Hard Target: A Novel - Hardcover

Washington insiders plot to assassinate the president and vice-president in this exceedingly suspenseful thriller. The super-secret "Romulus Committee" learns that the president is dying of a rare mental disorder that will embarrass and eventually split his party when the independent-minded v-p assumes power. The committee enlists assassin Eric Rhinelander to take out the "hard targets" during a meeting in the Oval Office and plans to pin the hit on a Libyan terrorist. Myriad events threaten Romulus: Soviet GRU agent Dmitri Travkin wants to know why the president's physician, who later turns up drowned, telephoned the CIA chief; the FBI, empowered to follow Travkin, becomes suspicious when he shadows a CIA operative; the KGB, always at odds with the GRU, is baffled by Travkin's frequent proximity to CIA agents. Hyde's ( Jericho Falls ) story is a kaleidoscope of Rhinelander's grim preparations and various players trying to ferret out expertly masked intentions as the drama approaches its powerful resolution and final stunning surprise.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

U.S. presidents are not supposed to go crazy on the job, but when they do it makes good sense to have a cabal already in place to ensure orderly succession once the mad leader and his objectionable veep have been liquidated. Convenient but not easy since there are over 20 secret agencies jealously guarding their D.C. turf. The CIA, KGB, GRU, and FBI have all caught wind of the operation, and predictably, get in each other's way. However, perestroika saves the day as two simpatico agents pool their data for a grand theory that resolves itself in a whizzer of a conclusion. Hyde, who is a reliable author of suspense novels ( Maxwell's Train, LJ 1/85), uses the tunnels and sewers which crisscross marshy Washington to enhance a creepy assassination plot. Strong in local detail and precise descriptions of objects and places, this tale of arrogance and subversion will engross readers.
- Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.