I, MARTHA ADAMS

Patriotic widow saves America from the invading Commies--in a slow, foolish future-thriller. Yes, indeed, because the US has gotten so weak militarily, we've surrendered to Moscow--after a first Soviet strike that killed 250,000 Midwesterners and wiped out the missile installation where Josh Adams was a top engineer. And Josh's widow Martha, a W.H.O. employee at the UN, is appalled by America's tame acceptance of the new status quo: Russkies in the White House, food shortages, Soviet round-ups of political prisoners. Then, however, Martha finds ""a call to arms"": Josh has left a cryptic message referring to the existence of a new ICBM super-weapon called ""Magnanimity""--secretly built by wise former Pres. Reagan (with technology from Israel), and installed in a silo somewhere in the Southwest! Could Martha possibly get to this silo and use the ICBM as a weapon against the USSR? She sure could--once she joins forces with Israeli agent Daniel. So, while tedious vignettes feature the nefarious doings of Russians, Cubans, and US traitors in high places, Martha and Daniel make their way west, through assorted ordeals, often in disguise--pursued by the Fu Manchu-ish KGB chief for the US. They eventually team up with the small US resistance forces (which include a traitor in the ranks). There's a big showdown/battle at the hidden missile-silo location--with Daniel (whom Martha has just started to love) among the casualties. But finally Martha captures her arch-enemy, takes personal control of the missile-launching equipment, and demands immediate USSR evacuation of the US. . . or else she'll annihilate a chunk of Russia with the super-duper cobalt bomb, a.k.a. ""Magnanimity."" Ploddingly earnest comic-book suspense--weighed down by stiff dialogue, hawkish rhetoric, and elaborate yet dubious speculation.