The Trail to Buddha's Mirror

What begins as a routine missing person's case becomes a complex web of deceit, danger and international intrigue in this superb mystery. On sabbatical from duties as an operative for a group known as Friends of the Family, Neal Carey, last seen in A Cool Breeze on the Underground , is visited in Yorkshire by his mentor and asked to find a brilliant, albeit lovesick scientist and convince him to get back to work. Robert Pendleton, a biochemist and fertilizer expert for AgriTech corporation, has gone missing from a conference in San Francisco where he reportedly became smitten with a beautiful Chinese woman. After locating Pendleton and meeting the stunning Li Lan--and nearly being killed by an unknown assailant when the pair flee from him--Carey soon realizes that more than mere fertilizer know-how is at stake. The trail qui c kly takes him all the way to China where life-and-death political issues, vivid local color and absorbing historical detail enhance the chase and reinforce suspense as the story reaches its surprising resolution. (Mar.)