Under Cloak of Darkness: The Story of John Apparite

Turf wars among Washington's multitudinous spy agencies are nothing new, as shown by Koontz's debut, a gripping 1950s Cold War thriller featuring ex-FBI agent John Apparite (aka Superagent E). After being recruited by an ultrasecret organization whose existence is known only to elite D.C. brass and whose religion "is to kill or be killed," Apparite undergoes weeks of rigorous training that includes a practice brawl with barroom toughs and a butcher shop massacre of Mafiosi selling scandalous photos of his hero, J. Edgar Hoover. Apparite's new boss, the inscrutable, superpatriotic "Director," orders him to liquidate Robert Kramer, an atomic scientist living in London who possesses the secrets of rocket-firing submarines, before Kramer defects to the Soviets. Apparite soon finds himself caught up in a violent world that contrasts with the novel's many nostalgic touches of life in the Eisenhower era. This fine start bodes well for future entries in the series. (Aug.)