This novel's only merit lies in its plot. The author could not even trouble to be consistent in his naming of characters; one of the team of protagonists is variously and interchangably called Robson and Rogers. None of this matters, however, because all the characters are grotesque caricatures: the Old Etonian leader, a permanently enraged Glaswegian, a slant-eyed Gurkha, a redneck ex-infantryman, a transvestite American spy, a coarse fat KGB defector, and various inadequate gay antagonists. The highlights of the book are a heroic navigation of a canal boat though blazing oily waters, and a driving duel on a mountain road. They are not enough to rescue a confusing and distasteful book. ( )