THE GATES OF EXQUISITE VIEW

The adventures of the wealthy Young family and clever Red agent Qiu Qianwei that began in The Mah-Jongg Spies continue in this entertaining thriller--about a four-sided contest for control of an unusually intelligent computer system. Trenhaile is the author for a Man Called Kyril and Nocturne for a General. The contestants are Taiwan, the rebellious Taiwanese aboriginal movement, the People's Republic, and the USSR, and what they all want is ""Apogee,"" the fabulous computer and software contracted by the People's Republic and developed in secret by Simon Young's Ducannon Young industries at their lab in Taiwan. Apogee provides instantaneous translation of human speech in various languages and makes possible voice control of weapons systems--including pilotless airplanes. The mainland Chinese plan to use Apogee in an attack on Taiwan. But before they can take delivery on their new toy, word gets out about it, and everybody else wants Apogee too. The Reds send their clever, self-effacing agent, ex-banker Qiu Qianwei, undercover to Taiwan to protect their investment. Simon Young's handsome son Mat, in the throes of a heavy crash on a beautiful starlet, is Ducannon Young's man on the scene. Qiu and Mat are instantly up to their armpits in attacks and counterattacks as the Taiwanese factions stop at nothing to get their hands on Apogee. Good fun--even when the plot gets out of control. The modest Qiu Qianwei is a charmer, and the Chinese politics are fascinating.