cover image Code Name: Gentkill:: A Novel of the FBI

Code Name: Gentkill:: A Novel of the FBI

Paul Lindsay. Villard Books, $23 (287pp) ISBN 978-0-679-42616-5

Former FBI agent Lindsay (Witness to the Truth) has a vision of his protagonists--in this case the agents of the Detroit office--that makes them a blend of hard-bitten professionals and fraternity cutups. It may be authentic, but it gives his thriller an odd tone, as if neither the thrills nor the bitter, prankish humor are to be taken quite seriously. Agent Mike Devlin, his hero, is always balking at unfair authority. Here, he's out to do two things: first, collar two criminals--a serial killer who specializes in knocking off agents and an extortionist who is planting bombs at a medical center; second, nail his pompous, sleazy boss. The plotting, though swift, is a little too elaborate, with the two story lines never quite meshing as the author seems to intend. But there are plenty of thrills along the way, and a dizzy ransom denouement that is certainly a first in fiction. The book is basically the fictional equivalent of a tough Bruce Willis movie, with the pleasures and limitations of such an approach. Author tour. (Sept.)