Fear Itself

This top-notch historical thriller from Rosenheim (Stillriver), the first in a new series, introduces 26-year-old Jimmy Nessheim, an FBI agent in the Chicago field office. In 1937, a jealous J. Edgar Hoover is looking to rid the Chicago office of staff members %E2%80%9Ctainted%E2%80%9D by their connection with real-life G-man Melvin Purvis, who led the manhunts that tracked down Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and John Dillinger. Fortunately, FBI assistant director Harry Guttman rescues Nessheim%E2%80%99s career by tapping him to go undercover in the Chicago German-American community. In doing so, Guttman directly contravenes Hoover%E2%80%99s opposition to such covert work, but the resourceful Nessheim believes his mission has the director%E2%80%99s blessing. With Nazi Germany eager to keep the U.S. out of the impending European war, the stakes are high. While Rosenheim%E2%80%99s prose and character portraits may not match those of Alan Furst at his best, this intelligent page-turner will only whet reader%E2%80%99s appetites for more. Agent: Gillon Aitken, Aitken Alexander Associates. (Nov.)