Assassin of Secrets

Markham, the pseudonym of poet Quentin Rowan, makes his full-length fiction debut with a quirky, entertaining spy thriller set in 1968. Jonathan Chase, an agent with I-Division, a special unit set up by JFK in 1962 to “watchdog” all the other secret bureaus (particularly the CIA), must contend with a foreign agency known as Zero Directorate, which has been infiltrating all the world’s intelligence operations. The evil mastermind behind the Directorate, “the Mirza,” a mysterious figure rumored to have a “weakness for the gadgetry of espionage,” schemes to invent a weapon that will ensure world domination. Chase’s love interest, a beautiful female agent code-named Snow Queen, and a French assassin known as La Flamme complicate his mission. Markham strays far enough into James Bond territory to border on parody, but the fine writing keeps the enterprise firmly on track, and the obvious Ian Fleming influence just adds to the appeal. (Nov.)