Undersea Prison

In Falconer's mediocre fourth contemporary thriller to feature Special Boat Services operative John Stratton (after The Operative ), a lucky missile strike downs a British helicopter in Afghanistan. From the wreckage, the Taliban retrieve a security case containing a computer chip with data on 1,443 indigenous British- and U.S.-run agents and informants throughout the Middle East. A doctor implants the chip in the body of a Taliban fighter, Durrani, who later winds up in American custody. Fearing embarrassment if the Yanks discover the chip, MI6 send Stratton after Durrani, who's confined in Styx, a secret prison 300 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico for “highest-category prisoners” and “since the announced closure of Guantánamo... a terrorist-detention centre.” In order to infiltrate Styx, Stratton takes the place of a look-alike inmate, Nathan Charon, who's being transferred there. Fans of cartoonish action yarns will be the most satisfied. (Apr.)