Guess Who's Coming to Kill You

Book excerpt: An American spy heads to Tokyo to meet a Soviet defector, but things go very wrong in this tale of espionage, mystery, and murder . . . Fred Wilkinson waits in a Tokyo alley, wishing he were James Bond. Paunchy, in his 50s, and oh-so-tired, Wilkinson has nothing in common with that world-famous man of mystery—except that they are both spies. He’s already near the end of his career when he goes to Japan to meet with the Soviet defector Krylov, and some of his colleagues back in Washington think he’s getting soft. They’re right. Wilkinson never sees the killer coming. Three quick jabs to the kidneys, and the American spy is done for good. There to pick up the pieces is Peter Brook, a rising star in American intelligence. Brook doesn’t give a damn how his martinis are prepared, but he’s an expert at the fine art of staying alive. It’s up to him to bring in the defector—unless the defector comes after him.