Dark Spies

Dunn's exciting fourth Spycatcher novel (after 2013's Slingshot) finds Will Cochrane, the extraordinary agent who serves both the CIA and MI6, in the Norwegian Arctic, where his job is to protect Ellie Hallowes, the "CIA's best deep-cover officer," and her Russian informant, code name Herald. When armed intruders interrupt the meeting between Ellie and Herald at a log cabin, Cochrane, who's on guard nearby, receives orders from his superiors via remote phone not to interfere, even though he can see one of the armed men is about to shoot Ellie. By electing to try to save Ellie's life, he threatens a secret operation known as Project Ferryman, and his only choices are to flee or to face his handlers. Cochrane's few allies are almost helpless as he treks back from Norway to Washington, D.C., against incredible odds and obstacles. The powerful men behind Project Ferryman pull out all the stops to get Cochrane, as does the wily Russian SVR officer known as Antaeus. Great action sequences and a clever if complicated plot make this a satisfying read. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, Luigi Bonomi Associates (U.K.). (Oct.)