The Kremlin Conspiracy

Bestseller Rosenberg (The Third Target) provides Tom Clancy fans with plenty of red meat in this fast-paced political thriller. In the near future, attorney Oleg Kraskin has become a trusted adviser to his Putinlike father-in-law, Russian president Aleksandr Luganov. Oleg’s rise is paralleled by that of Marcus Ryker, whose valor under fire as a Marine in Afghanistan led to his becoming a Secret Service agent. After Marcus helps thwart a terrorist attack on the White House, he’s promoted to the U.S. president’s personal detail. But when Marcus’s wife and son are killed in a robbery, he takes a break from working for the government. Meanwhile, Luganov, who has no qualms about using nuclear weapons and is chummy with the erratic head of North Korea, finalizes plans to invade the three Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—and reincorporate them into Russia. Oleg and Marcus each turn out to have a vital part to play in shaping how Luganov’s grandiose schemes end. Although plausibility isn’t at a premium, readers who like escapist suspense will be satisfied. (Mar.)