This was such a strange book for me to read. I am currently assigned to the Pentagon, so the title of the book caught my eye. But the book was written before I ever joined the military, so it has a very dated feel to it. And interestingly enough, many of the controversial issues discussed in the book (homosexuals serving openly in the military and women in combat) are slowly becoming less controversial, but it has taken more than 20 years to get to this point. I had to chuckle when I got to the myriad nicknames given to the Pentagon in the very beginning of the story. I had heard of the 'Puzzle Palace' moniker, but several of the others (Fort Fumble, the Fudge Factory, the Five-Sided Wailing Wall) were completely new to me. I also had to pause at the mention of the Russians' nuclear targeting of the center of the Pentagon's five-acre courtyard - and the fact that even back then, the nuclear arsenals were being reduced, but not abolished.I was fascinated by Major Falk's participation in the DACOWITS organization (a group composed of civilian women and men who are appointed by the Secretary of Defense to provide advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to the recruitment and retention, treatment, employment, integration, and well-being of highly qualified professional women in the Armed Forces.) It is erroneously called DACWITS in the book, and membership is limited to civilians, so Major Falk would not have been a member. As I read the book, I thought about the places that were mentioned (the purple water fountain, the tree-lined courtyard, the Secretary of Defense's offices, the Military Women's corridor, etc.) and I had to smile because now I actually know where these places are and have seen them all. While so much has changed at the Pentagon in the last twenty years, it's refreshing to know that some things remain the same. Even the mention about the reliance on WTOP traffic broadcasts to predict the length of the daily commute made me laugh - it is just as true today as it was back then.Some of the narrative involving the military seemed quite unrealistic (for example, Major Falk seemed to have much more clout within her office and freedom to fulfill duties as both a lawyer and a helicopter pilot than I would expect.) Still, I found the story to be entertaining. I discovered the book on a display at my local library, and I realize now that the book is the eleventh in the Capital Crimes series by Margaret Truman. I doubt that I will pursue reading all of the books in the series, but I'm intrigued enough to be willing to read another. interesting quote:"Those men from the Office of Test and Evaluation who weren't with wives or girlfriends were the most overt in their admiration. Those with short-term or long-running attachments were more furtive evaluating what they'd never test." (p. 6)new words: kaffiyehs, burnooses, fulgent, melanous
