<DIV><DIV><DIV><P><B>The mysterious Inspector O is once again drawn into a web of concessions and cover-ups in the newest mystery from critically acclaimed author James Church.</B></P><P>Autumn brings unwelcome news to Inspector O: wrenched from retirement, he has been ordered to Pyongyang for an assignment. The two Koreas are now cooperating--very quietly--to maintain stability in the North. Stability requires compromise; stability requires peace; stability requires that O investigate a crime of passion committed by the young man who has been selected as the best leader of a transition government. </P><P>O is instructed to make sure the case goes away. Then he learns that several groups—remnants of the old regime, foreign powers, rival gangs—all want a piece of the action, and all make clear that if O values his life, he will not get in their way. O isn't sure where his loyalties lie, and he doesn't have much time to figure out whether 'tis better to be noble or be dead.</P><P>Once again, James Church's spare, lyrical writing illuminates an unfamiliar landscape of whispers and shadows, a place few outsiders have ever experienced. <I>The Man with the Baltic Stare </I>is a chilling, atmospheric noir—a fascinating response to the works of Martin Cruz Smith and John Le Carre.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV>