 |
Wilson’s tale is a spy-suspense novel set in the modern era of Middle Eastern intrigue involving the CIA, MI-6, and Mossad. A CIA agent is abducted in Malaysia only to miraculously turn up stateside five days later. He recruits one Frank Reza, a physicist, away from his academic career to help the CIA research and develop a deadly laser weapon. It turns out that the research team is composed of Iranian Muslims. Meanwhile, the CIA is searching for a double agent, or “mole,” within their ranks. A seemingly naïve Frank goes along with the team and completes the laser, but only after the Mossad has blown up one of their laboratories, and they have hopscotched from the U.S. to Mexico and the mountains of New Zealand. Who are these Iranians, why is Frank so gullible, and who is the double agent behind it all?
The plot is the strongest element of this first novel by a previous short story writer. There are many twists and turns along with some misdirection. While the suspense keeps the pages turning, the characterization is such that very few besides the villains of the piece have transparent motivations. Spies and double agents rarely broadcast their inner drives, and that is the case here—until the very final chapter. The theme is perhaps the realpolitik of spy-craft, national interest, and the arms race. At times the dialogue is a little stilted and unrealistic (such as when agents stop to discuss various religious beliefs, etc.), and the book could use some proofreading. On the whole, however, this is a successful effort at depicting intrigue on the global intelligence scene with a distinct distrust of idealism mixed in.