Private Sector

When Major Drummond is notified by his boss, General Clapper, that he is being assigned to the PRIVATE SECTOR law firm Cupler, Hutch, and Westin under a "loan out" program whose supposed goal is to broaden the experience of the JAG staff while creating goodwill in the public sector, he immediately begins to plot the best method to sabotage the assignment without creating such enmity between himself and Clapper that he effectively terminates his Army career. He realizes that the combination of his natural personality traits should easily be able to be honed to accomplish the task, and immediately begins to alienate those with whom he comes into contact. The one interesting element of the assignment is that Sean is replacing fellow officer Lisa Morrow, whom he has come to know and respect during previous assignments and for whom he harbors a great deal of apparently unrequited affection. When Lisa indicates a desire to meet Sean, he is both curious about what aspects of her experience at Cupler he needs to be briefed and hopeful that she may be more attracted to him than he expected. Unfortunately, their meeting never occurs due to Lisa's apparently random murder in a DC parking lot (this minor spoiler is included because it is revealed on the book jacket) and Sean immediately decides he should supplement the efforts of the DC police and the CID ( the Army's Criminal Investigation Division) in investigating Lisa's death. Since he quickly comes to believe that Lisa's death may be related to Lisa's work at Cupler, he realizes that in order to effectively further his goal of catching Lisa's killer he has remain in the good graces of both the partners of Cupler and General Clapper, not at all an easy task for Sean.

As the cliché goes, the plot quickly thickens as further increasingly brutal and apparently random murders occur. Meanwhile Sean is involved in helping the firm's largest client, Morris Networks, a telecommunications firm spawned during the financial market and technological excesses of the nineties successfully win a major government contract. He soon suspects that Lisa's death and the other murders might somehow be related to Cupler `s representation of Moriss and it's "new economy" CEO Jason Morris. As the story unfolds, there are as usual in Haig's novels many excellent lines from Sean, a well thought out although convoluted plot, and a knowledgeable and quite informative discussion of the latest uses of sophisticated financial instruments and their accounting implications (a la Enron, which is mistakenly referred to as Exxon).

This is an enjoyable and well told story; although I had the advantage of understanding the business aspects of the plot the details are not essential to the story. (I also had the disadvantage of knowing enough to be aggravated at his admittedly minor mistakes.) The author did excellent research and his information is essentially correct with regard to both the details and the overview. However, I was disappointed by the anti-corporate tone of the book, there are basically no honorable people either at Morris or Cupler. In addition, Sean's idiosyncratic characteristics actually were a little overdone at times during the early part of the story and stretched cleverness to the edge of inaneness, which bordered on losing credibility. My only major criticism is the technique of writing this story with Sean as the first party narrator but interspersing segments where the killer became the narrator. (There was no confusion when this occurred, it was identified with a change in typeface. I just found it a little disconcerting although I understand the author's reasons for utilizing the technique.) So, I highly recommend this book as a good legal/action mystery by a talented author. You will benefit from reading the earlier books in the series prior to this, but that is not at all necessary. But if you only have time for one Brian Haig book, I recommend THE KINGMAKER instead as a superior read. (It is now in paperback.)

Tucker Andersen


Major Drummond in a Thriller   February 23, 2006
George Webster, Ph.D., (Orlando, FL USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I'll begin by saying that this is a genuine thriller, and if you like thrillers, Private Sector is worth reading. It is the third of Brian Haig's novels that I have read, and it is the best. In the previous books, I was turned off by his wisecracking protagonist, Major Sean Drummond, a US Army lawyer. But in this one, Drummond is loaned to a snooty, Washington law firm, and his flippancy toward its arrogant attorneys is refreshing. He replaces Captain Lisa Morrow, an Army attorney and good friend. But Captain Morrow is brutally murdered, and Drummond soon suspects that she had learned something about the law firm that put her in mortal peril. Murders continue, and when Drummond finds how they are linked, he becomes the killer's target. The plot twists and turns until it reached a thrilling climax.


An entertaining good time.   October 1, 2003
Nick Gonnella
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Hot headed Army attorney Sean Drummond has been given a new job at a Washington law firm, and he's not happy about it, but he figures it can't be that bad for the short time he'll be there...he's wrong.

Sean is given the tour of his new firm, as well as being brought up to speed on the perks of his new job; new wardrobe courtesy of Brooks Brothers, expense account and brand new Jaguar. As Sean is settling into his new job, he receives his first client, a media giant vying for a contract with the Pentagon, and the news of his good friend Lisa Morrow's murder.

Not knowing who to trust, Sean teams with Lisa's sister Janet, a smart Boston Assistant District Attorney to investigate the murder and bring a killer to justice, but in the process he discovers his new client is not what they say they are, and the company's owner has a dark, sinister side.

Sean has never backed down from trouble before, and this time is no different as he makes sure nothing gets in the way of him avenging his friends murder.

`Private Sector' is the best novel yet in the Sean Drummond series. With each new novel readers see the plots getting beefier, and the suspense thicker, proving there is long life ahead of this gripping series. Political intrigue, and complex plot twists combined with sharp legal thrills sets this thriller apart from others in the genre. Brian Haig has quickly become one of my favorite authors; from his original plots, and smooth writing, to the relentless pacing, and fast action he keeps the pages turning, and the reader guessing.

The season of hot reads has begun, and `Private Sector' is a sure bet for an entertaining good time. Expect to see this novel on the bestseller lists, and fans anxiously awaiting the next appearance of Sean Drummond.

If you have not read any novels by Brian Haig do yourself a favor and read him.

Nick Gonnella


Excellent   June 5, 2006
Michael L. Slavin (New Jersey)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

The series featuring Sean Drummond, the Army attorney, continues. Drummond, is a likeable and believable hero. In this story he is loaned to a white shoe civilian law firm as part of an exchange program with the military. The private law firm has people involved with a crime syndicate that is involved with suspect dealings with a communications company. The brutal murders designed to cover up the tracks begin. There is high level involvement with the FBI and CIA. This is a real page turner!