Shadow over Babylon

American intelligence experts uncover a successful plot by a British businessman and a government minister to assassinate Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, in a high-tech thriller in the style of Tom Clancy and John le Carre+a7. A first novel. 50,000 first printing.

Just the ticket for everybody still smarting from our ineffectual Gulf War victory: a Day of the Jackal-esque fantasy recounting an elaborate postwar plot to assassinate Saddam. A discreetly indirect overture from a government minister leads to security expert Ed Howard, a Special Boat Service veteran, who, agreeing to take on the job for a $10 million payoff, recruits a crack British team, from volatile Mideast expert Johnny Bourne to Scottish sniper Danny MacDonald. Bolstered by enviable inside information, meticulous planning, periodic bouts of restorative sex with brave, pliant women, and a list of supplies--including outsized stores of frozen peas, margarine, and an inflatable raft--Howard and Co. follow an ingenious blueprint to Saddam's birthday celebration in his hometown of Tikrit and dig in for the one shot they'll be allowed. Even as they're lining up the target in their crosshairs, though, trouble has already struck. John Kearwin, an eager beaver reconnaissance analyst in D.C., has picked up their trail via satellite recon and--courtesy of some Clancy-esque technological wizardry--traced them back to Britain and forward to Tikrit. After an initial abortive attempt to wipe out the assassins--because only Saddam can hold together the strong Iraq the US needs to balance Iranian power in the Mideast--the top dogs in Britain and America (a bunch of fictional bozos named George Bush, John Major, Brent Scowcroft, John Kelly, Robert Gates et al.) trade accusations and try to keep a step ahead of the plotters even as Kearwin and other underlings sentimentally cheer them on. British first-novelist Mason still has a few tricks up his decorated sleeve; you'll love the details of exactly what happens to Saddam, and the reaction to assassination rumors back in Baghdad, even if you guess the surprise saved for the very end. A good time is promised to everyone in the novel's huge, exasperated target audience. (Film rights to United Artists) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Mason is already being compared to Clancy and Forsyth; his book's been sold to publishers in 11 countries; and the film rights are going for "seven figures." All the hoopla may be justified--this first novel boasts a bizarre and imaginative plot, extraordinary suspense, and an overwhelming array of military detail. A mysterious, powerful someone with unlimited bucks wants Saddam Hussein dead. The request winds its way through a labyrinth of go-betweens until it reaches the ears of Ed Howard, a former royal marine who's tough, resourceful, and smart, with an incredible knowledge of the latest techno-gizmos in weaponry and covert operations. Howard's quickly assembled team of crack operatives finds that carrying out the dirty deed is harrowing, tedious, thankless work, but for a few cool million, they're willing to try. Mason's plot rockets along at supersonic speeds, and if the technical particulars are occasionally too intricate for normal humans to grasp, readers can always skip ahead to the next action-packed section, where they'll be off once again on a roller-coaster ride of white-knuckled suspense. Emily Melton

A British businessman is approached in 1991 with a bizarre request: Would he assassinate Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein? The British government cannot be involved; the affair must be a "private venture." Suitable capital for the task will be provided, and rewards are promised. The businessman agrees and proceeds to hire a security consultant, who finds operatives, devises a plan, and begins work. Eventually, he is successful in killing Hussein, and then the inevitable plot twist occurs. Although Mason has plugged into a popular fantasy and provided a plan of satisfactory intricacy, this first novel doesn't have much feel for dialog or motivation. Moreover, it plays unfairly with the reader and has ludicrously awful sex scenes. A low-priority purchase; some libraries with large budgets may be interested. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/93.
- Edwin B. Bur gess, U.S. Army TRALINET Ctr., Fort Monroe, Va.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.