cover image The Third Betrayal

The Third Betrayal

Michael Hartland. MacMillan Publishing Company, $0 (204pp) ISBN 978-0-02-548610-2

In this fast-moving thriller based on the real-life mystery concerning the identities of Soviet ""moles'' in British intelligencespecifically the ``Fifth Man'' in the celebrated Oxford-educated group of traitorsHartland has concocted a nail-biting tale featuring such real-life figures as Richard Sorge and Klaus Fuchs. When an East German scientist eager to defect turns out to be the son of a famous Mata Hari of the 1950s who may well know the identity of the mole, British intelligence creaks into action. How a young British spy-ette gets the old woman out of East Germany, and how spy master David Nairn discovers who is actually deceiving whom provide moments of terror and mystery. Hartland paints an intriguing portrait of a dedicated espionage agent whose emotions are repeatedly betrayed by her masters, and creates convincing characters whose fates will hold readers spellbound. Former diplomat and intelligence officer Hartland (Seven Steps to Treason) has the background to make it all ring true. Paperback rights to Berkley. (June 2)