Frozen Assets

Dr. Jason Love, memorable amateur sleuth of Leasor's acclaimed suspense series, reappears on the war-torn Pakistan/Afghan border in this thrilling tale of murder and greed amongst drug lords, spies and marauding Soviet soldiers. Leasor ( Who Killed Sir Harry Oakes? ) demonstrates an expert's knowledge of covert spy operations and of Soviet involvement in Afghanistan, but the story's star attraction is Love himself, a gentle English country doctor and car enthusiast who is periodically thrust into the world of cutthroat intrigue. But no matter how dangerous the events become, Love never loses his English sang-froid. In Pakistan to appraise a rare 1935 Cord for an insurance agency, Love determines that the car has important historical value and then finds that his life is in danger. He also discovers the existence of an antique map pinpointing the site of a metal deposit worth a fortune to the country that discovers it first. A half-hearted romantic subplot and Dr. Love's inclination to quote 17th-century writer Sir Thomas Browne are minor flaws, compared to the joys of Leasor's intelligent adventure in Pakistan. (Aug.)