Stinger

The scary premise of this sophisticated used below/stet here/pk thriller is g out of a collective American nightmare. A group of maniacal, ruthless and cunning Central American terrorists hijacks an illegal shipment of advanced U.S.-made ground-to-air missiles, then uses one of them to destroy a commercial 747 jet filled with innocent passengers. The terrorists threaten further attacks unless the U.S. government ceases funding the Nicaraguan contras and signs the Contadora Accords to guarantee peace in Central America. In Hornig's ( Waterman ) capable hands, the search for the Stinger missiles becomes a taut drama of unclear loyalties, enigmaticpk motives and international distrust. He deftly uses contemporary military and political events in Central America and the U.S. to make his scenario unforgettably realistic. His spare, hard-hitting style keeps the pace used below.g going even when action in the field gives way to the bickering of bureaucrats. The book's overwrought, melodramatic ending is a small flaw in an otherwise disturbingly plausible tale. (June)