting characters for as long as Haig chooses to continue this fine series. The constant change of scenery between novels also makes the series accessible for new readers. At the same time Drummond is quite entertaining to read about, even if you wouldn't necessarily want to work with him.
The result is a series that keeps getting better and better and certainly has the potential to do so for the indefinite future. Recommended.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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