Hey, you got character development in my military scifi, and it's actually pretty good!

Fresh from the victory at Hancock Station, things couldn't be going better for Honor. She's a hero, she's in love, and her nemesis is finally getting what's due to him, with a court-martial for cowardice and desertion in the face of the enemy. But being a protagonist comes with a heavy price. Honor's love Paul is killed in a duel arranged by the villanous Pavel Young, and Honor sacrifices everything to get her revenge.

Several things make this book stand out. First is Honor's very real grief. Weber might not be the best at intimacy, but he does loss like a champion. Second, Honor's friends really come through for her, and it's no surprise that such an exceptional woman draws those kinds of people too her. And finally, Pavel Young is disgusting scum; sexist, corrupt, and cowardly, and we get to watch him squirm.

Field of Dishonor is tense and tightly plotted, and better than it has any right to be.