Ring of Lies

Dunevich's first Alex Bartal spy thriller to be translated into English suffers by comparison with the more nuanced and plausible work of other Israeli thriller authors such as Mishka Ben-David. The death of an operative in Turkey proves to be the first in a series that decimates the Nibelung Ring, a cell of sleeper agents who live in major European countries and work on their own on behalf of Mossad. Their identities are supposed to be the sole preserve of their leader, a German named Justus Erlichmann, but soon after Alex meets with him, Justus is killed, leaving the Israelis scrambling to find some record of their covert allies. Meanwhile, Alex's beloved daughter, Daniella, herself an Israeli intelligence operative, is haunted by violent events. She was once traumatized by terrorists, and is now struggling with her mother's death during a shoot-out involving the head of Mossad, Reuven Hetz, who hopes to be Israel's next prime minister. Ludlum fans will find the sensational plot turns enjoyable, but le Carr%C3%A9 readers should look elsewhere. (Aug.)