Wolf Run

Savarin ( Hammerhead ) contributes yet another name to the list of undercover agents bent on retirement who are inexorably drawn back into active espionage. Gordon Gallagher, formerly with the British Secret Service, and his fiancee, Lauren, have barely survived a series of harrowing ordeals. After their plane was hijacked, they were dumped ``in an underground prison in the middle of Australia,'' from which they escaped in a daring prison breakout. Now, during a skiing vacation in France, Lauren is brutally murdered and Gallagher narrowly escapes. Although his former bosses forbid him to seek revenge, Gallagher is obsessed with finding the person responsible for Lauren's murder, whom he is convinced can only be Inge Schonbronn, one of the gang of hijackers. Following Schonbronn's trail to Africa, Gallagher uncovers a frightening scheme with nuclear implications. Savarin is occasionally authoritative on the espionage game, his dialogue is taut but the narrative lags somewhat in suspense. (July)