Redcap

Bill Walker is a staff sergeant in the Royal Military Police, a Redcap. After a patrol turns deadly, Walker, trying to sort out how his team could possibly have been ambushed, discovers that his commanding officer, Major Steadman, may be a little . . . well, unbalanced. At its heart, Callison's novel dramatizes a protracted duel between Walker, a good man, and Steadman, a sadistic psychopath. Spanning a decade (late 1950s to late 1960s), the story is epic in scale but, considering its subject matter, written with a surprisingly light touch. Callison packs the tale with the kind of vivid detail that keeps us flipping the pages. And Walker, who narrates, has an offbeat sense of humor ("I'm ruggedly handsome, too, by the way. As well as shameless about telling lies when not under oath"), and his self-deprecating wit often defuses moments that could have gone way over the dramatic top. An out-of-the-ordinary and very effective thriller. David Pitt
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