Assassin

Ex-CIA agent Kirk McGarvey must bring down Yevgenni Anatolevich Tarankov, the Tarantula, if the new Russia, which is on the path to an open and free society, is not to become the old Russia

The security services of several nations want to stop retired CIA hit man Kirk McGarvey before he can complete a lone-wolf mission to Moscow that could upset any number of geopolitical applecarts. Russia's economic woes and foreign policy setbacks are making the country's electorate restive enough to give the presidency to Yevgenni Tarankov, a charismatic Stalinist who campaigns throughout the motherland in an armored train. Gravely concerned that the ultranationalist could reverse the halting progress the troubled country has made toward creating an open, democratic society, Kremlin moderates recruit McGarvey to liquidate him. Now living in Paris with Jacqueline Belleau, an intelligence operative detailed to keep an eye on his movements, the hired gun reluctantly accepts the assignment. With valuable assistance from an expatriate computer whiz, he finds a way to slip in and out of Russia via the Baltic republics. Meanwhile, McGarvey's erstwhile masters learn what he's about and make a determined effort to stop him to preclude the disclosure that Tarankov earned a small fortune as a CIA informant during the 1970s. The CIA callously brings McGarvey's young daughter Liz into the game. A low-level translator at the agency, she jumps at the chance to do fieldwork and help locate her father. Liz soon tracks down Jacqueline (who has been outsmarted by her lover), and the two women head East. They remain several steps behind McGarvey (who's deduced that his target intends staging a May Day coup), and, on their way to Moscow, Liz is abducted by Tarankov's minions. In the nick, however, the quiet American foils the would-be usurper's plot and pulls Liz off the private railcar moments before government planes blast it to kingdom come. Another twisty thriller from the reliable Hagberg (High Flight, 1995, etc.)--and a welcome return for Cold War hardcase McGarvey, who's still a cunning devil when it comes to organizing solo operations across forbidden frontiers. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

This is Hagberg's twenty-fifth novel, counting the ones he wrote as Sean Flannery. Assassin is his sixth thriller featuring Kirk McGarvey, a former CIA agent whose specialty was assassinations during the cold war. Nearing 50, McGarvey now lives in Paris, where he stays in shape by running and swimming daily. Meanwhile, in Russia one Yevgenni Tarankov is close to coming to power; his goal is to return the nation to communism and rule as a despot. Tarankov must be assassinated by a foreigner, and McGarvey reluctantly accepts the assignment. There are some minor subplots and revelations (McGarvey learns that his parents were not spies for Russia but were set up), but the novel deals with Hagberg's usual good guy^-bad guy encounter, death being the final result. There's a little sex and gore and lots of action, the perfect formula for the perfect thriller. George Cohen

In the world of spy and counterspy, heroes and villains have long memories and may bring their personal battles to the political and military playing fields. Thus, Hagberg's series hero, Kirk McGarvey (last seen in High Flight, LJ 9/1/95), finds himself facing some relatives of his earlier targets when he accepts an assignment to assassinate Tarankov, a hard-line Communist in Russia. Some of the old Soviet bears (Yeltsin, Gorbachev) are still alive, but Russia is spiraling downward. Merciless, ambitious, and well equipped, Tarankov is conquering the country city by city. McGarvey works his way across Europe, but his best plans may be foiled by the well-meaning intervention of his beloved daughter and his French mistress. Assassin is a cut above the competition, mostly because of Hagberg's gift for description, the rapid-fire plot, and the complex nature of his hero. Recommended.?Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.