Traitor's Kiss

The Cold War may be over, but allies still spy on each other. When a Russian naval officer, who has been passing valuable information to Britain's MI6, comes under suspicion, the decision is made to get him out. Never mind that he's in a fortified Russian naval base in isolated Kaliningrad or that the old-school operative brought in for the operation has little time to prepare. This nail-biting plot shows why international bestseller Gerald Seymour is known as a master of suspense. This is an all right, but not great, example of narrator Christopher Kay's talents. He offers some interesting ethnic and class characterizations, particularly of the minor actors, and the conversations are believably done. But Kay's narrative pacing is too deliberate, and he adds frustrating mid-sentence pauses, making a long book longer. Still worth a listen, just not applause. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

February 1, 2005
In Seymour's 21st espionage thriller, the Cold War is far from over. In 1999, Viktor Archenko, a high-ranking Russian naval officer, begins passing valuable secrets to the British because his Polish grandmother was raped by the liberating Soviets at the end of World War II. Four years later, Viktor stops using his dead drop, and suspecting he has been compromised, MI6 sends in a crew of agents to rescue him. In trying to reinvigorate well-worn terrain, the author succeeds only in lumping together a series of clich s, such as the in-fighting within British intelligence. Despite a well-written, unusually protracted battle at the end, Seymour offers too many characters and situations to follow. His tale calls out for a tortured antihero, and while several characters have such qualities, none are fully developed. Christopher Kay provides a splendid reading, but the novel can be recommended only for collections demanding all Seymour titles.-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr.

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