Falklands Gambit

Despite an interesting political context, exotic locales and plenty of action, Langley (Warlords) doesn't quite pull this off. In 1982, young American David Ryker is en route to the Falkland Islands to inspect an old sailing wreck. On a bus in the Argentine pampa he befriends but cannot save from arrest a man who turns out to be a fugitive from Argentina's military regime; as a result, David is imprisoned, too. On his release, David meets and falls in love with Anne Danby, ""kelper'' (Falkland Islander) and secretary to Magnus Stone, British billionaire. Stone is scheming to rescue that same political fugitive, who will prove that Argentina plans to annex the Falklands. Portraits of Falklanders as ``more British than the British,'' piercing glimpses of Antarctica's beauty and valid political points about Antarctic oil are assets here. But the novel is weakened by a silly subplot and a lot of pointless action. December 9