Collision of Evil

Le Beau, who served for more than 25 years in the CIA as a clandestine operations officer, offers few surprises and a mundane plot in his debut. After someone brains American backpacker Charles Hirter while Hirter is hiking in the Upper Bavarian Alps, his CIA operative brother, Robert, travels to Bavaria to claim his body and find the truth behind his death. An elderly Nazi tips Robert off to a possible motive for the killing—during WWII something secret was concealed in a cave near where his brother's body was found. That something secret proves to be a weapon of mass destruction, which has been found by Islamic terrorists who plan to use it for an attack in Germany. Aided by his colleagues in U.S. intelligence, Robert works with the local police to stop the fanatics before they can cause massive civilian casualties. Thrillers fans won't find much tension or suspense. (Sept.)