The Color of Night

March 29, 1999
Unlike many suspense writers, who publish annually, Lindsey offers a novel every two to three years (his most recent was Requiem for a Glass Heart, 1996). The extra time has consistently paid off in supple prose and stories resonant with insight. But his sales, though respectable, haven't matched his skill, peaking in 1990 with Mercy. Lindsey's new novel should continue that trend. Though replete with finely shaded characters and settings, its languid pace ill suits its genre--post-glasnost espionage thriller--and its plot turns can defy credulity. Like many of Lindsey's works, the narrative launches (after a Venetian prelude) in Texas, in Houston, where art dealer Harry Strand observes a lovely young woman at his club's swimming pool. Harry then learns that a potential client has rare drawings to sell; the client is that woman, Mara Song, with whom Harry strikes up a friendship that turns to love. Meanwhile, in Europe, members of a defunct American espionage ring are being threatened or killed. Very slowly, it is revealed that Harry is a former spy who controlled the ring and who, in penance for colluding with diabolical criminals to further his espionage agenda, decided, along with his ring, to sting the worst of these criminals for several hundred million dollars. That criminal, a German financier named Wolfram Schrade, has discovered Harry's treachery and wants his money back--and vengeance; and Harry's spy agency wants the money, too. As Harry, in Europe with Mara, counterplots to defeat Schrade, the lovers are drawn into great danger. Scene shifts from Geneva to Paris to London and elsewhere help move an interlude-laden plot that, despite much conspiring, lacks the sort of vigor that more action might have given it, while coincidence mars the showdown between Harry and Schrade. A novel to admire more than to relish, elegant rather than robust, this is, ultimately, a series of rich character studies cast not quite successfully as a thriller. Simultaneous audio.

March 1, 1999
Retired intelligence officer Harry Strand, a Houston art dealer, is still mourning the death of his wife, Romy, when a mysterious woman enters his life. Mara Song has several exquisite drawings for sale--will Strand represent her? When Strand sees devastating footage of Romy's last minutes on a videotape at Mara's house, he is catapulted into a world of intrigue and deceit. Lindsey's ninth novel (see, e.g., Requiem for a Glass Heart, LJ 4/15/96) revisits the end of the Cold War, when, as head of an international crime unit, Strand and his agents worked a double-cross on Wolfram Schrade, a sinister German crimelord and high-level government informant embezzling hundreds of millions of dirty dollars. Now one agent is dead, another missing; Strand is next. Lindsey, aptly compared to John le Carr, continues to turn out thoughtful and delicately written thrillers destined for the best sellers lists. Recommended for all fiction collections.--Christine Perkins, Jackson Cty. Lib. Svcs., Medford, OR

February 1, 1999
Harry Strand, a retired U.S. intelligence officer, thinks he's finally put his life back together after the tragic death of his wife. He has become a successful art dealer, and he's fallen in love with Mara Song, a beautiful collector. But everything changes abruptly when Harry discovers a tape in Mara's VCR that clearly shows his wife being murdered. Finding out who is responsible for her death proves to be far more complicated than this former spy can imagine. This is a fast-paced and exciting thriller. Lindsey, the author of a string of best-sellers, knows how to keep things moving along, and fans of old-fashioned action-adventure will have a good time. Spy genre aficionados, however, may have some quibbles. Lindsey's emphasis on a breakneck pace results in a rather superficial view of the cloak-and-dagger world, without the vivid details that underpin a le Carrenovel. On the other hand, Harry Strand makes an appealing enough protagonist to keep most readers entertained. Lindsey's track record, combined with an aggressive marketing campaign, should guarantee success, despite the book's flaws. ((Reviewed February 1, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)