Unforgotten

An audacious decision to question a military operation during the Korean War comes back to haunt a judicial candidate in Meador's heartfelt second novel, which begins when 63-year-old Alabama trial lawyer John Winston accepts a nomination to become a federal judge. Winston's legal credentials are impeccable, but he has second thoughts about his potential appointment when he gets a sinister anonymous phone call from a woman who claims to know a damaging secret about him. In an extended flashback, Meador (His Father's House) details the difficult circumstances that led then-Lt. Winston to take a moral stand against his superiors. Winston believed his insubordinate stand would save lives, but the tragic outcome of his actions have weighed heavily on his conscience, and on his military record, for decades. Another complication surfaces when Sam Gilmore, one of Winston's former soldiers, claims Winston was responsible for Gilmore's permanent war injuries. Meador, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia Law School, has penned an old-fashioned tale of war and honor, pushing a riveting story along without rushing the narrative, creating complex and believable characters without apologizing for their flaws, and presenting a fully realized account of their moral and emotional dilemmas. In doing so, he contributes notably to the exploration of the issues surrounding America's so-called forgotten war, detailing the military mindset of the early 1950s while condemning the strategies that caused such a grotesque loss of life and resources. Author tour. (Apr.)