Spooker

From Publishers WeeklyA "spooker," as explained in this absorbing new thriller from Ing, is a getaway kit prepared by a spy, to be used in the event he must disappear, even from his employers. The well-equipped spooker may contain jewels, cash, false ID and other kinds of treasure. When a spy and his spooker disappear, the assumption is that he has opted out-but maybe he's dead, a victim of a very specialized robber. When Gary Landis of the Drug Enforcement Agency becomes the target of a particularly malevolent team of criminals, his mentor, Swede Halvorsen, who's a retired LAPD cop, and Swede's granddaughter Janelle jump into the fray to set things right. Ing's earlier novels (Butcher Bird, etc.) imaginatively described the special world of experimental aircraft and weaponry. Here he enters new territory, both geographically (California's Central Valley from Bakersfield to Fresno, detailed with accurate local color) and thematically, proving that he is a master of ground-based spy novels as well as of high-in-the-sky techno-thrillers. The high-tech touches that do appear, including an intriguing ultra-light aircraft, are pure Ing, who seems to have relished creating the peculiar world of his two monstrous villains. Tinged with a sense that life is bittersweet, this is a welcome offering from an always entertaining author. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalDean (Butcher Bird, LJ 11/1/93) offers a fast-paced thriller about the murder of an undercover agent. In the intelligence community, we are told, an agent always maintains a well-hidden kit that contains false identification, money, and necessary papers in the event that he or she has to disappear quickly and without a trace. Is it possible that agents are being murdered by those who covet these kits, or "spookers"? When Gary Landis is murdered and no clues are forthcoming, the government agency for which Landis worked moves into high gear seeking a solution. Ing employs tautly written prose while keeping the pace flowing swiftly, smoothly, and with a maximum of suspense. His book is not for the squeamish, since there is much violence and depravity. However, if one perseveres, there is a well thoughtout story and conclusion. Recommended, with slight reservations, for larger fiction collections.-?Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at BinghamtonCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.