Shadow Wars: Shadow Wars

Taylor ( Boomer ) has jumped on the post-Cold War spy thriller bandwagon, with the already cliched plot line of unreconstructed hard-liners trying to restore a totalitarian Eastern Europe. In this case, the reactionaries--a former East German secret policeman, a KGB director and a Russian general with his finger poised over the nuclear button--are joined in their conspiracy by an ambitious if foolish U.S. ambassador and a retired American general who is nostalgic for the good old days, believing that ``the U.S. would remain strong only as long as it faced a strong enemy.'' Despite the incredible premise, Taylor has created a page-turner, teaming up various former enemies, such as American Navy SEAL Bernie Ryng and Russian Spetznaz agent Paul Voronov, to defeat the conspiracy. Along the way there are enough assassinations to fill a morgue, a hellish torture chamber featuring a lethally bright light, an all-out assault against combat helicopters and the requisite close calls for the heroes. The pacing is fast and the action furious and detailed, without crossing the line into techno-thriller jargon. (Aug.)