The Hailing Sign

The Brotherhood of the Craft is an international secret society whose tuxedo-clad members swear fealty in a ritual abounding in Biblical mumbo jumbo but little obvious purpose. During the 1979 Iranian revolution, one of their number is taken hostage in the American Embassy. He throws the Brotherhood's ""hailing sign,'' a clear message to his confreres that his life is in danger: it is their solemn obligation to rescue him. Chosen for the task is Alexander Mycroft, whose fuzzy background includes a stint behind enemy lines in Vietnam and the haunting memory of his wife and son being murdered on an Israeli beach. But his path is blocked at every turn by forces ranging from a deadly terrorist temptress to an unholy alliance between the Iranians and the American government. In this decidedly uneven first novel, Fink (Crisis Management) airily dismisses illogical plot turns, thereby undercutting whatever excitement is whipped up as a result. (December 21)