THE IRISHWOMAN IN CAR NUMBER 4

French journalist Oustrières's debut novel, an enigmatic and unsatisfying thriller/ love story, seems to have lost something in translation. Tom Fairfax, a wealthy computer programmer, reaches out to a friend in the intelligence community to arrange a hit on the con man whose embezzlement ruined his company and precipitated a murder/suicide that claimed the lives of Fairfax's lover and unborn daughter. He is led to the Irishwoman of the title, the mysterious Maureen, who meets him in an abandoned carriage of the old Orient Express. When her initial attempt on the target's life fails, Fairfax considers taking direct action himself and finds his quest for revenge complicated by his growing feelings for Maureen. Ranging from Miami and Washington, D.C., to Vienna, Madrid and other European capitals, the book offers little sense of setting, nor is there much suspense or characterization. Fans of Frederick Forysth might be intrigued by the setup, but are likely to be disappointed by a story line that just peters out. (Sept. 9)

FYI:This is one of the first books offered by the new U.S. division of a major French publisher.