cover image The Monkey Handlers

The Monkey Handlers

G. Gordon Liddy. St. Martin's Press, $19.95 (338pp) ISBN 978-0-312-05127-3

While his expected macho super-patriotism is very much in evidence, Liddy ( Will: An Autobiography ) adds an interesting twist to his latest thriller. Ex-Navy SEAL Michael Stone is jolted out of his placid real-estate law practice when the sister of a Vietnam buddy is arrested for trespassing at a chemical plant run by a West German corporation in New York's Hudson Valley. The Germans, led by the ruthless Metz, try to retrieve animal rights activist Sara Rosen's photos of an animal-experimentation lab and to intimidate Mike with a vicious biker gang. After Sara and her inept, idealist boyfriend get themselves into dire peril, Stone, with a trio of former SEALs and Sara's brother, comes to the rescue. Their next job is to stop international terrorists from wiping out Manhattan. The derring is done very well, with graphic details built around shocking descriptions of animal experimentation. What may surprise readers is Liddy's convincing case against unnecessary, FDA-forced cruelty to animals. The ending is a bit abrupt, but otherwise Liddy's touch is deft. (Oct.)