cover image The Zebra Network

The Zebra Network

Sean Flannery. William Morrow & Company, $18.95 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-688-07746-4

Although Flannery's thrillers ( Gulag , Moscow Crossing , etc.) are based on his career in U.S. security organizations, his latest requires a leap of faith too large for even ardent devotees of spy fiction. In Moscow, CIA operative David McAllisterMacgets an enigmatic warning from a Soviet contact: ``Zebra One, Zebra Two.'' After the meeting, the agent is seized by the KGB, tortured, then sent home to the U.S. From this point onward, Mac survives unbelievable attempts on his life; he kills or witnesses the murder of nearly everyone in the outsize cast. Understanding that he's suspected of working for the Soviets, Mac persists in hunting the mole at Langley, who could be anyone, including his chief, Bob Highnote, or agent Stephanie Albright, although she helps the accused prove his loyalty. If the author had exercised some restraint, he could have given fans a rip-roaring adventure, instead of this benumbing assembly of blood-red herrings and corpses. (Mar.)