A Conspiracy of Angels

Luke Garfield, spy hero of The 65th Tape, is called out of retirement to repatriate Larry Bartel, a charismatic professor who stirred up a maelstrom of anti-government feeling before leaving the U.S., one step ahead of a jail term, to float around Europe as a third-string spy with a taste for the bottle. Now dying from cirrhosis, he'd like to come back home. But why would the U.S. want him, wonders an equally diminished Garfield, prone to sentiment and snappishness as he feints at the shadow behind the deal. The conspiracy involves U.S. corporations abroad, a name from the past with a line to the KGB and a group of presidential advisers who take a hard stand on international terrorism. The seamy flavor is on target, but tiresome stock characters weigh down the suspense. (March 23)