SHANIDAR

A daring American intelligence operative tracks down a team of archeologists kidnaped in a lawless corner of Iraq. Among the scientists is the President's daughter. . .But what kind of President has no more sense than to let his daughter traipse off to the least politically stable spot on the globe? The question is begged in the interest of presenting a fast-moving and action-stuffed rescue tale. Harding Jackson is the man chosen to find the archeologists whose scholarly digging in a cave near the Irani-Turko-Iraqi border was interrupted by ruthless kidnappers. It's a superb choice, maybe file only possible choice. How many lethally trained speakers of several Kurdish dialects can there be on the intelligence payroll? 'Harding hits the Lebanese beach running and promptly runs into trouble. He and his sexy Israeli guide, also lethally trained, are promptly betrayed and the mission is fatally compromised. It looks as if their contact from the British embassy is as rotten as Kim Philby. But Harding never gives up. Only a few days elapse until he is working as a donkey driver in the employ of the kidnappers and has the President's daughter in sight. Before he can tie things up, however, he is summoned to a meeting with the widowed President's beautiful girlfriend and personal representative, and the kidnappers slip off. It takes every last bit of space age technology, including a broadcasting dental bridge, and a team of supercommandos, to retrace the missing scholars--whose captors have begun to execute one a day in order to extract American concessions. A first novel in which dazzling gadgets, breakneck action, and a little steamy sex usually distract from cartoon characters.