An Eye for an Eye

Seymour's 10th novel displays the literary excellence and informed perceptions that mark his earlier books, from Harry's Game through A Song in the Morning. This story starts in Yalta with the murders of the British ambassador to the U.S.S.R. and his secretary, fiancee of Peter Holt, witness to the crime. The killer is Abu Hamid, a terrorist who flies back to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, a training ground for Palestinian terrorists. Returning to London, Holt is met by an agent sent by the head of intelligence and the prime minister, who have secretly agreed to avenge the outrage. Holt is ordered to accompany an Israeli sharpshooter, Noah Crane, to the terrorist camp and kill Hamid. As the two inch along this perilous path, the scenes shift among numerous horrors perpetrated by ``special interests'' of various nationalities, incidents readers will find nearly unbearable. The final conflict symbolizes the frightful insanity of ``an eye for an eye.'' (July)