The Line

First-time novelist McGuire has crafted a military thriller in the tradition of John Grisham's The Firm. This time, though, the target is the U.S. Army. Major Boomer Watson, assigned to Hawaii after a friendly-fire miscue in the Ukraine, teams up with Major Benita Trace to piece together a 70-year-old puzzle. Their investigations lead them to The Line--a secret organization of army officers whose past sins include hastening U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War for personal gain. McGuire's intricate and disturbing novel revolves around The Line's latest covert operation: assassinate the President of the United States during a Pearl Harbor Day ceremony. McGuire, a former naval officer, certainly knows his military history and terminology. In fact, he's so convincing that by the last page, readers may doubt the official version of the last 50 years. (Dec.)