Blindside

Rating:
Summary: Olen must decide whether honesty is truly a virtue
Review: Blindside by Jim R. Lane is the story of Neal Olen, a Navy commander who is summoned to military court on charges of adultery, "conduct unbecoming an officer", and of possible national security violations, when a woman he once had an affair with writes a scalding tell-all book. Caught between a ruthless military legal system, mounting attorney's fees, and with his own marriage on the line, Olen must decide whether honesty is truly a virtue when the court-martial has little mercy. Blindside is a powerfully written and compelling tale. ...

Rating:
Summary: Quick but shallow
Review: Navy Commander Neal Olen, now retired, has a great wife and an important civilian job, but he made one slip four years ago, a one night stand with a seductive novelist, Angela Vance. Now Angela has cast him as a character in her tell-all novel, Navy Wench, and it's all there -- including that night. Neal is called back on active duty to face charges of adultery and "conduct unbecoming a gentleman" -- leaking military secrets. Neal doesn't remember the secrets, but he certainly remembers that night, and he knows all about prison -- where he's headed if he doesn't get help. And help is? Lethajoy Beltower, lesbian and lawyer.

Though only 204 pages long, BLINDSIDE didn't grab me until page 73 -- a long wait. And while Jim Lane has crafted a couple of great characters, especially Lethajoy, his writing lacks poetry. Only one line sang to me in the whole book. The plot is rushed, barebones and shallow, and other than a couple of perfunctory paragraphs about Neal's childhood and father, we learn little about him. However, Lane obviously knows the Navy and its laws, and the middle chapters contain a handful of courtroom scenes smashing enough to draw the reader in completely, if only for a moment.

Other than a couple of close calls with death, BLINDSIDE offers few surprises and no suspense. However, if you're stuck in a waiting room or on an airplane and need something light to read for a couple of hours, this tiny navy novel might do the trick.