RIFT ZONE

Hillhouse's gripping debut, a cold war thriller, has so many unexpected pleasures that its flaws barely register. It's 1989, and American professor Faith Whitney is staying in Germany with the faint (and dimming) hope of learning about her missing father; to make a living, she smuggles minor items (Stalin china, Nazi crystal, etc.) from East Berlin to West. After being captured by the East German Stasi, Faith is forced to smuggle for them or face imprisonment. KGB agent Zara Bogdanov is another antagonist, but a sympathetic one: ambitious and beautiful, she's also openly gay, a strike against her advancement. Capturing Faith and getting her to spy for the KGB would be a feather in Zara's cap, but her motives are unclear, even to herself. Their extended cat-and-mouse game, fueled by a flirty mutual attraction (though Faith is straight), gives an enticing pulse to the sometimes implausible plot. An extended section in which Faith transports hazardous material feels like a climax, but the story continues for another 50-odd pages. The book may be better for its two strong women and its incisive picture of a significant era in recent history than for its thriller elements, but Hillhouse is a welcome new voice. Agent, Bob Diforio . (Aug.)

Forecast: Hillhouse, says the promo copy, is a former smuggler, money launderer and rum runner. The zing of true-to-life adventures plus big-name blurbs (from DeMille, Cussler, Gerritsen, etc.) might make this a hit.