Mortal Games

In this sequel to The Dossier, Andre Kohl, the proficient Paris-based correspondent for a major TV network, is invited to a small dinner party after announcing his early retirement and engagement to Meredith Houghton, daughter of the acting CIA director. What he finds when he arrives at the luxurious hotel is a delightful surprise party attended by major reporters and French politicians, a party just for him. Also just for him are bullets being fired from the back of the room by two unknown gunmen. Kohl is whisked back to the States to contemplate the identity of his assailants, undoubtedly seeking revenge for his role in revealing a rogue CIA operation involving ex-Nazis and an important French wartime collaborator. In order to escape further assassination attempts, the gregarious reporter must give up his powerful chums and even his beloved Meredith to begin an entirely new life incognito. Other writers of intrigue fancy the dealings of major decision-makers; Salinger and Gross can draw on personal experience and have the talent to use it well. They briefly challenge the imagination with an impossibly candid meeting between the heads of the CIA and KGB. Nonetheless, the capable Andre's readjustment to his new, difficult life and the international inquiry into the attempted slaying show how engrossing and credible a novel can be when capable writers skillfully use raw material garnered from their own beats. (February)