Call to Duty

This engrossing, character-based thriller by the author of Firebreak divides its time between the present day and WW II. In the present, a feared drug-smuggling organization kidnaps the daughter of powerful Sen. William Courtland, planning to use her as leverage against U.S. narcotics agents. Courtland, who cares less about his daughter than his career, pressures President Matthew Pontowski to order a Delta force raid on the smugglers' home base. Either way the senator wins: if his daughter is saved, fine; if she's killed in the raid, Pontowski loses face and Courtland is positioned to win the next presidential election. Faced with this dilemma, Pontowski reflects on his experiences as a downed RAF pilot making his way across occupied France during WW II. The two plots mesh well in a briskly paced narrative. Herman's characterizations are fluent and convincing; he depicts combat, both past and present, with involving realism, and his sparing use of gore makes those scenes which contain it all the more effective. The novel closes with two highly dramatic and satisfying climaxes. (Jan.)