Hard Target

Washington insiders plot to assassinate the president and vice-president in this exceedingly suspenseful thriller. The super-secret ``Romulus Committee'' learns that the president is dying of a rare mental disorder that will embarrass and eventually split his party when the independent-minded v-p assumes power. The committee enlists assassin Eric Rhinelander to take out the ``hard targets'' during a meeting in the Oval Office and plans to pin the hit on a Libyan terrorist. Myriad events threaten Romulus: Soviet GRU agent Dmitri Travkin wants to know why the president's physician, who later turns up drowned, telephoned the CIA chief; the FBI, empowered to follow Travkin, becomes suspicious when he shadows a CIA operative; the KGB, always at odds with the GRU, is baffled by Travkin's frequent proximity to CIA agents. Hyde's ( Jericho Falls ) story is a kaleidoscope of Rhinelander's grim preparations and various players trying to ferret out expertly masked intentions as the drama approaches its powerful resolution and final stunning surprise. (Jan.)