cover image Embassy

Embassy

Leslie Waller. McGraw-Hill Companies, $15.95 (423pp) ISBN 978-0-07-067941-2

Waller adds to his long and impressive track record (Dog Day Afternoon, etc.) with this political thriller set in London and building to a July Fourth celebration at the U.S. Embassy that is a gilt-edged invitation to a terrorist strike. Although the book sputters a bit in the early pages, Waller soon has the story rolling along, bubbling with plots and counterplots, political infighting and domestic squabbling. Central to the action is Army Intelligence officer Ned French, assigned to provide security for a holiday gala planned by a starstruck and stubborn Ambassador's wife. Knowing the party is a recipe for disaster, French must organize a foolproof defense, but he is hindered by CIA tampering, an uneasy affair with a co-worker and the presence of an Embassy employee whose lover is an Arab terrorist plotting a massive attack. Even French's trusted aide turns out to be a double agent. Numerous subplots work to mixed effect but the climactic pages justify the effort. Major ad/promo. (June 15)