Death of A Marionette

Rating:
Summary: Reprint of an exciting espionage thriller
Review: Former Nam grunt, American Neal Morley, operates out of London for the shrouded government agency, the Bureau. His superiors send Neal on assignment to Brussels, a city where he busted up an international drug ring at a high cost to his own health. He is to interview a puppeteer, Serge Cailleau, who earns a living smuggling refugees into Belgium. Serge believes that his latest party is actually terrorists planning an assault on the participants of an upcoming European Union meeting.

However, during a performance, someone kills Serge. With little to go on, Neal begins to make inquiries. However, he also uses his time to finish up his mess from last year since the head of the drug ring was never busted. Neal realizes he is not quite the superman he felt he was before the drug ring case, but worse yet, his own agency has little confidence in the agent anymore.

DEATH OF A MARIONETTE is the paperback version of a fabulous espionage thriller released in the middle nineties. The story line retains its crispness even though the EU has moved way beyond that of the novel. Neal is a fantastic character who provides insight into the psyche of the Viet Nam vet, which in turn explains why he needs to stay in the "cold." The support cast adds drama and tension as the audience wonders what each one has up their sleeve and if that individual will betray the hero. Frank M. Robinson and Paul Hull provides sub-genre fans with a triumphant thriller.

Harriet Klausner