RACE AGAINST EVIL: The Secret Missions of the Interpol Agent Who Tracked the World's Most Sinister Criminals—A Real-Life Drama

With all the style and tension of Clive Cussler, Bannon tells the tale of how he was recruited and trained as a "cleaner"—tracking down, interrogating and "eliminating" child pornographers who his boss at Interpol had determined were beyond the reach of other law enforcement agencies. From his carefree days as a Mormon missionary in South Korea, Bannon claims he quickly moved into petty smuggling; a short stint in a South Korean prison; a cover identity teaching close combat training to Belgium's elite police forces; a romance with a sultry French antiterrorist combatant (daughter of a wealthy banker with her own villa in the south of France); and, following her death on a joint mission, his assignment to the top-secret Archangel unit of Interpol. From here on, the story takes off. Though describing his former self as always gallant and perfectly efficient, Bannon never misses an opportunity to share the moral and emotional torment that came with his license to kill—nor, for that matter, does he miss a chance to use a cliché or bad pun. If there is any truth to be found in this story, his former collaborators on both sides of the law must be allowing its publication only because they realize how completely implausible it all sounds. In a small category with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind—Chuck Barris's tale of game show host as CIA assassin—this "real-life drama" should appeal to fans of fast-paced thrillers. (Feb.)