Mark Burnell: Chameleon

By MICHELE HEWITSON

Thrillers involving international terrorism are likely to be out of favour for the foreseeable future, but this one really is terrific. (Although I did read it before September 11.) Stephanie Patrick has been an intelligence operator, a freelance troubleshooter. She has eight identities and as many passports. As Chameleon opens, she's resting, hoping that she's retired. But a few of her identities owe a few too many people not just favours but quite a lot of money. She agrees to one last job which, she's promised, will balance the ledger and release her from her obligations.

Then there's Konstantin Komarov, the international man of mystery who has friends in all the right (and wrong) places. He inhabits a shadowy world where his reputation is for straight, if risky, dealing.

And, somewhere in the middle of a brilliantly edgy plot driven by a strange love story is a man who goes by the name of Koba: a man every intelligence service in every part of the world would like to capture. He's almost the only person who can out-chameleon Stephanie Patrick. Recommended reading - but perhaps not for a while yet.

HarperCollins

$29.95