CHAMELEON

by William Diehl ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 15, 1981

A disappointing second thriller by the author of the soon-to-be-screened Sharky's Machine (1978)--which had everything that this new book lacks: originality, pace, credibility, and engaging characters. The book begins with a strung-out series of international incidents (the explosion of a new super-car during testing, the sabotage of an oil rig, some murders)--all of this leading, slowly, up to the initial, hackneyed premise: that some sort of conspiracy is afoot, led by someone called ""Chameleon,"" and only one guy is tough enough to track Chameleon down. He's Frank O'Hara--a Japan-reared investigative reporter who's been in hiding from the angry CIA. So now (more padding, essentially) O'Hara must be found in Japan and assured of his safety by spunky TV newswoman Eliza Gunn; then O'Hara and Gunn must head for the Caribbean to make contact with the Chameleon hireling who's ready to Tell All. And then at last (after 200 pp. of treading narrative water) the nature of the conspiracy is announced: a computerized service for industrial sabotage. But who are the clients who've been paying for these services (including an assassination which O'Hara and Gunn almost manage to prevent)? Why are most of the victims of these acts connected to an oil consortium called AMRAN? And who is Chameleon? Could he be the same ""Chameleon"" who was a Japanese intelligence chief during WW II and supposedly died at Hiroshima? So it's back to Japan--where O'Hara gets into a samurai showdown with Chameleon. . . before uncovering the strained double-twist motivation behind the whole overcomplicated mess. True, in a few of the individual episodes Diehl displays the stylish, taut narration of Sharky's Machine. The rest, however, seems like the work of a different writer: derivative (of everything from The Formula to Shibumi); mechanically pornographic rather than erotic in the sex scenes; weak in characterization (despite explanatory flashbacks); and, above all, talky and limply plotted in contrast to the riveting tightness of Sharky's Machine. Perhaps if he can return to a down-to-earth scope (the TV newsroom scenes are the best thing here), Diehl can recover from this overblown mis-step; it would be a pity if such a promising writer became just another Robert Ludlum clone.

Pub Date: Jan. 15, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1981

Categories: FICTION