This might have been a real run of the mill thriller if it wasn't for the fact that it was written after the end of the cold war but prior to 9/11. This novel has all the required elements; a hero with a murky past, some heartless bad guys, a flame haired love interest and a predictable plot-twist. What makes it interesting is that the author wrote it at a time where it was thought that institutions like MI6 might be running out of targets. The iron curtain had fallen, peace was on the horizon in Northern Ireland - seemingly the biggest threat to western society was the South American "narcotraficantes." Reading this book post 9/11 makes it all the more interesting. ( )