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This book, on its most basic level, is a murder mystery that happens to be set on an Army post.
But on another level, it is a story about the unique subculture of the military, about military law, and about women in the
military, and how all of these elements come together on a hot, steamy Georgia military base.
The Uniform Code of Military Justice is the law under which all the branches of the military—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines,
and Coast Guard—operate. The UCMJ, as it is called, is based on American Constitutional law, but it is tailored to take into
account the ironic fact that men and women in uniform, who are sworn to defend the Constitution, do not enjoy all the rights
and safeguards they are defending. Military law also addresses military virtues, such as duty, honor, and loyalty—concepts
which are rarely or never addressed in civilian law.
Thus, as we see in this novel, military law is more than law—it is the whole legal, social, professional, and even psychological
matrix into which all members of the armed forces fit, or don’t fit, as the case may be.
The General’s Daughter begins with a murder and apparent rape, and from the beginning, we see that this is not only a crime against an individual
or against society; it is also a crime against the institution of the United States Army, a crime against good order and discipline,
an affront to the concepts of honor and loyalty, and to the military maxim that “All the brothers are brave and all the sisters
are virtuous.” In fact, the murder of a female officer is the trip wire that causes an explosion that rocks the Army to its
foundations.
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