Attack on the Queen

A promising plot--the leaders of the major countries, meeting on board the QE2, must be saved from terrorists--is torpedoed by careless writing in Henrick's (Crimson Tide) latest submarine adventure. Brothers Thomas and Vince Kellogg are special agents, respectively, in the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the Secret Service. When the participants of the G-7 summit, plus the premier of the People's Republic of China, are taken hostage on the high seas, the siblings find themselves in the midst of the ensuing carnage. Much too much exposition and way too many unlikely coincidences (e.g., the passengers include relatives of the crew) dull the reader's interest long before the ship leaves port. What's more, only a publicist could love Henrick's dull gush over the ocean liner and her luxuries: ""There was a full Nautilus circuit, four StairMasters, three rowing machines, and four bicycles."" (Apr.)