Aggressor

In the near-future setting of this well-crafted techno-thriller, a mysterious Islamic organization called the Angels of Judgment galvanizes the Middle East with a series of raids in which its members take high-level Russian and American diplomats as hostages. The erstwhile Cold War enemies respond by planning a joint counterattack involving the best of their respective special forces. But British journalist Tom Girling is also tracking the Angels, seeking to rescue a kidnapped friend and avenge his wife's murder at the hands of Islamic fundamentalists. Cook ( Angel, Archangel ) takes his readers on a high-suspense journey into a world of shadows where nothing is what it seems. Leaving no loose ends dangling, he reveals the real ``aggressor'' only in the final pages of a work that succeeds both as an adventure story and as a psychological thriller. (Feb.)