Brenda E. (luv2rd) reviewed on 2/20/2009

"Lion's Run" (published in the UK as "Bear's Tears") concerns the sudden reversal suffered by British Intelligence Chief Kenneth Aubrey. A stalwart presence in the anglo-Intel community (and perrenial hero in many Craig Thomas novels) Aubrey is revealed in "Run" to have been working for the Russians, perhaps going all the way back to his capture in the Soviet sector of Germany just after the war. The revelation is compounded by the fact that the British were about to radically revamp and centralize their operations. Aubrey's disclosure comes amidst his efforts to get a high-ranking KGB agent to defect. Aubrey learns too late that the planned defection was a trap, meant to lure the British spy-chief close enough to the Russians to corroborate the suspicions about him. Unfortunately, Aubrey's manipulated disgrace is only part of the plan that will see him kidnapped away to Russia (everybody will assume he just defected) and see the actual mole take command in his place. Aubrey's only hope is Patrick Hyde, the Australian former SAS officer who seems capable of just about anything (but not capable of doing anything painlessly - Hyde is no Bond). Unfortunately, Hyde will need to sneak into a Soviet intelligence stronghold in Czechoslovakia and access a secret computer for the files that will exonerate his boss. However, Hyde will first journey to the killing fields Afghanistan. There he will find the Russian general Petrunin, the one man who knows how to access the "Teardrop" files, and possibly the one man above every other on Earth who wants to Kill Hyde.

"Lion's Run" is another great Thomas novel. It's chock full of the characters who intermittently recur throughout his other novels, but Thomas's prose and feel for his characters never alienate unfamiliar readers, and seem to welcome everybody. (I would still recommend starting off with "Firefox" or "Snow Falcon") Thomas seems to fit in a comfortable yet sparsely populated niche combining heady Bond thrills with the more cerebral quality of Deighton. Aubrey knows that he's innocent, but Thomas hints that the veteran spy-chief has some secrets he can barely face himself. Thomas also deftly probes the pressures and ambitions of the Russians, restless on the verge of achieving a double-intelligence coup (kidnapping Aubrey while maneuvering one of their own into the inner-circle of British Intelligence), and the inner shame of Petrunin, whose assignment to Afghanistan may work against his masters. At the same time, we have Hyde braving the snowy no-mans-land of the Hindu-Kush, and then his mad-dash across the wall to the east and back. Of course, Aubrey and crew will have to deal with both the Russians and their own countrymen who are assured of Aubrey's guilt. There are some gaps - though Thomas has delved too deeply into Aubrey before too leave any doubt as to his loyalty, he taunts us with hints that Aubrey does have something to hide. But that's not handled as well as it could have been. Also, Hyde's character seldom demonstrates the depth of the others - unlike ex-para Richard Anderson ("A Hooded Crow") or Mitchel Gant ("Firefox"). Still a great novel, with thrills down to the last page.

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