The Fourth Courier

When three unidentified bodies with mutilated faces turn up on the banks of the Vistula River in 1992 Warsaw, the police initially assume that they are dealing with a serial killer in this solid thriller from Smith (A Vision of Angels). Later, they determine that the victims are Russian and carry traces of radioactivity. The possibility of smuggled Soviet-era nuclear materials raises its head. FBI agent Jay Porter, who has family connections to the Manhattan Project, joins the Warsaw police on the case. The perpetrators, chief among them a Serbian nationalist general with delusions of grandeur, are known to the reader early on, and coincidence plays a key role in moving things along. Interest lies in watching how various strands of the straightforward plot gradually converge as events play against a moody picture of daily life in post–Cold War Poland. Sharply drawn characters, rich dialogue, and a clever conclusion bode well for any sequel. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media. (Apr.)