re:mote voices

Title: Jade Lady Burning
Author: Martin Limon
Publisher:Serpent's Tail

Jade Lady Burning is the first novel by Martin Limon, an American who served in Korea while he was in the army. This is reflected by this novel, which was written in 1992, with the main characters being two GI’s serving in Korea. In particular the characters are part of the criminal investigation division, which works with the local police, especially where Americans are involved.

Part of the reason why I picked up Jade Lady Burning was that it reminded me a little of John Burdett’s Bangkok 8, which I read last year. Rather than Bangkok, this is set in Seoul, though both feature the red light districts of each city, and the involvement of the American army. As I started reading I started to actually fear that the plot similarities might turn out to be too close, fortunately this turns out not to be the case, which would have been more unfortunate for Bangkok 8 which was written a lot more recently. Though between the two I have to say I have a preference for Burdett’s book, his writing works better – his characters and the city they are in come to life more. Perhaps this is because Burdett’s main character was a Thai police officer in his own environment, dealing with Americans, rather than an American in another environment dealing with other Americans and Koreans? Jade Lady Burning is published as part of a noir print, which might also be part of the problem with the characters, there seems to be too much time spent sitting around sitting around saying nothing while they get drunk. The uncommunicative mood may adhere to noir policies, but fails to bring these characters to life or to really give an impression of the city or country, which is around them.

Plot wise Jade Lady Burning starts with the murder of a young bar girl, who forms relationships with GI’s to make a little money. The murder has been particularly brutal and with the American connection the locals are causing a stir. So the criminal investigation department has to get involved, partly to show face, but also to put someone in the firing line of responsibility as quickly as possible. However, with a young soldier put in place as the main suspect, the investigators aren’t entirely satisfied. The pieces don’t fit together that easily, and of course it isn’t long before they realise that there is a considerably bigger picture and from the amount of warning signs that start to crop up, they could well be out of their depth.