Death of a Raven

In Duffy's sequel to her debut in A Murder of Crows , fearless Patrick and Ingrid Gillard leave England and arrive in Canada on a secret mission for British intelligence. Ingrid tells how the couple assume false identities, staying with David and Emma Hartland, where members of David's team of electronic experts are also guests. The group, working on a vital defense project, has gathered under the Hartland roof for protection since the suspected murder of a colleague, possibly by traitors selling the plans to an enemy agent. When their cover is blown, the Gillards leap from one fantastic feat of derring-do to the next. The greatest is surviving starvation and other, deadly trials while lost in a deep forest, with Patrick feverish from an infected wound. Although the cliff-hanging episodes suggest comic-strip heroics, it's fun to suspend disbelief and revel in the extravagant adventure. (Jan.)