cover image Spy Hook

Spy Hook

Len Deighton. Ballantine Books, $5.99 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-345-36520-0

In this first installment of a second trilogy starring British spy Bernard Samson, the reader is always several steps ahead of the disbelieving hero, who becomes the unwilling dupe of a ruthless, super-secret plot by his own agency. The complicated cat-and-mouse game leading up to Bernard's enlightenment moves far too slowly, but the unresolved suspense generated by the powerful cliffhanger finish ``ensures readers' anticipation of projected sequels,'' observed PW. (Jan.)