Project Daedalus

(Bantam Books 1991)

Publisher?s Weekly

?Hoover?s characters double-deal their way through settings ranging from the Acropolis to the inside of a superplane that skims the edge of space ?- the ultimate in death-dealing. A secret agreement between the Russian military and the Yakuza, Japanese crime lords, threatens to shift the balance of world power.?

Idea points: Hypersonic, Nuclear Warhead, Space Plane, Crete, Palace of Minos, Greek Islands

Hoover's ( The Samurai Strategy ) adept handling of convincing detail enhances this entertaining thriller as his characters deal and double-deal their way through settings ranging from the Acropolis to the inside of a spacecraft. Michael Vance, formerly of the CIA, is on his way to an archeological dig when some old friends show up. First comes KGB agent Alex Novosty, caught laundering money that the KGB claims was embezzled--and he wants Michael to take charge of the hot funds. Then National Security Agency cryptographer Eva Borodin (who is Michael's ex-lover) appears with an undecipherable but dangerous computer file: the co-worker who gave her the file has since vanished. Heavies from a Japanese crime syndicate attack Michael and Eva, who are rescued by Alex, but it looks like Alex and the syndicate aren't complete strangers. Moreover, a mysterious Daedalus Corporation seems to be a link between Alex's money and Eva's file. As Michael is drawn into this deadly web, he realizes there is a secret agreement between the Soviets and the Japanese--and it has nothing to do with trading tea-brewing customs.

Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.