The Devil's Footprint

Hereditary Irish warrior Hugh Fitzduane, returning from Rules of the Hunt (1995), is in America, aiding a congressional task force on terrorism that's struggling with a breakaway Mexican state that has built a supergun capable of delivering a mega-death payload. Fitzduane is, as before, fearfully noble and caring: ""The causes had been just... but still there was a voice inside him saying that he was wrong and there had to be a better way."" So he resists direct involvement until he learns that fierce Japanese terrorist Reiko Oshima has her finger on the supergun's trigger. Maimed by Fitzduane in a previous encounter, Oshima is now out for revenge. Going on the attack, Fitzduane first leads a raid on Oshima's isolated Mexican camp to rescue his pregnant wife, whom Oshima has kidnapped, then leads another, larger crew to put the gun out of commission and to kill the terrorist. O'Reilly's cast of dozens all sound alike; and when Fitzduane's peace-loving wife tells him, ""You kill, but you care,"" readers will identify this novel as the action comic it is--though one not without appeal, particularly to those who enjoy high-tech military gadgetry and international intrigue. (Jan.)