Desperate Measures

In the seventh thriller from the creator of Rambo (introduced in First Blood), yet another defeated soul becomes a rebellious dynamo eluding evil minions of the Establishment as he campaigns violently for personal justice. His son's slow death from cancer has ended Matt Pittman's marriage and led him to quit his newspaper job and stick a gun in his mouth. Before Matt pulls the trigger, however, his editor calls in a last payback, assigning him to a deathbed interview with Jonathan Millgate, one of five patrician diplomats who have recommended war to every President since Truman and grown rich from ties to the arms industry. Arriving at the Manhattan hospital just as the other four are spiriting Millgate away, Matt follows them to a walled estate, into which he breaks to find Millgate struggling, his life supports detached. Hooked back up, the old man mutters, ``Duncan... The snow... Grollier'' before guards send Matt running for his life. Daybreak finds the former reporter wanted for murder, his assets frozen and a gunsel in his apartment. So begins Matt's bloody journey to the truth. Morrell is a master of formula action fiction and his fans won't be disappointed by the complex but hurtling plot. Major ad/promo; author tour. (Sept.)