Code Name, Grand Guignol

Melchior's previous thrillers (Eva, V-3 owe their authenticity to his experiences in the OSS during WW II. So does his new novel, featuring Michael Lavette, his son Kevin, Kevin's lover Gaby and other actors in the famous Parisian theater of horror. Taking over from downed British operatives, the actors team up to find an destroy the hidden Nazi center where the dreaded superweapon, Fleissiges Lieschen (Busy Lizzie), is being produced. With Ted Hawkins, an American officer who parachutes into occupied France, the valiant troupe moves from one perilous locale to the next on their way to the virtually impregnable fortress where the guns are stored. Hawkins soon changes his mind about ""nursemaiding a bunch of lousy ham actors'' as they bravely defy the merciless SS. The story ranks high in suspense, atmosphere and heartwarming moments as the band proves the value of the old adage: all for one, one for all. Melchior, son of the renowned operatic tenor, offers a fine entertainment that provokes thoughts of the worst: What if the Reich's Busy Lizzie rockets had beat the Allies? (June)