A feisty heroine, a stalwart hero, two enemy groups of ancient origin, appropriate deaths for nature's despoilers, world-wide canvas and pointed reminders of earth's fragility should add up to commercial success. But in Morrell's ( The Fifth Profession ) latest thriller the ingredients don't produce a satisfying dish. Environmental writer Tess Drake is chasing both a story on fatal attacks on polluters around the world and a strange man named Joseph. Aided by NYPD Lt. Craig, Tess discovers that Joseph has been burned to death; in his apartment she and Craig find strange artifacts that point to Albigensian heretics, worshippers of ancient god Mithras. After suggesting that the followers of Mithras and agents of the (still vital) Inquisition remain in lethal combat, Morrell sets the Mithras baddies against Tess. She and Craig fall in love and are entrapped by the boyish U.S. vice-president, a chief bad guy. By the bloody climax in a Spanish cave readers will be thoroughly tired of the book's padding and cardboard characters. 100,000 first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates; author tour. (May)

Rival armies are battling for the ecological future of the planet in David Morrell’s 1991 thriller, with beautiful reporter Tess Drake caught in the middle. Drake is aided in her investigation of the murder of a mysterious gray-eyed man by a New York City detective, who eventually becomes a love interest. Reader David Regal’s basso profundo engages both emotionally and intellectually as he ably portrays both male and female characters. Highlights include extraordinary action scenes set in New York, Washington, and ancient European caverns. Regal sometimes struggles through long passages of exposition, and some of the violence is over the top, but overall this entertaining story works for any thriller fan. R.O. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine