Koontz's lumbering second Cold War thriller to feature master spy John Apparite (after 2006's Under Cloak of Darkness
) veers toward unintentional parody. After a prologue set in Belgium in 1944, the story shifts to 1956 New York City, where Apparite, whose more-secret-and-more-powerful-than-the-CIA employer has given him the title of “Superagent,” is recovering from the trauma of a previous mission. When Apparite blows off steam by picking a fight with a professional boxer, his boss sends him on a mission to Berlin, where he again crosses swords with a Soviet assassin. The run-of-the-mill assignment involves East German defectors and a clichéd love interest. Patches of uninspired prose include an overly detailed description of a fired bullet's path (“the powder ignited and the bullet left the pistol faster than the speed of sound,” etc.). Some readers may find the final revelation more appropriate to a soap opera than a hard-hitting espionage yarn. (Sept.)
