Triangle of Death

Drawing on cases he worked during his 25 years as a DEA agent, Levine reunites with Kavanau (coauthor of Levine's bestselling memoir Deep Cover, 1990) to tell a tale of anti-drug derring-do that's as mean and rapid-fire as a dope dealer's Uzi. In the manner of Richard Marcinko, Levine casts himself as the narrator/agent who goes undercover to tangle with a South American drug cartel with Nazi connections and the Middle-Eastern oilmen who plan to exchange black gold for white powder. The stakes are vengeance for the slaughter of one of Levine's colleagues, and the multibillion-dollar market promised by a new form of cocaine, the White Queen, which prolongs sexual ecstasy. Levine's characterizations are believable, if not deep, and he makes an appealing hero as a man searching for justice in a world that no longer recognizes the concept. The action is exceptionally furious, and brutal, told in pulp style. What gives this thriller its edge, though, is Levine's world-class knowledge of the drug business and of its lawful, too often squabbling, enemies. Author tour. (Aug.)