Dragon Teeth [Hardcover]

E. Howard Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

Mark Brand, a former CIA officer, comes out of retirement after his son disappears in China and it appears that United States and China are headed for a military confrontation. By the author of Izmir.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When Max Brand, the Asian expert for a Washington think-tank, discovers that his son has been arrested and jailed in mainland China, he calls upon his former colleagues at the CIA and his tong brothers in Hong Kong to assist in the rescue. In the process of this very tricky deed (in which he uncovers a sexy KGB agent and duels with several ugly Chinese agents), he learns that mainland China is planning to attack Taiwan with a deadly gas. Brand and his son are tapped as part of a high-level team to ward off this action, labeled Operation Dragon Teeth, while the bureaucrats in Washington spin their wheels and cover their backsides. Drawing upon his insider knowledge of Washington politics and the taut pretakeover climate in Hong Kong, former CIA and Watergate player Hunt (Ixtapa, Donald I. Fine, 1994) has crafted a thriller that is certain to be enjoyed. There is plenty of high-testosterone action here for those who love Tom Clancy and John Le Carre. Recommended for public libraries.?Susan Gene Clifford, Palos Verdes Lib. Dist., Rolling Hills Estates, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

On a break from ex-DEA superstar Jack Novak (Izmir, 1996, etc.), Hunt offers a limp tale in which a CIA operative returns to the Peoples Republic of China in search of his missing son while Beijing and Washington stumble to the brink of WW III. Former field agent Mark Brand now works for one of the CIA's cover organizations, a Beltway think tank known as GlobEco. A valued China specialist, the still-vigorous widower leads a comfortable, largely undemanding life. On the same day he spots suspicious activity in one of the mainland's remote mountain ranges (courtesy of NRO satellite photos), however, Mark learns his banker son Peter has not returned from what was supposed to be a short business trip to Hong Kong. A little digging reveals that the CIA co-opted young Peter to make a pickup from a message drop outside Canton. Arrested at the scene, the hapless amateur was tried and sentenced to a long prison term. Against the advice of careerist superiors, his outraged father heads to the Crown Colony. Once there, Mark renews acquaintance with lost love Mary Chen and cutthroat contacts who help get him into Communist China. Meanwhile, Mark's replacement at GlobEco deduces that the PRC is preparing to attack Taiwan with missiles whose warheads contain deadly nerve gas, and chip-off-the-old-block Peter breaks jail, reaching the US Embassy. On his way in, he gathers evidence confirming American evidence of the threat to its ally. Then, as father and son flee the mainland (killing Mary's unloved husband on their way out), the US President orders up a Stealth bomber strike that reduces China's launch sites to rubble. The story lumbers on to a happy ending--but not before an overly ambitious CIA heavyweight gets what's coming to him. Aimless, bloated, and undramatic fare unredeemed by any hint of suspense. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556115237
• ISBN-13: 978-1556115233
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,076,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you never read an E. Howard Hunt book - you should, September 7, 2000

By 

Patricia B. Hewston (Swan Lake, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon Teeth (Hardcover)

Picked up this book on vacation. Never read any of his authors books before. I'm hooked. There were many twists and turns- some you figured out right away - some were less obvious. Enjoyable reading. If you enjoy Clive Cussler, Stephen Hunter and Alistair MacLean, here's a new author for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Villainy In High Places, July 27, 2002

By 

Peter Kenney (Birmingham, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Teeth (Hardcover)

Hunt is a skilled storyteller who takes China seriously as a threat to world peace. His characters are often interesting and sometimes very complex. The villainy he describes in high places is sure to make many readers nervous.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great political thriller, May 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Dragon Teeth (Hardcover)

At forty-seven years old, Mark Brand knew that it was time to retire as a CIA operative and accept a desk job as an expert in Asiatic affairs. He accepts a job at a Washington based think tank, GlobEco, figuring that his life should become more ordinary and routine. Mark expects to date and court women (his spouse died over two decades ago) in normal relationships. He even advises his twenty-four year son, Peter, to stay away from the government and take a safe job in banking. ...... All seems to be going smooth for Mark until he learns that his son has disappeared in China while working for the Agency. It seems that Peter was spying on a Chinese movement of missiles loaded with deadly gas being aimed at Taiwan. Peter is sentenced without western knowledge to eleven years in prison. The United States government walks a thin line as it tries to resolve Code Name: Dragon Teeth. They need to stop the Chines from firing on Taiwan while not alerting the budding western business interest know what is happening. Mark has a different agenda. He plans to free his son from his captives even if he has to run over his own government and his former bosses in the process. Even if Mark alludes the Agency and similar western ilk, he still has to contend with China's government. If caught, he may not just join hi son in an accompanying cell, he may forfeit his life. ..... DRAGON TEETH is a palpitation a page geopolitical thriller. Mark is a great character, and China and the American policy towards the country is described in exciting and interesting manner. E. Howard Hunt scores big time with this fabulous tale of intrigue. .....Harriet Klausner